Barb, you're in a tough situation. You know the Femara reduces your risk of recurrence; yet the side effects are severely affecting your day-to-day life. When this happens (as it sometimes does with cancer treatment), you have to take a deep breath, and assess your situation. What's your risk of recurrence taking Femara? What's your risk without taking Femara? Is the difference worth the pain and depression - or not? Only you can make that call.

One compromise you might discuss with your doctor - tamoxifen. It was the gold standard for hormone treatment for over 30 years, and has only recently, within the past 5 years or so, been replaced by the aromatase inhibitors (Femara, et. al.) Speak to your doctor about switching to tamoxifen. Although it won't yield quite the benefit of Femara, it also won't come with the back/joint pain. Some women do experience depression; and there are other possible serious side effects; but pain isn't one of them. It's worth exploring.

Best of luck to you - PJH