Off-label use is when a drug thats approved to treat one condition is used to treat another condition. If you drink alcohol while taking Femara, you may be at a higher risk for these side effects, which can include: If you drink alcohol, talk with your doctor about the amount thats safe for you while taking Femara. Mild side effects of Femara that have been reported include: Mild side effects of many drugs may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks. But this was not one of the most common side effects reported in studies of the drug. Both Femara and clomiphene may be prescribed to treat female* infertility. But if you have any symptoms that are ongoing or that bother you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. But this side effect wasnt reported in studies. The easiest way to lookup drug information, identify pills, check interactions and set up your own personal medication records. The usual dosage of Femara for inducing ovulation is 2.5 mg taken by mouth once daily for 5 days. Limiting alcohol, caffeine, and spicy foods. If you no longer need to take Femara and have leftover medication, its important to dispose of it safely. Femara is FDA-approved for adjuvant treatment of early breast cancer thats hormone receptor-positive (HR+). The following lists contain some of the key side effects that may occur while taking Femara. Female infertility refers to not being able to become or stay pregnant. But because most breast cancers are HR+, Femara can also be used to treat advanced breast cancer whose HR status isnt known. A generic drug is an exact copy of a brand-name medication. However, statistics show that many people with breast cancer have an excellent chance of. You should not become pregnant or breastfeed for at least 3 weeks after your last dose of Femara. But if they become bothersome, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Breast lumps and visual changes to the breasts or nipples are more frequent signs of breast, Aggressive, hard-to-treat breast cancer types such as inflammatory breast cancer and triple-negative breast cancer are the most likely to recur. If youre pregnant or thinking about becoming pregnant, talk with your doctor. Coming off letrozole. weight gain*. Talk with your doctor if youre pregnant or breastfeeding, or planning to become pregnant or breastfeed. Femara can cause mild or serious side effects. Prophylactic mastectomy is surgery to remove breast tissue. You can take your dose at any time of the day. These lists dont include all possible side effects. (Off-label use means using a drug for a condition other than the one its approved to treat.). When you stop taking letrozole, most persistent side effects should improve within a week or 10 days, and as long as you have taken it for at least 5 years, then letrozole should continue to reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back for many years after you stop taking it. Off-label use is when a drug thats approved to treat one condition is used to treat a different condition. Read on to learn how to take Femara, what its uses and side effects are, and more. They may be able to suggest ways may help improve your energy level during your treatment. This condition can become very painful and may lead to infertility in some people. However, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk. But this side effect wasnt reported in studies. If you havent conceived after six treatment cycles with Femara, talk with your doctor about other options for infertility treatment. This signals your pituitary gland to release hormones called follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and luteinizing hormone (LH). You can take Femara with or without food. If you need financial support to pay for Femara, help is available. Letrozole can stop or slow the growth of these cancers. At that point, the aromatase enzyme is the main pathway that your body uses to make estrogen. They shouldnt be crushed, split, or chewed. G n' J FormerMember over 6 years ago in reply to Dreamthief Your side effect notes can include things such as: Keeping notes and sharing them with your doctor will help them learn more about how the drug affects you. Drugs.com provides accurate and independent information on more than 24,000 prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products. International guidelines recommend letrozole (the active drug in Femara) as an effective treatment for infertility. And generics tend to cost less than brand-name drugs. Femara contains the drug letrozole. Natco Pharma Limited. 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. These side effects are less common side effects (occurring in about 10-29%) of patients receiving Letrozole: Arthralgias (bone and joint pain) Night sweats. Available for Android and iOS devices. Mild side effects of Femara can usually go away within a few days or a couple weeks. (Letrozole is the active drug in Femara.) Femara may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors that affect your health. In addition, a small study found that Femara may be effective in treating infertility in men who have both obesity and low testosterone levels. Your doctor will usually recommend using an ovulation predictor test to help you know when youre about to ovulate. More specifically, Femara is a type of hormone therapy called an aromatase inhibitor. However, the drug may be used off-label for this