Forum Discussion

Ness's avatar
Ness
Member
12 years ago

Use of Femara

Everyone has to make their own decision but I wish I'd spoken to more people who had used it before making mine! I only took Femara for 4-5 months before giving it away altogether. Too many aches and pains, (still to this day) loss of bone density, loss of strength... can't even open a jar of jam any more. As far as libido goes...WHATS THAT!!?? It's completely gone and I've been off Femara for 18 months now and my libido hasn't come back at all.

I thought I'd asked enough questions at the time before starting Femara such as: 1) How long does it take to get out of my system if I stop taking it? The answer I was told was one week. 2) What are the normal side effects? I was told you might get some and not others. Everyone I've have spoken to tells me of their side effects and they all include the really horrible ones. Add in the HOT FLUSHES. I didn't know I could get sooo hot and then sooo cold all in the space of 5 minutes. Absolutely incredible!! Middle of winter and I'm suddenly taking all of my clothes off and running around outside!

My bone density dropped so quickly on Femara that  I now have a crushed vertebrae from normal outdoor activities. There's no more heavy lifting or normal farmwork ever again for me without experiencing a lot of pain. That's if I'm even strong enough to do the things I used to.

What you also don't get told is that the damage it does to your ovaries is fairly permanent. My personal recommendation is to get every possible synthetic xenoestrogen out of your life totally because that overloads your body and mimics estrogen, do some serious liver cleanses to rid your body of the xenoestrogens stored in there and let your body produce the natural estrogen it needs to function normally.

(For me it became a case of if I feel so bad every day what's the point of even being here?)

Then give up all sugar...your cancer likes that just as much as it does estrogen anyway! What do you think they use in PET scans? Glucose because the cancer just eats it up so quickly.

It's a really scary place to be when making decisions about how you'll deal with cancer. Whatever you choose to do, go in with your eyes open and be prepared to make the changes to your life that will happen as a result of taking hormone blockers.

I wish you health and happiness!!

