FEMARA

the only se I'm having (and I don't even know if it's from the Femera or just life) is awful mood swings. I go into rages at people for small things, mainly my family. They think I'm losing my mind and sometimes I think I am. When I'm not angry I'm crying hysterically. Now this isn't every minute, but too often, daily. I have only been on Femara about 6 or 7 weeks so I don't know. Is this a normal side effect and is there anything to be done about it? I know I can ask the doctor to switch my drug but really, i have no guarantee that another one will be better. I don't even know if my mood swings are a result of the med.... Does anyone have any insight please?

thanks chrissy, VERY MUCH.... I would NEVER commit suicide but what's going on is insane and I can't say it hasn't entered my mind. Having said that, I know I would never do such a thing but I am just misreable and off the wall. I AM THE most passive personal general and yet I want to kill my dh, my sister, my son and my daughter.... The only ones I'm not fighting with right now are my grandkids ........... who are 10 months old hahaha..... Well, at least I can tell a funny and still laugh a little.... I have never been so mad for such slight reasons and never cried so hard and so much.... It's so stupid but thanks for the explanation and tomorrow I am making an appointment with the psychiatrist who perscribes my klonopin when I need it. I'm sure he'd have no problem helping me get over this depression. I MISS MY ESTOGEN.....!!!! but I don't miss my bc so I guess it's a tradeoff, right?

grandbabIES, chrissy..... they are twins and yes, they do bring joy but right now, they are about it.... I have older grandkids too, 17 and 20... The other day I was even furious with the 20 year old. I wish you knew me and you'd know that is so not me. I am 1960's peace and love, good vibrations kind of gal. I am such a shrew now it's almost funny. My DH is reeling. He fights back and yells back then I go into mad hysterical crying.... He is so at a loss. If I was outside looking in, I might laugh....

Hello everyone....I just swallowed my first letrozole (same as Femara, is it not?) and since I'm seeing a 121 page discussion about this drug I'm now waiting for the SEs to hit me instantly.  I hope to do without the dizziness and drowsiness the bottle label promises.  Most of all I hope this stuff, along with Lupron, does a good job.  Haven't had any luck with tamoxifen and faslodex. 

Hope to meet some of you and complain together.

Forestdwell, I wish good things for you on L, I have been on it for six months now and it took three months for a couple of SE to kick in. But, now the mood swings and the crying

episodes have subsided. I did get the thinning hair but if that's all I get, I consider myself lucky. Chrissyb is right, in that I believe your body needs time to adjust to the fact

that you are being depleted of your estrogen. Not everybody gets SE and we all get different ones. If any, so be positive and hope you will be one of the lucky ones. Consider the alternative.

Auntienance.....I did too but don't think it was L ...I finally got help from my GP ...anti-depressant and anti-anxiety meds....back working and feel so much better now.

I keep reiterating to everybody, don't be stubborn (I was for awhile) get help from your GP, you won't regret it, I didn't. Take care everybody.

I take mine after dinner..works for me.

I've been on letrozole 5 months, I take it an hour before bed, and have had few SEs as well.   I'm very happy with it so far.  The only SE that I know is from the letrozole is hot flashes.   My onco suggested 1,000mgs of Vitamin E.  I'm still having hot flashes, but I think it took the edge off.   Chrissyb is my inspiration to stick with it.  Thanks 

I take mine early a.m.   & the first few days I had dizziness but not anymore.   I am on day 75 & now mainly just warm "flushes" & not too many.  On the other hand I have 2 days left of rads & my skin has started to itch & fry.

Hello everyone,

I was on tamoxifen since last September but had a hysterectomy in May - been on Femara since May 25th.   At first I felt nothing but then my hip and knee (right side) began to really hurt.   My doctor put me on a medication "holiday" for 10 days and that did not help at all so he doesn't think it is the med.  So now I am back on the med.  My hot flashes are horrible - a few every hour and they last about 6 minutes (yes I clock them!)  I take vitamins daily.  

I did read about the 1000mg of vitamin E - what do you ladies think about vitamin D?   I used to take 5000IU's but stopped.

Any info appreciated.   Does anyone take advil or tylenol for the joint pain?  

Sheri 

SheriBell,  I haven't heard that Vitamin D helps hot flashes, but my onco has me on 800IU of D-3 along with 1500mg of Calcium citrate for my bones.  I occasionally take Advil for headaches but I really haven't had much bone or joint pain, mostly just stiffness.

I have been on Femara for almost 4 years.  I only have 14 more months to go and believe me I count each day. 

Since on Femara I have had to deal with severe joint pain, fatigue, nausea, hair thinning, and anything else you can name.  I stay on it because I promised my husband and my doctor but it doesn't mean I have enjoyed it at all. 

I try to keep a positive attitude and most days I can but somedays it is really difficult.

I had right breast cancer with mets to 3 lymph nodes.  I had a bilateral mastectomy, chemotherapy, and radiation. 

Has anyone had terrible insomnia on femara that went away after a while?



Susannah

Eight month to go on Femara. I have the s/e's although not sever. There are a lot of s/e's that are visible, like knuckles that are getting big in the hands. Not necessarily very painful (morning stiffness) but it shows never the less. Insomnia, yes, but I've always been a lousy sleeper. It's all doable if there is an end to the tunnel. Boiling down in a nutshell....Cancer Sucks..big time.

But you know what? We are still here to talk about it and standing upright!

Artsee, that is what I keep telling people too, "I am still walking and talking, so it is all good." I figure I had been lucky until the cancer hit. I had 47 years of good health, never sick, never hospitalized or operated (except for the birth of my kid), so I got to make up for it in the last year.