FEMARA (LETROZOLE)

Femara Description

Femara or generic Letrozole is an aromatase inhibitor (AI) approved as a treatment for: postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive (HR+) early breast cancer following surgery with/without radiation; for unknown or locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer; and for those that have received prior adjuvant Tamoxifen therapy. The generic alternative is not manufactured by the company that makes the brand product.

Lowering Estrogen Levels with Femara

Femara stops tissues and other organs from making estrogen. Postmenopausal women are not ovulating so they are not producing estrogen as a result, but there are many other sources of estrogen coming from various parts of your body, including your breasts that can contribute to estrogen-induced cancers. The generic alternative is not manufactured by the company that makes the brand product.

Conditions Treated by Femara

Estrogen was once believed to cause cancer by assisting cells to multiply. Through achieving DNA synthesis and cell proliferation, any of those cells could have mutations that result in causing cancer and these cells will then multiply and possibly grow into tumors. However, this would mean that all estrogens cause cancer which is not the case. As it is believed now, estrogen metabolism may be a key player in estrogen-induced cancers due to the difference in how they break down in a cell.

You can take control of your body and take the needed steps for an early diagnosis of breast cancer to increase your chances for beating it. You should screen early if you have a history of breast cancer in your family or undergo diagnostic testing for the BRCA gene that can look for hereditary mutations linked to breast cancer and perform regular self-examinations. By the age of 40, women should start having mammograms annually and every 2 years after 50.

Before You Take Femara

Tell your doctor about other medical conditions or allergies you may have and list all Rx medications, OTC drugs, and any herbal, dietary, or vitamin supplements you are taking that might change how Femara works in your body or cause unwanted side effects. Femara will not prevent you from getting cancer.

More About the Use of Femara

Femara will not be prescribed to you if you have not gone completely through menopause. Your thinking or reactions may be impaired while taking Femara so caution should be used when operating a vehicle or machinery. Femara tablets contain lactose and are not recommended for people with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, severe lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption.

Possible Side Effects of Femara

• Back, joint, bone, or muscle pain
• Hot flashes
• Headache
• Raised cholesterol levels
• Nausea
• Constipation