Ness

6 Replies

  • Gail_Austen's avatar
    Gail_Austen
    Member
    12 years ago
    Raloxifine is not a new drug is well known and is available in Australia .....femara has an effective result history but sure it's like all drugs attached to a list of side effects ..... I have a favorite saying......"I have made friends with Femara" .....as I have plenty of enemies with cancer....and without doubt since last Easter having taken my body from 33percent of normal strength to 50perecent with 100 in mind by lightweight daily exercise , sensible diet regular bi weekly Physio and occupational therapy as I also have lymphodaema in right hand and forearm, left hand and both boobs. Result has been incredible remembering at almost 70 my hands are arthritic my spine fractured at 17 from the second to the ninth thoracic with discs cervical damage too gives osteoporosis a good chance and so far the extremity pain has gone and it was there for sure. The other incredible news since Xmas eve last year having never failed to wear pressure garments daily do light lymphodaema exercises once daily added too by my light simple exercise routine at home min three bike rides recreational three times a week I have reduced the pressure in my right arm to -1 that's almost normal It's not a cure but it sure beats a swollen arm my hands are great my right boob normal still working on my lleft boob which for about four months now we have added the compression jacket once weekly for 20 mins I have posted a photo ofme in that jacket the message being you make your own choices but with medical professional advise mine at the mater in Brisbane from a team of breast cancer medicos has aided me in achieving thus far Femara gawd I wish i did not have to take any drug but it stops the production of the food that feeds my cancer so happy to put my bets on femara and continue to give my body all the tools I can to counteract the side effects Oxygenate your bloodstream by exercise is a simple solution to give you a better daily fighting chance to feel better and to aside those side effects my bone density was excellent at start I don't expect perfection but I will keep you posted on results at my next bone density test Femara I believe will be my best chance of staying alive nothing is perfect in an imperfect world but I can assure anyone who is interested that mine is not an answer to everything but the odds are better for survival and I feel great It's not without diligent discipline that this result to date has been achieved and not without cost I have run out of refunds this year on Physio and OT but I like feeling good Sometimes aches and pains are just part of life daily workload depends on how you set your base physically fortunately despite my severe set backs I have stuck to Physio weekly all my life since 17 years 70 in January My sporting achievements in the past have not come easily and without pain but Physio and occupational therapy are essential weekly for me to be where I am then I do not walk out of treatment and fail to do exercises given to me I know they work although it's a pain I the per verbal to spend time sometimes doing this instead of more fun things I have learned to make my routine interesting and enjoyable its the only reason I am walking So cancer is a ruddy nuisance and do I need it no !!!!!all I can add to the many comments on Femara is its prescribed as the best available to keep cancer at bay in cancer of my type it's not old hat it is better than some drugs mentioned Australia is a leader in cancer research and treatment not a follower I am no medico but I believe in the absence of even better research that will come I will go with the latest and best My brother died of lymphoma after 13 years he used to talk about stem cell research and how if he lived long enough he could benefit I talk with people at Hoca who are alive now because of this invaluable research he was too early died at 49 22 years ago So you see I donate when.i Can to research on medicine I believe In it .......I also have a very high respect for traditional well researched medicine and medicos as I watched and experienced my brother and others trying to survive on all sorts of ideas and thought bubbles delivered by uneducated self proclaimed saviours I have never forgotten that some of the advisors where doctors so be careful about your decisions who you listen too and what you do My survival in life has in the end come down to listening to my body having given it the best chance I can give it with huge effort on my part and the advise and treatment of the best medicos I can find and we have them right here in Australia ...... Time will tell of course .....anyone who is I interested can check me out on the web on Facebook etc my story is out there and it's fair dinkum I am living it with little time left to write about it so there's my two bobs worth
  • Gail_Austen's avatar
    Gail_Austen
    Member
    12 years ago
    Raloxifine is not a new drug is well known and is available in Australia .....femara has an effective result history but sure it's like all drugs attached to a list of side effects ..... I have a favorite saying......"I have made friends with Femara" .....as I have plenty of enemies with cancer....and without doubt since last Easter having taken my body from 33percent of normal strength to 50perecent with 100 in mind by lightweight daily exercise , sensible diet regular bi weekly Physio and occupational therapy as I also have lymphodaema in right hand and forearm, left hand and both boobs. Result has been incredible remembering at almost 70 my hands are arthritic my spine fractured at 17 from the second to the ninth thoracic with discs cervical damage too gives osteoporosis a good chance and so far the extremity pain has gone and it was there for sure. The other incredible news since Xmas eve last year having never failed to wear pressure garments daily do light lymphodaema exercises once daily added too by my light simple exercise routine at home min three bike rides recreational three times a week I have reduced the pressure in my right arm to -1 that's almost normal It's not a cure but it sure beats a swollen arm my hands are great my right boob normal still working on my lleft boob which for about four months now we have added the compression jacket once weekly for 20 mins I have posted a photo ofme in that jacket the message being you make your own choices but with medical professional advise mine at the mater in Brisbane from a team of breast cancer medicos has aided me in achieving thus far Femara gawd I wish i did not have to take any drug but it stops the production of the food that feeds my cancer so happy to put my bets on femara and continue to give my body all the tools I can to counteract the side effects Oxygenate your bloodstream by exercise is a simple solution to give you a better daily fighting chance to feel better and to aside those side effects my bone density was excellent at start I don't expect perfection but I will keep you posted on results at my next bone density test Femara I believe will be my best chance of staying alive nothing is perfect in an imperfect world but I can assure anyone who is interested that mine is not an answer to everything but the odds are better for survival and I feel great It's not without diligent discipline that this result to date has been achieved and not without cost I have run out of refunds this year on Physio and OT but I like feeling good Sometimes aches and pains