On Femara for 6 months now

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Talishte
Talishte Member Posts: 11
edited December 2016 in Hormonal Therapy - Before, During, and After

I'm sorry if this has been discussed in previous posts, I started to look but there are thousands (which is a good thing!). Just wondering if anyone has experienced an increase in Femara side effects at about the 6 month timeframe. I feel like I am getting the flu at various points in the day, almost need to lay down it's so bad. My nerves/anxiety are through the roof, pain in certain joints (lower thumbs especially, not all, is much worse. I have lost about 14 pounds, but much of that I attribute to a different diet. Hair loss is getting slightly less than it was during the first few months. Basically I can live with the joint aches, but this continual fatigue and all over body ache-flu like symptoms are now impacting daily life. Just checking with all of you to make sure this is "normal". Thanks and sending good thoughts to all during this holiday season.



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  • farmerlucy
    farmerlucy Member Posts: 3,985
    edited December 2016

    Sounds about right to me. I only made it ten months on the AI. It felt like I'd been hit by a bus by 2 pm. A wrist splint helped with my hand.Still can't make a fist after seven months on Tamoxifen.

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  • Kath1228
    Kath1228 Member Posts: 76
    edited December 2016

    Talishte,

    I couldn't tolerate tamoxifen due to muscle contractions in my legs 24/7.

    So, I have been on Femara for two years now. Came close a few times to giving up - but I am highly ER positive so AIs are my best chance at preventing recurrence. Things did get worse before they have now started getting better.

    I am finally starting to feel better and a bit more back to normal in terms of lessening of fatigue, joint and muscle pain. I think our bodies need time to adjust to these medications. I was thrown into menopause by treatment and I think it is a shock to our systems to go through menopause like that. It usually happens over a period of several years - not months.

    So, I think my body is finally adjusting. I now feel less tired and achy. I have also started taking 300mg of magnesium daily which seems to help a great deal with the muscle and joint pain!! (In addition to two arthritis strength Tylenol per day.

    I have read about other people feeling a difference after about two years. I didn't believe it when I first read it - but now it seems to be the case for me as well! If you can stick it out - it may get better!!!

    Plus you may still be recovering from exhaustion due to radiation - that can also take some time to recover from....we have all been through a lot!!! We need to give ourselves time to adjust and recover while still doing what we can to never revisit this again!!

    Happy Holidays!

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  • DivePuppy
    DivePuppy Member Posts: 29
    edited December 2016

    Talishte, my MO warned me that at about 3 months of Femara I would feel awful, like a bad case of the flu. She was right. Unfortunately it hasn't gotten better. I have about 15 months left (of my 5 years) so am sticking it out. I don't want to "wish I had" at some point in the future, so I keep on. But I will rejoice and celebrate when I take my last pill!

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  • ardyrankin
    ardyrankin Member Posts: 6
    edited December 2016

    I've been taking Femara for 3 years. Today, for the first time, my CT results showed no evidence of metastatic disease.

    When I started taking it, I had innumerable lesions in my liver, the largest one was 18mm. Now they can't see any.

    Has anyone else experienced this while taking Femara?

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  • Talishte
    Talishte Member Posts: 11
    edited December 2016

    Thank you so much for your reply and your experience. I can stick it out, I will make myself, and especially if I have the possibility of feeling better in about another year! and a half Thanks again, I feel better knowing that it appears to be a common complaint about these medications! Hope you have a wonderful holiday, too.


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  • ChiSandy
    ChiSandy Member Posts: 12,133
    edited December 2016

    I’m two weeks shy of one year, and the side effects have been minimal—a little intermittent exacerbation of the cuboid syndrome and Morton’s neuroma in my left foot, night sweats (not drenching ones), and extremely slow metabolism, with weight gain. Maybe it’s the Wellbutrin I take with it, maybe it’s that I take one of the three brands with the fewest additives (in ascending order of inactive ingredients: Roxane, Femara, Teva) or maybe it’s a combination thereof.

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  • Calico
    Calico Member Posts: 1,108
    edited December 2016

    Ask your doctor if you could benefit from Advil and such to help with the side effects. I'm taking anti inflammatory supplements (Turmeric) as well as ginger tea. It helps a lot with joint pain!

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