Hi I am just about to finish my last chemo and then will have radiotheraphy. it is at this time that I will be starting Femara.
My oncologist spoke to me about the side effects and said that joint pain is one of them. I had an early menopause when i was 38 now 52 and she has also referred me for a bone scan as she said femara can affect the bones.
Would love to hear about other folks experiences on what it is like to take Femara.
Love Anne xx
If you’ve been through the menopause already then you shouldn’t have too many problems. I am post-menopausal and took Femara for nine months. The main problem I had was vaginal dryness which was both uncomfortable and made me prone to soreness and infections. When I mentioned this to the oncologist he suggested changing to Tamoxifen because with that drug you can use locally applied oestrogen cream. We are all unique and you may not have any problems.
Good luck with your treatment.
AlexG
ive come off it after 6 months of hell, but as they say no two of us are the same. i also had a very severe reaction to arimadex s well
sue
Hello
I have been on Femara since May 09 and was on Tamoxifen for 5 years before that. I know that many on Femara have aches and pains, I have not. Sometimes I get stuck trying to get up off the sofa but that is stiffness and not all the time. What I noticed at first was a thinning of hair but its fine now. I have had a few mouth problems, ie oral thrush, which I can put down to stress at work but I have never had it before, I can’t say that it is due to Femara. Last December I seemed to go down with every bug going and was forever at the doctors. I find that if I ask my Onc or GP if they are side effects of Femara they say no, they don’t really want to know.
I suppose you have to weigh up whether you can put up with the side effects which may or may not be bad against the piece of mind that these drugs might keep the cancer at bay. Everyone is different and the side effects can be different for each person.
Hope you get on okay
Hazel
Hi there,
I was on Femara for 8 months post MX this time last year,should have been for 8years but the Onc changed me over to Tamoxifen(think it was just his personal favourite cos he gave me no explaination). The whole of the time I was taking it,my remaining boob was really sore,couldnt lie on it and it sort of throbbed all the time,my BC was IBC and I was convinced it was in this one as well. I had my surgeons appointment brought forward,he could give no reason,my GP could give no reason,neither could my BCN. Eventually I stopped worrying(a bit)then we were in Boots and the pharmacist asked could she do a review of me and my hubbys pills and there in her drug bible in black & white was the fact that Femara causes breast pain.
I have been so well on Tamoxifen that I feel sorry you have had to finish taking it,I can believe anything youre suffering from is down to Femara,specially aches & pains,BTW are you on the famous glucosamine? That plus cod liver oil helped me but those pains have eased on Tamoxifen,also a vitamin called "Multibionta" may help you with the thrush,it can cure the other sort of thrush when Ive had a dose of that in the past,after the conventional Caneston failed.
I wish you well and hope the SEs peter out, love Mags x
I have been taking it for a year now and the side effects are not too bad. I don’t think I have any more joint pain than I had before which was obviously age related. Like someone else said I noticed hair thinning after a couple of months but either I have got use to it or it has grown back because it does’nt seem too bad now. Dryness has been my main problem, I really lash on the moisturiser, my onc. has said I can use estrogen cream locally in the you know where area and it has helped.
I had my first diagnoses in 1985, recurrence in 2005 and a further one last year so feel I must persevere no matter what.
Seems to effect us all differently so all you can do really is give it a go and hopefully you will be fine.
Take care
Jan
Hi
It really does affect everyone differently.
I have been taking Femara for over 18 months now. The first week I felt dreadful and thought ‘there’s no way I can take this for 5 years’, but since then almost nothing. Fingers are a bit stiff in the morning when I first get up, getting out of the chair (if I’ve been on the PC too long) I can be a little stiff but other than that the only thing is my ‘foggy’ brain. I struggle with names etc sometimes, but it’s nothing that I can’t handle.
Like you I was 10 years post menopause when I started taking it, and really the side effects could be part of the normal ageing process. I’m 58 now.
Hope Femara is kind to you too.
Mal
Hi,
I was on tamoxifen, well nolvadex for almost18 months and had very stiff feet in the mornings. I changed to femara a few months ago and the stiffness went on the first day I stopped tamoxifen. Femara is fine for me so far and no joint trouble so far but only on 3rd box. So far I am better on this than tam and had been warned joint pains might be worse too. Added bonus is that all of the aromatase inhibitors have a slightly higher success rate in trials. Plastic surgeon told me that if you have a higher risk of a recurrence the AI’s make quite a bit of difference but still higher even if lower risk but not so noticeable.
Good luck and I also hope it is kind to you
Lily x