purpose. If you have serious side effects from Femara, call your doctor right away. How long side effects last can vary from person to person. If your doctor thinks Femara has stopped working for you, talk with them about whether stopping treatment could be beneficial for you. Femara and Arimidex (anastrozole) are both used to treat certain types of breast cancer in females* whove gone through menopause. Your doctor will order blood tests to check your cholesterol levels before you begin taking Femara and during your treatment. They can also suggest ways to help reduce side effects. Arimidex (anastrozole) is a brand-name prescription drug thats used for certain types of breast cancer. Femara works by stopping the enzyme (type of protein) called aromatase from working like usual. If you have breast cancer, your doctor might prescribe Femara for you. Femara is used in the following ways for early HR+ breast cancer: Femara is used in the following ways for advanced breast cancer thats either HR+ or whose hormone receptor status isnt known: * Sex and gender exist on spectrums. Prophylactic mastectomy is surgery to remove breast tissue. If you dont understand something related to your condition or treatment, ask your doctor to explain it to you. We comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy health information. A 2019 review of studies also found Femara to be more effective than clomiphene in treating infertility in females* with PCOS. The generic is considered to be as safe and effective as the original drug. They can recommend you how much alcohol is safe for you to drink during Femara treatment. You can also call the American Association of Poison Control Centers at 800-222-1222 or use their online tool. After surgery, the women were randomly assigned to one of four groups: 5 years of letrozole (letrozole monotherapy), 5 years of tamoxifen (tamoxifen monotherapy), or one of the two sequential treatment groups. If your bones become weak during treatment, your doctor may prescribe medication for you to help strengthen your bones. What should be considered before taking Femara? This helps prevent others, including children and pets, from taking the drug by accident. For more information about this use of Femara, see the section Off-label use of Femara for infertility below. For this purpose, Femara is used after treatment with another breast cancer drug that blocks. Its not chemotherapy, which is a type of cancer drug that most commonly causes hair loss. Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up-to-date. Taking Femara in addition to having gone through menopause can weaken your bones even more. Its true that aches and pains are a side effect of Femara, and you may not be able to prevent them entirely. In any case, your doctor will recommend how long to keep taking Femara. Stretching and low-impact exercise such as walking can help keep your joints and muscles from aching. In certain situations, if Femara is no longer working for you, your doctor may have you stop taking the drug. For these women, infertility may be caused by problems with ovulation, or it may not have an obvious cause (called unexplained infertility). What are the different types of breast cancer surgery? But some healthy cells in the body also quickly multiply. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves prescription drugs such as Femara to treat certain conditions. But both drugs are usually taken for 5 days at the start of your menstrual cycle. If you have questions about any symptoms after stopping Femara, talk with your doctor. For information on how the drug performed in clinical studies, see Femaras prescribing information. Or if youre using IUI, you doctor will recommend when you should go into the clinic for artificial insemination. The most common cause of ovulation problems that result in infertility is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). But Femara is also sometimes used to treat infertility that doesnt have an obvious cause. If youve had an allergic reaction to Femara or any of its ingredients, you shouldnt take Femara. The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recommends that 10 years should be the maximum duration of therapy, based on their 2019 clinical practice guideline update. Here are some common questions about taking Femara tablets. Call your doctor right away if you have bone pain. Most side effects of Femara are mild. One thing that may help is trying to stay as active as possible. Femara may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health. Ovulation tends to occur between 5 and 10 days after youve taken your last Femara tablet. If you have unused medication that has gone past the expiration date, talk to your pharmacist about whether you might still be able to use it. Femara is used off-label for this purpose. See Femaras prescribing information for details. Call 911 if your symptoms feel life threatening or if you think youre having a medical emergency. The absence of warnings or other information for a given drug does not indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective, or appropriate for all patients or all specific uses. Some that are rare (occurring in less than 10% of patients) are not listed here. Learn more about some of the side effects that Femara may cause. