Femara - To take or not to take...

Wow!! I have been back onto my profile and I cant work out how on earth to change my picture...so I cant answer your question!! I pride myself at being pretty good on these things... but this has got me!

Where are you? are you in the US?

Headaches still persist.... weight gain,...and downright 'fedupness' with all of this... I hate hate hate this thing..... Bad few days...:(

I believe my Onc said that Femara is a pharmacy name.... and Letrazole will be available soon made by other companies, so may be available under a different name..

Hope this helps in some small way? Take care of yourself

Ally

Hi there Glenis,

I am glad you found the site!!

Im sorry to hear you are having a bad time with Femara. So far I have been taking it a month. I have had hand tingles and water retention& headaches.. I spoke to my Onc and he suggested to see how I go for another mth, then if Im not happy he will try me on Tamoxifen. mmmm at least he listens to me!! more than yours does! I would be asking to see another Onc and get another opinion .... Au has had Femara for approx 5 yrs I believe.

I hope apart from this, you are doing ok? I still have good and bad. My hair has started to grow back, but is very patchy and thin..... I had lovely thick hair....:(

Good luck to you... and please keep in touch  theres so many of us out there....

Hi there Glenis,

I am glad you found the site!!

Im sorry to hear you are having a bad time with Femara. So far I have been taking it a month. I have had hand tingles and water retention& headaches.. I spoke to my Onc and he suggested to see how I go for another mth, then if Im not happy he will try me on Tamoxifen. mmmm at least he listens to me!! more than yours does! I would be asking to see another Onc and get another opinion .... Au has had Femara for approx 5 yrs I believe.

I hope apart from this, you are doing ok? I still have good and bad. My hair has started to grow back, but is very patchy and thin..... I had lovely thick hair....:(

Good luck to you... and please keep in touch  theres so many of us out there....

Hi Ally,

Well, after taking femera for a week I had a rash on my arms and legs, and a terrible itch in my groin and I generally felt terrible so I stopped taking it.  I have now finished my radiotherapy treatment and am due to see my oncologist next week.  I have spent some time reading about the side effects of these drugs and have discussed this with my husband at some length and decided that I will not take femera again.  I may try another option if the oncologist suggests it but if I still get bad side effects I will stop that as well.  I cannot see any reason to take a medication that can decrease my quality of life with only, according to the statistics, a small reduction in the risk of the cancer returning. Regardless of my decision, you need to discuss this with your partner, family, GP or other person you can confide in and come to your own decision. Find out as much as you can about the drugs and their side effects and don't be afraid to ask your GP or oncologist about the percentages that your risks are reduced based on your cancer figures. I would be interested in your eventual decision if you feel you want to let me know.  I wish you well in your fight and hope that you come through this challenging ordeal.