Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions. The types include: To learn more about these conditions and how Femara is used to treat them, see the What is Femara used for? section below. Learn about the dosage for Femara in treating certain types of breast cancer. This is because the drug can stay in your system for about 7 days after you stop the treatment. Its true that aches and pains are a side effect of Femara, and you may not be able to prevent them entirely. Also, if you experience fatigue, extreme tiredness, or dizziness while taking Femara, you shouldnt drive or operate heavy machinery. Swelling, another common side effect of Femara, can cause you to gain weight as your body holds on to water. They work by lowering estrogen levels within your body, which helps stop the growth of breast cancer. How many cycles of letrozole are needed to get pregnant? How to Use Letrozole for Fertility Femara (letrozole) is offered in 2.5-milligram yellow, film-coated tablets. During your Femara treatment, consider keeping notes about any side effects youre having. Over-the-counter (OTC) medications, such as acetaminophen (Tylenol) and ibuprofen (Advil), may be effective for relieving headaches. Studies conducted by maxillofacial surgeons have shown that most of the free-flowing chemical in the bloodstream is eliminated in approximately three to four months. Femara is also used off-label to treat infertility. Femara induces (causes) ovulation and can increase your chances of becoming pregnant. Can Breast Cancer Be Detected in a Complete Blood Count (CBC)? These lists do not contain all the drugs that may interact with Femara. You also shouldnt use the drug for conditions it hasnt been prescribed to treat. So, chemotherapy can affect both healthy cells and cancer cells. However, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk. Not taking letrozole for the recommended time may increase the risk of your breast cancer coming back. Femara can be an effective treatment option for certain types of breast cancer. Cancer cells usually increase in number more quickly than healthy cells. They may be able to suggest ways may help improve your energy level during your treatment. Taking a Break From Letrozole Therapy After Breast Cancer. Trying mental and stress-relief activities such as. Using this medicine while you are pregnant can harm your unborn baby. Your doctor will help you to weigh potential risks and benefits of taking Femara for a long period of time. Before taking Femara, talk with your doctor and pharmacist. 2005-2023 Healthline Media a Red Ventures Company. https://breastcancernow.org/information-support/facing-breast-cancer/going-through-breast-cancer-treatment/hormone-therapy/letrozole-femara. Not all side effects are listed above. The lists below describe some of the more common side effects that Femara may cause. If you experience side effects that dont go way or interfere with your daily life, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Taking letrozole for long periods of time has been associated with an increased risk of bone fractures and heart side effects. This was common in clinical studies of the drug. Bone fracture; breast pain; chest pain Using more than this can lead to serious side effects. Femara may cause fatigue (lack of energy) in some people. hot flashes flushed skin increased sweating joint pain weakness edema (swelling), possibly in your ankles or feet headache dizziness bone pain The mild side effects of Femara that are less. How do Femaras side effects compare with those of other cancer drugs? Your doctor will usually recommend using an ovulation predictor test to help you know when youre about to ovulate. They may suggest an over-the-counter oral antihistamine, such as Benadryl (diphenhydramine), or a topical product, such as hydrocortisone cream, to manage your symptoms. If youve had an allergic reaction to Femara or any of its ingredients, you shouldnt take Femara. (With osteoporosis, you have weak, thin bones.). For hot flashes, you should first try to relieve symptoms through lifestyle changes. If you have a certain type of breast cancer, your doctor might suggest Femara (letrozole) as a treatment option. How does Arimidex work? The FDA website provides several useful tips on medication disposal. 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. Keep reading to learn more. This is because drinking a lot of alcohol can increase your risk of osteoporosis, which is already increased by the drug. I was prescribed Letrozole about 6 weeks before my operation, bilateral mastectomy with implants. Its a type of drug called an aromatase inhibitor. Learn the signs and symptoms of metastasis, how you can make yourself as comfortable as possible, and tips for managing end-of-life symptoms. Subscribe to Drugs.com newsletters for the latest medication news, new drug approvals, alerts and updates. In studies, increased cholesterol levels were one of the most common side effects among people taking Femara. But if it contains estrogen, it may interact with Femara treatment. These lists dont include all possible side effects. Although allergic reaction wasnt reported in studies of Femara, it can still happen. Femara may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors that affect your health. (With dependence, your body needs the drug in order to function like usual.) This drug may cause weak bones. When Femara is used off-label to treat infertility, the drug doesnt increase the risk of birth defects or miscarriage. 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). After youve gone through menopause, your ovaries no longer produce estrogen. * In this article, we use the term female to refer to someones sex assigned at birth. Those that have been reported with Femara include: To learn more about each of these side effects, see Side effects explained below. This is especially helpful when you first start taking new drugs or using a combination of treatments. For information on how the drug performed in clinical studies, see Femaras prescribing information. If youre taking Femara, your doctor may want to measure your bone mineral density. They can also include swelling of your tongue, mouth, or throat, which can cause trouble breathing. If so, this article on breast cancer treatment options may be helpful for you. Treatment will be taken over five consecutive days. Swelling caused by Femara typically occurs in your arms, feet, hands, or legs. Femara isnt FDA-approved to treat infertility, but sometimes its used off-label for this purpose in females. Common side effects can be like menopause symptomsand include hot flushes, difficulty sleeping, tiredness and low mood. If youre interested in finding an alternative to Femara, talk with your doctor. This date is typically 1 year from the date they dispensed the medication. As a type of hormone therapy, Femara works by lowering estrogen levels in your body. Some that are rare (occurring in less than 10% of patients) are not listed here. However, this particular treatment approach isnt right for everyone. Taking medications, vaccines, foods, and other things with a certain drug can affect how the drug works. A medication timer may be useful, too. 