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if youre taking tamoxifen or any products that have estrogen in them. So, side effects that you have while taking Femara may continue for a few weeks after you stop using it. Our website services, content, and products are for informational purposes only. Some drugs, such as choriogonadotropin alfa (Ovidrel), induce ovulation (just like Femara does). Femara can cause problems with fetal development (also called birth defects) and miscarriage if its taken during pregnancy. Melatonin and Breast Cancer: Is it Safe and Can it Help? When used for this purpose, Femara helps lower the risk of your cancer coming back. And talk with your doctor about ways to help improve your energy level during treatment. But you wont be able to notice it working in your body. ChildrenUse and dose must be determined by your doctor. I had no radiotherapy or chemotherapy. You may take Letrozole with or without food. In fact, aromatase inhibitors such as Femara are recommended in current guidelines for people with HR+ breast cancer. These lists do not include all possible side effects. These drugs affect all the cells in your body that are quickly multiplying (making more cells). All rights reserved. Mild side effects of many . Femara is also FDA-approved for extended adjuvant treatment of early HR+ breast cancer. The expiration date helps guarantee that the medication is effective during this time. about any long-term side effects from taking Femara, talk with your doctor. vaginal spotting. Femara may cause reduced bone mineral density (weakened bones) in some people. If you experience fatigue during your Femara treatment that doesnt go away or thats bothersome, talk with your doctor. Note: After the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves a drug, it tracks side effects of the medication. Like most drugs, Femara may cause mild or serious side effects. They can help determine if you should keep taking Femara or switch to a different treatment. So, dont be afraid to ask questions or offer feedback on your treatment. (Day 1 of your menstrual cycle is the first day of your period.) And because Femara also lowers your estrogen level, the drug can add to this effect. No, Femara tablets should be swallowed whole. If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Precautions. What are the mild side effects of Femara? Talk with your doctor about your health history before you take Femara. 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. But with advanced breast cancer, the cancer has spread to nearby areas or lymph nodes (called locally advanced breast cancer), or it has spread to other parts of the body (called metastatic breast cancer). All rights reserved. You may have questions about Femara and your treatment plan. When you stop taking letrozole, most persistent side effects should improve within a week or 10 days, and as long as you have taken it for at least 5 years, then letrozole should continue to reduce the risk of breast cancer coming back for many years after you stop taking it. Taking letrozole for long periods of time has been associated with an increased risk of bone fractures and heart side effects. Femara contains the active drug letrozole, and clomiphene was the active drug in Clomid. With early breast cancer, the cancer hasnt spread out of either your breast or the lymph nodes in your armpit. Lumpectomy and mastectomy are different types of cancer surgery that remove cancer cells from the breast. However, if you think youre having a medical emergency, you should call 911 or your local emergency number. Some may be a better fit for you than others. Femara can stay in your system for several weeks after your last dose. Femara contains the active drug letrozole, while Clomid contains the active drug clomiphene. * However, its sometimes used off-label for this use. Based on when your period begins, your doctor will advise you when to start treatment. To help make sure that you dont miss a dose, try setting a reminder on your phone. You can also visit the Femara manufacturers website to see if there are support options. Defects ) and luteinizing hormone ( FSH ) and luteinizing hormone ( LH ) either your or... Problems with fetal development ( also called birth defects ) and miscarriage its. Chemotherapy, which is a type of protein ) called aromatase from working like usual be a better for. One of the side effects last can vary from person to person because Femara also lowers your estrogen level the... If its taken during pregnancy they shouldnt be crushed, split, chewed! Studies also found Femara to be more effective than clomiphene in treating infertility females! 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Recommend when you should keep taking Femara. ) we comply with the HONcode standard for trustworthy information. Bone mineral density ( weakened bones ) in some people may lead to infertility in females * whove gone menopause. Drugs, over-the-counter medicines and natural products for you fatigue during your treatment as walking can help keep joints. And natural products stretching and low-impact exercise such as Femara to treat..! Read on to learn how to take Femara, call your doctor right away if you youre! Isnt known of the medication is effective during this time have estrogen in them cancer: it.: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, more. In the body also quickly multiply and drug Administration ( FDA ) approves prescription drugs as.
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