Regarding my se’s with Femera of rash, swollen eyes and other skin problems, I saw my oncologist this week and she said that it was unacceptable to put up with such problems. She has suggested a one month break from the pills and then start again on Tamoxifen. I had already had skin problems with Arimidex and there is a possibility of my having an appt with a dermatologist. I have had so much support and help from the onc, bcn etc, that I feel extremely well looked after. So its not a case of get on with it and put up with it as one correspondant said. I dont give in easily and it was with reluctance that I contacted the onc. But I am glad I did. Nugirl
Hi Nugirl, so glad you´ve got a sympathetic onc , sometimes we need all the sympathy we can get , especially when dealing with se of tablets that we have to take fo 5 years , thats no small time .I too ahve had problems with Femara , and eventually due to the suggestions of one of the bcn on the helpline I was able to get my onc to prescribe another tablet to offset one of the more distressing (to me ) se . This has made me feel so much better in myself .
You´ve put up with so much , I hope that you do get an appointment with a dermotologist and that your skin problems improve .
All the best ,
Kris
Nugirl - In the leaflet in the packet of Femara, there is a Medical Information helpline that you can ring. I just wondered if they have come across this problem before and whether they can help at all.
Hi Ann
Actually now I have stopped taking Femera all the symptons are going. My onc did say some people cannot tolerate any of the meds and they just have more checks. On the same day as I saw her, I had a yearly mamo and they found something else suspicious, but have decided (after a couple of worrying hours) that it was scar tissue.
I will wait a few weeks before I start Tamoxifen just to let the se’s subside and to clear my system. Hopefully it will solve the problem. Otherwise I will be seeing a dermatologist - strange as have never ever had any skin problems. Thanks for your posts.
It’s been two weeks now since I started Femara. I notice that I need laxative despite good diet of fibre, vegetables and fruits. So far OK, have done a lot of long distance walking but have not started pumping iron like I wanted to.
I think psychologically, I am expecting some sort of side effects after being warned by the doc and after reading others’ experience. I hope I can counter it.
Hi For anyone with dry mouth from Femara or any other BC drugs ( four of the drugs I am on have dry mouth as a side effect) I have been given BIOTENE which comes in a tube and helps with the dry mouth problem. You may want to give it a go. Val
Ladies - I found that some of the initial side effects do disappear, such as painful toes and fingers first thing in the morning - oh, and constipation.
Constipation !! I wish !!
Unfortunately I have the exact opposite . Chronic diahorea every day . Mostly first thing in the morning , which is doable , but if it catches me when I´m walking the dog , O M G !!
I know I could take something for it , but to be honest I prefer not to , now that i am taking yet another powerful drug for flushes / sweats etc , I don´t want to take anything else .
Kris
I wouldn’t say it is just a dry mouth. I am really thirsty. The other thing I find is that I seem to need to flush my mouth with cold water to cool me down on the inside - strange as that may sound. It helps reduce the ‘anxious’ feeling that I get. It initially started as a strange tingling sensation in the lower half of my body but that seems to have gone now, thank goodness.
I am sure that low oestrogen affects the body temperature control mechanism. I don’t have hot flushes as such but I generally feel much warmer and anything worrying makes me even worse. I have a theory that that is why I find I get too warm in the night. I must be dreaming/thinking about something worrying!
I have been taking Femara for 3 weeks and also had my first Zoladex injection 3 weeks ago. I too am thirsty a lot, and have hot flushes, but neither is too bad.
However, the most annoying SE for me seems to be muscle fatigue. My wrists ache a bit in the morning, and occasionally during the day, but they don’t really bother me. Most of the time I feel fine. But I often feel as though my arms and legs have lost their energy. One day I can take a short brisk walk, then on other day my legs feel weak and weary. My arm and leg muscles also sometimes feel a bit achey and a bit stiff.
I sometimes feel a bit better after I’ve eaten. I don’t know if it’s the food or the resting that helps. (Or maybe both)
I don’t know how much is because I have lost a lot of stamina (and I just need time and exercise), and how much is the Femara. I will be seeing the oncologist in about 10 days, so I will see what he has to say.
Hi
I’ve been taking letrozole for a couple of months. I have also had dry mouth and have been feeling weak and tired. Have started doing gentle yoga to try to strengthen my body and hopefully to keep osteoporosis at bay. Worst of all I’ve had the most awful urticaria(hives) and itching all over my body. It has got to the stage where I cannot sleep at night - hence this post. It has been so dreadful,I have actually stopped taking the stuff for the past three days, in the hope of having a little respite (and sleep) and am going to ring the hospital tomorrow for an appointment. I am of course really worried about doing this but felt I was going mad with this side effect. Now I am anxious about the lapse and I have made partner worried too. I have been up all night reading Dr. Susan Love and trying to compare other aromatase inibitors. I will call the hospital tomorrow and get an appointment asap. Anyone else had this side effect?
Best to
I’ve been on Femara and Zoladex for just over 2 months now and I think I’m getting used to the hormones now, but side effects are still stopping me from working.
My wrists hardly ache now (unless I’ve been on the PC too much!). But various other joints (mainly fingers and toes) where I already have a bit of arthritis are bothering me more. But still manageable.
I have hot flushes, but they are only mild and quite manageable. Also my ankles are a bit puffy (but GP and onc says its ok).
My worst side effect is still muscle fatigue, especially my legs. They don’t hurt and ache as much as they used to though. But I have to pace myself and stand or walk for short times only and sit down with my feet up a lot.
My onc says that I will probably stop the Zoladex after my op (hopefully WLE if it shrinks enough). So with that stopping and my body used to Femara, hopefully things will get better.
Hallo everyone, I started Femara 3 months ago, I have headaches, a dry mouth, severe joint pain, pains in my long bones (shins, forearms, femurs) very dry and sensitive in areas only ladies have and now I have come all over itchy spots! I also had loads of hot flushes but these have calmed now to only 2 or 3 a week. I have complained to my GP but she has suggested sticking with it until I see my onc in December. I take Paracetomol all the time and shall hang on until I see him but I can’t see myself staying 5 years feeling like this. Perhaps they will all go the way of the flushes. Next Thursday I will have the first mammo since the lumpectomy last January, then a chest x-ray, then an echography and finally a bone density scan but, hey, after 30 radiotherapy treatments what’s a few more rads.
I live in France and, while I have got to know a lot of people with people with breast cancer (including 2 men), I am the only one taking Femara which I find odd. As my OH says at least I am still here to feel all these things. Strength to you all. Tricia
I also had a blood test which shows I am peri-menopausal. The onc was going to give me just Femara to shrink my tumour before surgery, but because I am peri-menopausal I also need Zoladex injections.
I need the Zolodex to stop my ovaries producing estrogen, and the Femara to stop estrogen being created from elsewhere. What fun, no estrogen at all!
…so I braved it and spoke to BC nurses with this “evidence” & they went & got a second opininon on my menopausal blood test profile… Result is that they are repeating the blood tests after 3 weeks of having been off tamoxifen just to make sure that no zoladex is best option. I feel more reassured!