Reviewer: Glow, 65-74 Female on Treatment for 1 to 6 months (Patient)

Comment:
I have been taking Femara for 4 months and it has put me through Hell. I had HER2 receptive breast cancer, lumpectomy, chemo, radiation and Herceptin treatments. Now on Femara which is worse than all the surgery and treatments following surgery. I can't sleep at night, have severe pains in the joints of my legs and back, have neck pain and an overall feeling of discomfort. never wake up in ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I have been taking Femara for 4 months and it has put me through Hell. I had HER2 receptive breast cancer, lumpectomy, chemo, radiation and Herceptin treatments. Now on Femara which is worse than all the surgery and treatments following surgery. I can't sleep at night, have severe pains in the joints of my legs and back, have neck pain and an overall feeling of discomfort. never wake up in the morning feeling refreshed or invigorated. I feel like a 100 year old woman, or let me correct, the 100 year old woman probably feels better than I do. I am also experiencing hair loss. Wasn't six months of being bald enough. I swore I would never wear my wig again but who's to say! When my hair grew back is was thick and curley - I have always had straight hair. I thought it was wonderful until it started to fall out. I called Novartis to tell them about my symptoms and they had no advice regarding Femara. What I don't know is what to do next. Stop taking Femara or continue and be miserable for the next five years. I am 67, active, working and just don't know what's in store for me. Hope you are all doing better than I am. Good luck and God bless to all of you.
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Reviewer: June, 55-64 Female on Treatment for 2 to less than 5 years (Patient)

Comment:
I will complete 5 years January 2015. I have Ankylosing Spondylitis so it is hard to tell what is causing problems. Side effects: bone and muscle pain, tiredness, major hair breakage and loss which started last year, bone loss/osteopenia (get a bone density every year, lift light weights 2-3/week, and take calcium with vitamin D if you can),increased cholesterol- dose increased, and general body a ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I will complete 5 years January 2015. I have Ankylosing Spondylitis so it is hard to tell what is causing problems. Side effects: bone and muscle pain, tiredness, major hair breakage and loss which started last year, bone loss/osteopenia (get a bone density every year, lift light weights 2-3/week, and take calcium with vitamin D if you can),increased cholesterol- dose increased, and general body aches. I am cancer free so I am willing to put up with side effects. I exercise for 2hrs 3-5/week.
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Reviewer: Sylvia , 65-74 Female on Treatment for 5 to less than 10 years (Patient)

Comment:
I just finished 5 years of femara treatment. Diagnosed with stage one, received lumpectomy and brachi radiation. Am currently cancer free. Big hugs to all my sisters out there wrestling with side effect vs quality of life choices. I can tell you it wasn't easy at the beginning because of the side effects, but they did lessen for me over the years. Of course now it all seems worth it. Rem ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I just finished 5 years of femara treatment. Diagnosed with stage one, received lumpectomy and brachi radiation. Am currently cancer free. Big hugs to all my sisters out there wrestling with side effect vs quality of life choices. I can tell you it wasn't easy at the beginning because of the side effects, but they did lessen for me over the years. Of course now it all seems worth it. Remain patient, and be comfortable with the decisions you make. Gos bless.
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Reviewer: midnightcat, 65-74 on Treatment for 1 to less than 2 years (Patient)

Comment:
I was diagnosed with Stage 1 node negative breast cancer in 2004 and put on Femara. I took it for 15 months even after the side effects had made life miserable. I still have the side effects, including being dependent on a Rollator to get around. I had a long talk with my internist and decided to go off it. I am a ten year survivor and without medications. My oncologist soft pedaled the side effec ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
I was diagnosed with Stage 1 node negative breast cancer in 2004 and put on Femara. I took it for 15 months even after the side effects had made life miserable. I still have the side effects, including being dependent on a Rollator to get around. I had a long talk with my internist and decided to go off it. I am a ten year survivor and without medications. My oncologist soft pedaled the side effects and that undermined my trust in her judgement. I warn new BC patients who are put on it that you may have to grill your doctor about the problems. All they can see is the prospect of no recurring BC. This is all well and good but you have to live with your decision -- hopefully that will be a long time -- and you cannot ignore quality of life issues.
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Reviewer: Happy, 55-64 Female on Treatment for 2 to less than 5 years (Patient)

Comment:
November 2008 diagnosed with Stage 2B breast cancer. Hormone receptor positive and HERS 2 positive. Opted for lumpectomy instead of mastectomy. Received chemo, radiation and Herceptin therapy. First 2.5 years was taking Tamoxifen then switched to Letrozole (Femara). Last visit to oncologist stated I am cancer free and will be able to stop medication in May 2014. Side effects have been joint an ... Show Full Comment

Comment:
November 2008 diagnosed with Stage 2B breast cancer. Hormone receptor positive and HERS 2 positive. Opted for lumpectomy instead of mastectomy. Received chemo, radiation and Herceptin therapy. First 2.5 years was taking Tamoxifen then switched to Letrozole (Femara). Last visit to oncologist stated I am cancer free and will be able to stop medication in May 2014. Side effects have been joint and muscle pain with fatigue. Have been working out 1.5 hrs. 3x per week. This has helped with most of side effects. I take the medication at night and believe this has helped also. I am determined to finish the 5 years and look forward to not taking this medication. Has not been easy but do not want a reoccurrence of breast cancer. Going through the breast cancer treatments were worse than the side effects of Tamoxifen and Letrozole.
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