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. They can suggest ways to help manage this side effect. Like most drugs, Femara may cause mild or serious side effects. These include: The following information describes dosages that are commonly used or recommended. Clomid was a brand-name drug thats no longer available. Other interactions can increase side effects or make them more severe. Below youll find answers to some frequently asked questions about Femaras side effects. Ophthalmology 54 years experience Few: Femara ( letrozole) blocks the formation of estrogen. If you think you could be pregnant or have pregnancy symptoms, tell your doctor before you start taking Femara. For oral dosage form (tablets): For breast cancer: Adults2.5 milligrams (mg) once a day. But this side effect wasnt reported in studies. Also, keep in mind that Femara isnt approved to treat breast cancer in females who havent gone through menopause yet. Use an effective form of birth control to keep from getting pregnant during . Learn how CBCs are used in the treatment of breast cancer. Because of this, you shouldnt breastfeed while youre taking Femara. Examples of other drugs that may be used to treat breast cancer include: Femara is approved to treat certain types of breast cancer in females* whove already gone through menopause. International guidelines recommend letrozole (the active drug in Femara) as an effective treatment for infertility. Femara is used off-label to treat infertility in females. Sometimes your doctor may recommend that you take a higher dosage of Femara, such as 5 mg or 7.5 mg daily for 5 days. The greater the density, the stronger your bones are. It may also be used when someone is premenopausal and having treatment to stop the ovaries working (temporary menopause). If you do drink alcohol while taking Femara, you might be more likely to experience: If you plan to drink alcohol while taking Femara, talk with your doctor about how much may be safe for you to drink. Hormone therapy may also be used to treat hot flashes. It is usually used when you have been through a natural menopause. Disclaimer: Healthline has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up-to-date. 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. Over the last week I have been feeling increasingly poorly, very lethargic and completely lacking in energy as I have just come back from a lovely week away there really shouldn't be any reason for how I am feeling and it just occurred to me that it could be related to stopping taking tamoxifen. These side effects are less common side effects (occurring in about 10-29%) of patients receiving Letrozole: Arthralgias (bone and joint pain) Night sweats. If you develop serious side effects while taking Femara, call your doctor right away. However, stopping Femara treatment isnt known to cause new side effects. If your bones become weak during treatment, your doctor may prescribe medication for you to help strengthen your bones. If you have fatigue or dizziness while youre taking Femara, dont drive or operate other machines. Its meant to be taken as a long-term treatment. To help make sure that you dont miss a dose, try setting a reminder on your phone. Most people will take Femara to treat their breast cancer for at least 5 years. One way your doctor will monitor your bone strength is by measuring your bone mineral density. Can Breast Cancer Be Detected in a Complete Blood Count (CBC)? Call your doctor if you think youve taken too much Femara. How long a medication remains good can depend on many factors, including how and where you store the medication. This means that Femara will no longer be in your body when you ovulate or conceive. Before your appointment, write down questions such as: How will Femara affect my body, mood, or lifestyle? Femara and clomiphene work in slightly different ways in your body to induce ovulation. Lymph node surgery helps doctors determine, Knowing the early signs of breast cancer can help a person seek prompt treatment and improve their chance of survival. But make sure you talk with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any new medications with Femara. Heres a list of some of the mild side effects that Femara can cause. Before you take Femara, tell your doctor if you have any liver problems, including cirrhosis. Femara has been found effective for treating certain types of breast cancer. For breast cancer treatment, youll usually take Femara once each day. For this use, youll usually take the drug for 5 years following surgery to remove the cancer. If you have questions about taking Femara with other drugs, talk with your doctor. * However, the drug may be used off-label for this purpose. But if you think youre having a medical emergency, call 911 or your local emergency number. * For more information about using Femara for infertility, see the section Off-label use of Femara for infertility above. Your doctor may prescribe Femara along with other breast cancer treatments. When will I ovulate after taking letrozole? Then, you can share this information with your doctor. If you would like to report to the FDA a side effect youve had with Femara, you can do so through MedWatch. There are also some steps you can take to help strengthen your bones naturally. Early-stage breast cancer that has been treated with tamoxifen citrate for at least 5 years. This medicine is available only with your doctor's prescription. Learn more about some of the side effects that Femara may cause. But if you have any symptoms that are ongoing or that bother you, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. 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. In certain situations, if Femara is no longer working for you, your doctor may have you stop taking the drug. Call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction to Femara. But if your symptoms are severe, call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room right away. Femara comes as 2.5-mg tablets that are taken by mouth. Clomiphene is approved to treat infertility in females. Medically reviewed by Carmen Fookes, BPharm. The drug works by lowering estrogen levels in your body, which helps stop breast cancer from growing. 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. Here are some common questions about taking Femara tablets. 2004-2023 Healthline Media UK Ltd, Brighton, UK, a Red Ventures Company. This may happen more often if used for a long time. Off-label use is when a drug thats approved to treat one condition is used to treat a different condition. How will Femara affect my body, which is already increased by the drug doesnt increase risk. Gain weight as your body, mood, or dizziness while youre taking Femara, can cause you to strengthen! 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