are just part of life daily workload depends on how you set your base physically fortunately despite my severe set backs I have stuck to Physio weekly all my life since 17 years 70 in January My sporting achievements in the past have not come easily and without pain but Physio and occupational therapy are essential weekly for me to be where I am then I do not walk out of treatment and fail to do exercises given to me I know they work although it's a pain I the per verbal to spend time sometimes doing this instead of more fun things I have learned to make my routine interesting and enjoyable its the only reason I am walking So cancer is a ruddy nuisance and do I need it no !!!!!all I can add to the many comments on Femara is its prescribed as the best available to keep cancer at bay in cancer of my type it's not old hat it is better than some drugs mentioned Australia is a leader in cancer research and treatment not a follower I am no medico but I believe in the absence of even better research that will come I will go with the latest and best My brother died of lymphoma after 13 years he used to talk about stem cell research and how if he lived long enough he could benefit I talk with people at Hoca who are alive now because of this invaluable research he was too early died at 49 22 years ago So you see I donate when.i Can to research on medicine I believe In it .......I also have a very high respect for traditional well researched medicine and medicos as I watched and experienced my brother and others trying to survive on all sorts of ideas and thought bubbles delivered by uneducated self proclaimed saviours I have never forgotten that some of the advisors where doctors so be careful about your decisions who you listen too and what you do My survival in life has in the end come down to listening to my body having given it the best chance I can give it with huge effort on my part and the advise and treatment of the best medicos I can find and we have them right here in Australia ...... Time will tell of course .....anyone who is I interested can check me out on the web on Facebook etc my story is out there and it's fair dinkum I am living it with little time left to write about it so there's my two bobs worth
  • Mich_x's avatar
    Mich_x
    Member
    12 years ago
    Hey Ness My Onco has taken me off Femara for 6 weeks and then i am to go back on it for 6 weeks before seeing him again to  as he puts it negotiate.To be honest I can't blame Femara for my terrible aches and pains now, I can't blame them for my hot flushes as I was suffering from them before diagnosed with BC and that was why I was taking HRT which worked beautifully but now I take Lyrica which keeps the hot flushes under control so I can't really blame Femara for them.  I am still not able to sleep at night so that obviously was not the Femara.So i am going back in to the onco room with not much of a fight up my sleeve so guess I will be going back on Femara...............I guess one thing I can try and blame Femara for is my libido but then on the other hand could it be that I don't like my body anymore so can't see how anybody else could - I am overweigh a lot worse since my BC diagnosis, I have one very dicky boob that is still suffereing issues and I have a husband who is obviously a boob man, I still get very tired and mood changes occur so...... mmmmm would that have happened because of the BC diagnosis, surgery, chemo, loss of hair, added weight, periods of mild depression, a boob that isn't a boob anymore and more like an alien stuck to me that I can't get rid of unless I take drastic measures.  Only good thing to come out of this whole situation is I am cancer free. Soooo I don't think I can blame my libido on Femara but more on BC diagnosis and what that does to your body image and your mind.That is about as honest as I can get when it comes to Femara.  I love to hate it with a vengence but what choices do we have.  If I say I don't want to go back on it and in two years down the track BC comes back and bites me in the bum OR I go back on Femara and continue to suffer various symptoms that I can try and blame on Femara and then BC comes back to bite me in the bum - who or what can I blame nobody really knows.  BUT if I have done everything in my power to stop this horrid disgusting and whatever other name you want to give this cancer then i feel I have done the best that I can do and the rest is up to my body and maybe just bloody good luck who knows, not me.Not sure if that helps you at all but I have said what i feel about another horrid drug with horrid side effects.  I wish I could blame every single ailment I have on bloody Femara but I can't.  So if it is going to help me be here to see children and their children grown up and have their own lives then bring it on I say.You are a long time dead.Lots of love always, Mich xoxoxoxo
  • Mich_x's avatar
    Mich_x
    Member
    12 years ago
    Hey Ness My Onco has taken me off Femara for 6 weeks and then i am to go back on it for 6 weeks before seeing him again to  as he puts it negotiate.To be honest I can't blame Femara for my terrible aches and pains now, I can't blame them for my hot flushes as I was suffering from them before diagnosed with BC and that was why I was taking HRT which worked beautifully but now I take Lyrica which keeps the hot flushes under control so I can't really blame Femara for them.  I am still not able to sleep at night so that obviously was not the Femara.So i am going back in to the onco room with not much of a fight up my sleeve so guess I will be going back on Femara...............I guess one thing I can try and blame Femara for is my libido but then on the other hand could it be that I don't like my body anymore so can't see how anybody else could - I am overweigh a lot worse since my BC diagnosis, I have one very dicky boob that is still suffereing issues and I have a husband who is obviously a boob man, I still get very tired and mood changes occur so...... mmmmm would that have happened because of the BC diagnosis, surgery, chemo, loss of hair, added weight, periods of mild depression, a boob that isn't a boob anymore and more like an alien stuck to me that I can't get rid of unless I take drastic measures.  Only good thing to come out of this whole situation is I am cancer free. Soooo I don't think I can blame my libido on Femara but more on BC diagnosis and what that does to your body image and your mind.That is about as honest as I can get when it comes to Femara.  I love to hate it with a vengence but what choices do we have.  If I say I don't want to go back on it and in two years down the track BC comes back and bites me in the bum OR I go back on Femara and continue to suffer various symptoms that I can try and blame on Femara and then BC comes back to bite me in the bum - who or what can I blame nobody really knows.  BUT if I have done everything in my power to stop this horrid disgusting and whatever other name you want to give this cancer then i feel I have done the best that I can do and the rest is up to my body and maybe just bloody good luck who knows, not me.Not sure if that helps you at all but I have said what i feel about another horrid drug with horrid side effects.  I wish I could blame every single ailment I have on bloody Femara but I can't.  So if it is going to help me be here to see children and their children grown up and have their own lives then bring it on I say.You are a long time dead.Lots of love always, Mich xoxoxoxo