FEMARA

I will be starting Femara soon after 5 years on Tamoxifen.   I haven't had a chance to read through all 122 pages of this thread but I might try.   I have hot flashes/night sweats and a bit of insomnia on Tamox so I am hoping that improves.   Hoping for no joint pain!

Thanks for keeping this thread up so those of us that follow can learn from experience! 

0

Good question, Day.  I'm guessing he didn't answer you.  LOL  Scary that I'm beginning to sound like a doctor and downplay symptoms.

gardengumby - I was told that I would be on the Femara for another 5 years.  So, a total of 10 years on these meds.  I am 45 so I assume that is part of the reasoning. 

oh my - 10 years sounds like forever, but at your age, it does make sense.  I'm 62 now (60 at DX).  I'll have completed my first year of letrozole in another month.  I took tamoxifen for 6 mos, and it just about did me in.  At my last onc visit she told me that she may want me to be on letrozole for 10 years instead of the 5 she said at first.  I told her that I'd do the 5 but would not be willing to extend it to 10.  So, we'll see what we see as the finish line comes closer.  (Originally she told me that the 6 mos on tamoxifen would count for part of the 5 years, and that I could take a yearly "vacation" from letrozole, but she has decided that she no longer wants me to do either of those things.)  It feels like somewhat of a moving target.

I've got SE's with letrozole, but they are SO much more manageable than was the tamoxifen SE's.

Momine, how are you sleeping now?

Originally 4 years ago my Onco said there would probably be an additional 5 years after the first 5. I'm thinking OMG!

He's since changed the theory and told me that there are no trials that have shown the advantage of 10 years on any of these drugs. So for me that's good...why take anything for no good reasons right?

Day, Do you have some research you could share on that?  I would really be interested in reading it.  Thanks

Sheribell, glad it worked for you!

0

bevg49: yes, you described my husband to a T.  He is an angel when it comes to my mood swings and frustration, which he pointed out to me, yes, I start out frustrated and so fast I am angry.  And I am, at him, at me, at the world.  I rant, I rave, tears stream down my face and my ever loving dog Jaki rushes to my side to lick my tears away.  Too often I am on the floor, with my arms around her (she's 55 pounds) and my face buried in her fur.

Trust me, it is the Femara and I think the frustration at how this little tiny pill can give me so many side effects, which day in and day out, I just run out of patience to put up with.

Like you, I hate this pill, but I love it for the fact it will possibly give me a better chance at never having a bc met.  I'll keep swallowing it every day and I dearly wish somehow you could give your husband just one article to read of how Femara can affect moods and maybe he will realize that him reacting to you in the way he does only makes it worse for you, which in turn makes it bad for him. We are married, for the good and the bad, the thick and the thin, and this is bad and thick but I am determined to wade through the muck.

Age has no barrier with this drug, I'm almost 60, and it is making me nutz!  A dear friend thinks maybe I spend too much time alone here on our property working in my gardens, but I need this alone time, it helps to soothe me, and the anger fades away for a while.

YOU are not alone............

BevG and JustaGirl, I've been on letrozole/femara about 11 months now.  At first my mood swings were a lot like yours - really erratic and I'd get PO'd at the drop of a hat.  That's all evened out now.  I still will get angry - but it's more normal angry.  When my husband see that I'm not acting/reacting normally he'll say something like "the medicine must be getting to you".  With those words I can usually step back and realize that I'm off track and bring myself back in line a bit.  

Day - I'd like to read those studies, as my MO during last visit (July) said that there were some studies in process in regards to length of time on letrozole.  She said at that time that once the studies were out we'd revisit how long I was supposed to take the drug - that was when I told her that I'd do five years but not a moment more.  She said something kinda generic in response.

0

I have been on Femara a little over two months.  I first experienced side effects around 3.5 to 4 weeks.  Mostly hot flashes, joint pain and more recently hair loss.