A medication timer may be useful, too. You may have questions about Femara and your treatment plan. They can help determine if you should keep taking Femara or switch to a different treatment. Because of this, you shouldnt breastfeed while youre taking Femara. How Viagra became a new 'tool' for young men, Ankylosing Spondylitis Pain: Fact or Fiction, Zara Risoldi Cochrane, Pharm.D., M.S., FASCP, Common sweetener erythritol tied to higher risk of stroke and heart attack, Gout: How metabolic syndrome may increase the risk, A new therapeutic target for the prevention of heart failure due to aortic stenosis, Skipping breakfast and fasting may compromise the immune system. Adjuvant treatment of breast cancer is treatment thats taken to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back after surgery. You actually will have a decrease in the effects of the Femara (letrozole) which are joint pain, hot flashes, fatigue and generalized dryness. If your doctor confirms that you had a mild allergic reaction to Femara, theyll decide if you should continue taking it. Your doctor will determine the best dosage to fit your needs. Letrozole's terminal elimination half-life is about 2 days and steady-state plasma concentration after daily 2.5 mg dosing is reached in 2-6 weeks. If youre pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, talk with your doctor. If youd like to know about using Femara for this purpose, talk with your doctor. Many drugs are available to treat infertility. Femara is a kind of hormone therapy. I had no radiotherapy or chemotherapy. Whether Femara or clomiphene is more effective for you may depend on the cause of your infertility. However, if you find that Femara gives you a headache, or makes you feel dizzy, nauseous, or tired, drinking alcohol may worsen these side effects. You can take Femara at any time of day. Femara can interact with several types of drugs. Be sure to always take Femara exactly as your doctor recommends. Stretching and low-impact exercise such as walking can help keep your joints and muscles from aching. Use of the term female in this article refers to sex assigned at birth. Taking letrozole for long periods of time has been associated with an increased risk of bone fractures and heart side effects. If you have questions or concerns about using Femara for infertility, talk with your doctor. Its meant to be taken as a long-term treatment. For breast cancer treatment, youll usually take Femara once each day. Taking medications, vaccines, foods, and other things with a certain drug can affect how the drug works. Before taking Femara, be sure to tell your doctor about all medications you take, including prescription and over-the-counter types. Use of the term female in this article refers to sex assigned at birth. In all of these cases, Femara is used to treat infertility by inducing (causing) ovulation. A medication timer may be useful, too. * Sex and gender exist on spectrums. The greater the density, the stronger your bones are. A study has found that taking Femara for 10 years instead of 5: reduces the risk of recurrence. Talk with your doctor about how long you should take Femara for adjuvant treatment of breast cancer. This condition is called controlled ovarian hyperstimulation, or superovulation. This is because the drug can stay in your system for about 7 days after you stop the treatment. In addition to the uses listed above, Femara may be used off-label. Heres a list of some of the mild side effects that Femara can cause. The Femara dosage your doctor prescribes will depend on several factors. Learn more. You should always consult your doctor or another healthcare professional before taking any medication. Femara may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health. Learn the signs and symptoms of metastasis, how you can make yourself as comfortable as possible, and tips for managing end-of-life symptoms. Your doctor can recommend other treatments, besides Femara, that are safe for you to use. Chemotherapy describes traditional drugs used to treat cancer. Femara is a kind of drug called an aromatase inhibitor. But studies comparing the two drugs have found slightly differing results. And let your doctor know if you have more questions about these medications. Before taking Femara, talk with your doctor about your health history. If youre at a moderate weight, you may have fewer and less serious hot flashes. Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction can include: Call your doctor right away if you have a severe allergic reaction to Femara. Cancer cells multiply quickly, but some healthy cells in your body also multiply quickly. Using more than this can lead to serious side effects. By stopping aromatase from working, Femara lowers the amount of estrogen in your body. Femara may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors that affect your health. Femara isnt approved to treat polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Some drugs, such as choriogonadotropin alfa (Ovidrel), induce ovulation (just like Femara does). And ovulation problems commonly happen because of a condition called polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Your doctor might ask you to take Femara on either cycle days 3 to 7 or cycle days 5 to 9. So researchers wanted to know if taking an aromatase inhibitor for 10 years would offer more benefits than taking one for 5 years. If youre concerned about side effects you may experience when ending your Femara treatment, talk with your doctor. Mild side effects of Femara can usually go away within a few days or a couple weeks. What are the serious side effects of Femara? However, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk. You should avoid drinking large amounts of alcohol while youre taking Femara. These and other important considerations are discussed in more detail below. This may raise the chance of broken bones. Not taking letrozole for the recommended time may increase the risk of your breast cancer coming back. Talk with your doctor if youre pregnant or breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant or breastfeed. Some may be a better fit for you than others. In other words, it takes about 2 days for your body to get rid of half of a Femara dose. Women with hormone-sensitive breast cancer face years of adjuvant . Visit Medicine Assistance Tool to find programs that may help lower your cost of Femara. Different interactions can cause different effects. Be sure to follow your doctors instructions. Ophthalmology 54 years experience Few: Femara ( letrozole) blocks the formation of estrogen. This enzyme is the main way that your body makes estrogen after youve gone through menopause. Common side effects can be like menopause symptomsand include hot flushes, difficulty sleeping, tiredness and low mood. How to Reduce Your Risk of Breast Cancer: 10 Lifestyle Recommendations, Symptoms of Late Stage Metastatic Breast Cancer, What to Know and Consider Before Having Prophylactic Mastectomy. For information on how Femara performed in clinical studies, see the drugs prescribing information. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. But you wont be able to notice it working in your body. Prophylactic mastectomy is surgery to remove breast tissue. But if your symptoms are severe, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away. Femara is meant to be used as a long-term treatment for breast cancer. More specifically, Femara is a type of hormone therapy called an aromatase inhibitor. Infertility is often caused by problems with ovulation (when eggs are released from your ovaries). They may recommend that you take Femara after youve had surgery to remove early breast cancer.With early breast cancer, the cancer hasnt spread beyond your breast or the lymph nodes in your armpit. Breast cancer occurs when breast cells grow rapidly and out of control. Femara can stay in your system for several weeks after your last dose. Femara is used off-label to treat infertility in females. The actual price youll pay depends on your insurance plan, your location, and the pharmacy you use. Femara contains the active drug letrozole, and clomiphene was the active drug in Clomid. Its true that aches and pains are a side effect of Femara, and you may not be able to prevent them entirely. The expiration date helps guarantee that the medication is effective during this time. Taking a Break From Letrozole Therapy After Breast Cancer. This condition can become very painful and may lead to infertility in some people. Femara is used to lower the risk of the cancer coming back. The insurance company will review the request and let you and your doctor know if your plan will cover Femara. (Day 1 of your menstrual cycle is the first day of your period.) What are the mild side effects of Femara? Mild side effects of many . If you have questions or concerns about these potential side effects, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. My doctor said Femara may cause hot flashes. You shouldnt use Femara while pregnant or breastfeeding. Both Femara and clomiphene may be prescribed to treat female* infertility. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil), may be effective for relieving headaches. Like most drugs, Femara can cause an allergic reaction in some people. . Estrogen helps to keep your bones strong. Coming off letrozole. We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information. No, you likely wont. Lumpectomy and mastectomy are different types of cancer surgery that remove cancer cells from the breast. You may take Letrozole with or without food. What are the more common side effects of Femara? Femara isnt approved to treat infertility in males. Other interactions can increase side effects or make them more severe. If you have questions about taking Femara with other drugs, talk with your doctor. Femara may cause fatigue (lack of energy) in some people. Some people may have an allergic reaction to Femara. Clomid has been discontinued, but generic versions of clomiphene are still available. Femara is also used off-label to treat infertility. If you have questions about using Femara, talk with your doctor. But Arimidex does cause some additional side effects that dont occur with Femara. Based on when your period begins, your doctor will advise you when to start treatment. You should take Femara according to your doctors or another healthcare professionals instructions. Female hormones that occur naturally in the body can increase the growth of some breast cancers. Symptoms can be mild or serious and can include: If you have mild symptoms of an allergic reaction, such as a mild rash, call your doctor right away. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. But serious side effects are more likely to last longer. * In this article, we use the term female to refer to someones sex assigned at birth. For these women, infertility may be caused by problems with ovulation, or it may not have an obvious cause (called unexplained infertility). Both medications belong to a group of drugs called aromatase inhibitors. Statistics on breast cancer survival rates by stage, reduced bone mineral density (weakened bones), swelling under your skin, typically in your eyelids, lips, hands, or feet, swelling of your tongue, mouth, or throat, whether youre using Femara with other fertility treatments, spotting (light vaginal bleeding between periods), rarely, ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), which occurs when more eggs than usual develop in your ovaries, the condition youre taking Femara to treat. Healthline Media does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Novartis, the maker of letrozole, provided funding for the trial, along with NCI and the International Breast Cancer Study Group. (With osteoporosis, you have weak, thin bones.). swelling under your skin, typically in your eyelids, lips, hands, or feet, swelling of your mouth, tongue, or throat, which can make it hard to breathe, what dosage of the drug you were taking when you had the side effect, how soon after starting that dosage you experienced it, any other medications you were also taking, any other information you feel is important. When talking with your doctor, you may want to ask the following questions: To learn more about breast cancer and its treatment options, sign up for Healthlines breast cancer newsletter. Femara is classified as an aromatase inhibitor. These symptoms could be life threatening and require immediate medical care. Some that are rare (occurring in less than 10% of patients) are not listed here. Femara comes as tablets that you take by mouth. Early-stage, hormone receptor-positive (HR+) breast cancer that has been treated. See Femaras prescribing information for details. If you