FEMARA

Hi ladies. New here..started Letrozole a week ago (with zolodex injections) and finally searched out this thread. I was on Aromasin/zolodex for 8 mo and was taken off due to severe joint pain. Hoping this AI will treat me better!

Hi MammaRay, I'm guessing you tried taking with food to combat nausea (if this is cause). What time of day do you take it? Maybe right before sleep would help. Just a thought. My pharmacy paperwork does list upset stomach as a SE.

Novmoon, at first I was taking the AI at night figuring that I would sleep through the worst of the side effects. Instead, it kept me awake all night so I switched to the AM schedule and it is better for me although the joint pain is bad no matter when I take it. You might want to try taking it in the AM or even the early afternoon?

I also have trouble sleeping. I can fall asleep ok but then wake up at 3 or 4 and can't fall back to sleep. I thought it was just anxiety but now wonder if its the Femara. I'll try switching to mornings next week while I'm off work and see if it helps.

I started hair thinning 12 months after starting it. Now 6 months lTer have 1/3 the hair I had.just got a Capillus laser cap to see if I can help this out as I don't want to go back to a wig

Cholesterol goes up from eating sugar not fat. The liver metabolizes it. I gained 15 lbs in the first 15 months on this stuff was starving all the time. Depressed as I went from a size 10 to 14

Went on a ketogenic diet and lost the weight over the last 4 months Eating Irish butter, healthy fats and protein, bullet proof coffee. Almost no carbs No longer hungry. Finally back in my old clothes.

I started hair loss about 12 months later. That's when the weight gain happened. High cholesterol etc.

Thinkingpositive

That's pretty much the same for me too. hair loss at the crown.

Wildtulip, I have not had this SE.

It's been well over a year since I've posted anything. Things have been pretty good post surgery, chemo and rads. I've been on tamoxifen for about a year and a half. Doctors also had me on Lexapro for the hot flashes. My insomnia got so bad that I weaned myself off that about two months ago and my sleep quality has improved immensely without any obvious increase in hot flashes. It probably helps that I live in Switzerland now as opposed to Los Angeles! My one complaint with tamoxifen is the weight gain - I'm 10 lbs over my regular weight and can't get it off. For a while I blamed this on the Lexapro as well - I simply didn't have the energy or desire to be my normal, active self. I'm now back to running 25 miles a week and Pilates twice a week but I can't drop any of this weight. I was very excited this week that my oncologist confirmed I'm menapausal (had a hysterectomy 19 years ago) and switched me to Femara. At least I was until I started reading about the SEs on this blog. ☹️ Yesterday was my first day on it and by evening I was nauseous enough that I had to leave a holiday dinner early. I'm training for the Barcelona marathon in March and am really worried about the reports of joint pain. I wonder if I shouldn't seek out a new oncologist and consider another drug?

Thank you for all the posts out here. This community has been very helpful at numerous stages of this fun little BC adventure.

so true, I have no joint pain. My worst SE is urinary frequency and urgency. My next stop is to a urologist. I am just starting to get nervous about it and need to rule out the nasty alternative.

thanks Dtad, I will. Merry Christmas to everyone and wishing you all a much better 2017!!!!

I'm also having lots more urgency and frequentcy lately. No pain, just the feeling of always having to go even if I just went. I had some of this before my recent recurrence of what is now MBC but never quite this bad. I guess I will call the doc's office and see what he recommends.. I sure hate to add another medication to my regimen.

Mammaray, I'm also sorry about your sudden large hair loss. That is just such an awful feeling., I cried for days when I went bald 25 years ago from Chemo. I hope it is a one time thing for,you. It seems like my hair has finally stopped falling out so much (knock wood) after a year on these drugs for MBC. Of course it had gotten thinner as I got older but now it's worse. The shedding is better but the hair itself is very fine now. Just no body! I'm trying Nioxin products and they seemto help a bit to make it look thicker.

Wishing everyone a healthier happy 2017.

Faith (in the future

hi. I see your post about losing your hair was in 2014. You said that it goes in four months cycles, about how one's hair falls out from the medicine and/or stress, according to what your hair dresser told you. (My sister has always said that too). You said you lost about half of your hair. I have lost about half of the thickness that I used to have. It's wicked depressing. Major receding hairline. I just wanted to ask you - did it ever grow back when you finished the medicine andor treatment?

Iala1, I just read your post about melatonin and I'm passing on to someone. Just wanted you to know the info was helpful!

My BS also says 5 years only on Letrozole and the other 5 on Tamoxifen. I am hoping that the thinning hair will improve once off Letrozole. I don't know if hair loss happens on Tamoxifen?

Mamma Ray. We're all tired. Go ahead and scream. Family is wonderful but they aren't going through this.

>Z<

mammaray, tamoxifen is used for premenopausal women but also postmenopausal women too. AI drugs are for postmenopausal women. Hormone therapy can be tamoxifen alone, tamoxifen and AI, or AI alone. My onco says no more than 5 years on AI, you can change to tamoxifen for an extra 5 years.

Each situation is considered before automatically taking either one. Tamoxifen has a risk of blood clots, possible strokes and in rare cases cancer. AI also have risks of bone loss and other problems.

What was intriguing to me was being er+ and pr- AI drugs are more effective than tamoxifen.

This stuff may be good at fighting cancer but otherwise not too great on your health.