Femara or tamoxifen
Common Questions and Answers about Femara or tamoxifen
femara
I don't know about Femara but I have gained weight on Tamoxifen. I get to stop taking it next month and I can't wait to see if I lose some of this weight.
How beneficial is Femara after taking Tamoxifen for 5 years. Im 7 years out, stage 1. Im 5 mos. into Femara and starting to feel some unwanted side effects and wondering what to do. I would love to be "drug" free and go on. Do you feel I should continue? Any information would be great. I will be discussing it with my physician shortly. Thanx.
Me too! BC IA 2005, PSS diagnosed 2007. Most of my doctors are very reluctant to state that the PSS is related to Tamoxifen. I, too, was offered Femara instead but I don't believe that will solve the problem. A google search reveals an old study finding symptoms of Sjogren's in mice upon deprivation of estrogen. The doctors say that I am exactly the right age for development of PSS. [BC was diagnosed at 39.
Hi,
I had a lumpectomy in 1999 and had radiation for invasive lobular breast cancer. Very tiny lump about 5 mm. Nodes were clear so I didn't have chemo. I was on tamoxifen for 5 years and have been on femara for 3. The back pain and joint pain has gotten horrible. I can no longer stand up straight or walk very far. I am 64 and afraid I will no longer be able to walk soon. I stopped femara 4 days ago.
like hot flashes,vaginal dryness and mood swings etc...Some switched Tamoxifen with Femara and apparently had little side effect and conceived almost immediately.Talk to your doctor if tamoxifen is not well tolerated,.but if you have no major side effects, then stay on it and I hope that you'll be able to conceive soon. Good luck and best wishes.
Hi Everyone, After 3 months of Femara I suddenly developed carpel tunnel syndrome. My entire right arm became numb in the middle of the night; I thought I was having a stroke or heart attack. I called Novartis & they sent me the requested 9 pages of info about musculoskeletal side effects, the most common being carpel tunnel & trigger finger. I saw a hand specialist who provided hand braces and said I would eventually need the surgery.
It is very hard to ascertain if Femara can directly cause fibromyalgia, since this condition or side effect is not routinely reported or classified in the clinical trials that used Femara. What Femara does, however, is that it can have a side effect in bone metabolism causing decreased bone mineralization that can cause bone pains and sometimes may lead to increased incidence of fractures.
Hope this helps. Regards.
MD Anderson is presently doing a research study on which medications are the best. I wanted to take Femara because my Tamoxifen ran out. It lasts about two years, then I switch to another estrogen blocker, and two years later back to Tamoxifen. I actually have had no side effects with Tamoxifen, but I know women who have had problems similar to going through the change. Arimidex made me look bad inside. The doc never explained, but he won't give it to me.
Hi - after I finished chemo and starting rads in 2003 I was prescribed tamoxifen, took it for 2 months and my Oncologist changed me to Arimidex (one of the aromatose inhibitors) which I think has a 50% better prognosis for non recurrence than the old "gold standard" tamoxifen. I was thrilled, as it had just come on to the market here in England.
However, 4 yrs down the line, I stopped it 4 weeks ago, due to severe bone pain (hips, hands and feet) and the pain has gone!
If you are already post-menopausal, you can ask your doctor about switching to a different class of drugs called aromatase inhibitors (like arimidex or femara). For the present pain, you may ask your doctor about additional drugs for neuropathic pain such as gabapentin or pregabalin. Also, some alternative treatments can offer some pain control such as accupressure or accupuncture. I hope your pain can be controlled soon.
Regards and God bless.
I'm also a stage 3c grade 1 ovca and have been fighting since 2004. I have been on several chemos and am currently on my 3rd recurrence and 6th type of chemo. My body has been through enough and I'm now being switched to Tamoxifen. I don't know about Femara,so I can't offer any advice. I can tell you that although we don't respond well to chemos...
I have had two primary cancers in 12 months. My first cancer was a cervical tumor now it is gone after chemo + radio + brachytherapies and I am now on the usual follow up. My BC was ER+92, PR- and HER2-, 3 lymph nodes dissected all clean. I did not get an oncotype test. I had a mastectomy and right now I am on 8 rounds of chemo. Once done I have to say if I will take FEMARA or not, I want to decide that on my own.
After 5 yrs of Tamoxifen my Onc. prescribed me Femara and now she stopped me from taking that medication without checking if I am still ER positive or not. Is it advisable for me to ask her to check if I am still ER positive?
This discussion is related to <a href='/posts/show/259516'>Best chemo treatment given I am ER -</a>.
My oncologist said that since I am in the low risk group, I will have less benefit from the Tamoxifen than someone in the medium or high risk group. But he still feels I need to be on the medication.
My dilemma is - do I take the Tamoxifen to prevent a tumor in the future - and risk another blood clot? The clot scared the heck out of me when I had it...
I am very scared of a recurrence but have I done enough to now decide that I will not have further treatment with either Tamoxifen or one of the Aromatose inhibitors. I would rather continue on with treatment though if that is the best option. Confused at the moment and would like some good advice. Thank you.
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