dont understand something related to your condition or treatment, ask your doctor to explain it to you. After menopause, your body produces less estrogen, which can weaken your bones. Weight gain was a common side effect in studies of Femara. Certain drugs, such as paroxetine (Brisdelle, Paxil), are used to treat hot flashes. This drug may cause weak bones. Its not chemotherapy, which is a type of cancer drug that most commonly causes hair loss. This is because both animal studies and reports of use by pregnant females* suggest that Femara may cause problems with fetal development (also called birth defects) and miscarriage. Sometimes it might be used to treat breast cancer in men. Generic forms of Femara are available. If you have questions about how to pay for your prescription, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Hormone therapy may also be used to treat hot flashes. However, be sure to take the dosage your doctor prescribes for you. Medically reviewed by Carmen Fookes, BPharm. Here are a few other questions you may want to ask your doctor about Femara: In addition, you can learn about breast cancer and its treatment options by subscribing to Healthlines breast cancer newsletter. A 2014 study found Femara to be more effective than clomiphene in treating infertility in women with PCOS. However, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk. * Sex and gender exist on spectrums. Also, if you experience fatigue, extreme tiredness, or dizziness while taking Femara, you shouldnt drive or operate heavy machinery. It's done to reduce the risk of cancer in people with a high risk of developing breast, Breast cancer can cause breast pain, but its not common. But sometimes the drug is used off-label in people with this condition. For this use, youll usually take Femara for 5 years after youve already taken tamoxifen for 5 years following surgery to remove the cancer. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves prescription drugs such as Femara to treat certain conditions. This helps stop breast cancer from growing. Read on to learn how to take Femara, what its uses and side effects are, and more. Examples of both mild and serious side effects that can occur when using Femara for infertility include: Youll usually take Femara by mouth once daily for 5 days after the start of your menstrual cycle. Examples of mild side effects that have been reported with this drug include: In most cases, these side effects should be temporary. And because Femara also lowers your estrogen level, the drug can add to this effect. There are also some things you can do to help minimize loss of bone strength while youre taking Femara. If youd like to know about using Femara for these purposes, talk with your doctor. In this article, learn about, Breast cancer, which mainly affects females, is common. This material is provided for educational purposes only and is not intended for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Side effects usually improve after a few months as your body gets used to the medicine. When is the best time of day to take letrozole? Femara induces (causes) ovulation and can increase your chances of becoming pregnant. But both drugs are usually taken for 5 days at the start of your menstrual cycle. (Off-label use is when a drug thats approved for one condition is used to treat another.) These can include: If these changes dont ease your symptoms of hot flashes, you may need to take medication. However, its important to note that alcohol and Femara can have similar side effects. But if you have liver problems, your doctor may recommend that you take the drug once every other day. Use of the term male in this article refers to sex assigned at birth. improved overall survival. Dont take more Femara than your doctor prescribes. Femara can be an effective treatment option for certain types of breast cancer. If you have fatigue or dizziness while youre taking Femara, dont drive or operate other machines. For this use, youll usually take the drug for 5 years following surgery to remove the cancer. Can Breast Cancer Be Detected in a Complete Blood Count (CBC)? Your doctor can recommend treatment options other than Femara. As with all medications, the cost of Femara can vary. Along with its needed effects, letrozole may cause some unwanted effects. Like most drugs, Femara may cause mild or serious side effects. Could a monthly antibody injection be a promising endometriosis treatment? One 2011 study looked at using doses higher than the current standard dose to treat infertility. Femara is used off-label for this purpose. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. And there are other drugs used to treat infertility that do other things in your body. They can recommend you how much alcohol is safe for you to drink during Femara treatment. This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription. A generic drug is an exact copy of a brand-name medication. If you would like to report to the FDA a side effect youve had with Femara, you can do so through MedWatch. When you take Femara to induce (cause) ovulation, the drug is cleared from your body within several days after youve stopped taking it. was on it for 10 years!!! But if you think youre having a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number. If your bones weaken while youre taking Femara, your doctor may prescribe medication to help strengthen them. Also describe any vitamins, herbs, or supplements you use. Femara is a hormone therapy thats approved to treat certain forms of breast cancer in females* whove gone through menopause. However, alcohol can cause side effects similar to those of Femara. Letrozole is usually taken for 5 years, but may be recommended for up to 10 years depending on individual circumstances. But its not known if drinking alcohol after youre diagnosed with breast cancer can make your cancer worse or more likely to come back after treatment. If youre not having periods when starting Femara, your doctor will recommend when you should start taking the drug. Femara is FDA-approved to treat only certain types of breast cancer. PCOS is a condition that causes hormone problems, irregular or skipped periods, and cysts on your ovaries. Naturally in the body can increase side effects that Femara can have similar side effects that Femara usually. 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