anastrozole: Uses, Taking, Side Effects, Warnings

ANASTROZOLE (an AS troe zole) is used to treat breast cancer in women who have gone through menopause. Some types of breast cancer depend on estrogen to grow, and this medicine can stop tumor growth by blocking estrogen production. Medicines that interact with anastrozole may either decrease its effect, affect how long it works, increase side effects, or have less of an effect when taken with anastrozole.

Recommended dosage

If you’ve been prescribed anastrozole and you’re interested in taking Arimidex instead, talk with your doctor. They may recommend that you take one version instead of the other. You’ll also need to check with your insurance provider, as it may only cover one drug or the other.

The pharmacokinetics of anastrozole are not affected by age. The background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage for the indicated population is unknown. In the U.S. general population, the estimated background risk of major birth defects and miscarriage in clinically recognized pregnancies is 2% to 4% and 15% to 20%, respectively. Selected from data included with permission and copyrighted by First Databank, Inc.

• On average, 40% of the patients had soft tissue metastases; 60% had bone metastases; and 40% had visceral (15% liver) metastases.
• Also tell them if you smoke, drink alcohol, or use illegal drugs.
• One patient treated with anastrozole discontinued the trial because of testicular enlargement.
• Using the Arimidex Patient Direct mail-order pharmacy program might help lower your cost for Arimidex.
• Patients with pre-existing ischemic heart disease should be informed that an increased incidence of cardiovascular events has been observed with anastrozole use compared to tamoxifen use.
• Blood clots can be life threatening, and should be treated as soon as possible.

Indications and Usage for Anastrozole

Anastrozole tablets are indicated for adjuvant treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer. Patients with pre-existing ischemic heart disease should be informed that an increased incidence of cardiovascular events has been observed with anastrozole use compared to tamoxifen use. Advise patients if new or worsening chest pain or shortness of breath occurs to seek medical attention immediately [see Warnings and Precautions (5.1)] . Anastrozole caused embryo-fetal toxicities in rats at maternal exposure that were 9 times the human clinical exposure, based on area under the curve (AUC).

To learn about other mild side effects, talk with your doctor or pharmacist or read Arimidex’s prescribing information. Arimidex is used to treat certain forms of breast cancer. By blocking this change, Arimidex decreases the amount of estrogen in your body. Arimidex may decrease blood flow to your heart, especially if you have ever had coronary artery disease (clogged arteries).

Anastrozole: 7 things you should know

At 12 months, small reductions in lumbar spine bone mineral density were noted in patients not receiving bisphosphonates. Bisphosphonate treatment preserved bone density in most patients at risk of fracture. This information should not be used to decide whether or not to take anastrozole or any other medicine.

This side effect was only reported in people taking the drug for advanced breast cancer. Arimidex lowers estrogen levels in postmenopausal women, which may slow the growth of certain types of breast tumors that need estrogen to grow in the body. These are not all the possible side effects of anastrozole tablets. For more information, ask your healthcare provider or pharmacist. Anastrozole had no inhibitory effect on reactions catalyzed by cytochrome P450 2A6 or 2D6 in vitro. In multiple daily dosing trials with 5 and 10 mg, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) was measured; there was no increase in TSH during the administration of anastrozole.

You must talk with the healthcare provider for complete information about the risks and benefits of using this medicine. A single dose of anastrozole that results in life-threatening symptoms has not been established. There is Boldenone muscle building no specific antidote to overdosage and treatment must be symptomatic. In the management of an overdose, consider that multiple agents may have been taken.

Patients receiving anastrozole had a higher incidence of carpal tunnel syndrome [78 (2.5%)] compared with patients receiving tamoxifen [22 (0.7%)]. If any of these effects last or get worse, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. If it does not get better, your doctor, nurse or pharmacist can prescribe drugs to control it.

Anastrozole does not possess direct progestogenic, androgenic, or estrogenic activity in animals, but does perturb the circulating levels of progesterone, androgens, and estrogens. The effect of anastrozole in premenopausal women with early or advanced breast cancer has not been studied. A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center study enrolled 80 boys with pubertal gynecomastia aged 11 to 18 years. Patients were randomized to a daily regimen of either anastrozole 1 mg or placebo.