What is Arimidex?

Arimidex is a selective aromatase inhibitor the active ingredient of which is Anastrozole. Unlike old antiestrogens, Arimidex is notable for a stable pharmacological action which prevents the accumulation of estrogen in the cells.

Arimidex is effective in the treatment of estrogen-dependent tumors of breast in women during postmenopause period.

Estrogen is produced as a result of changing other hormones into estrogens during postmenopause. It happens with the help of enzymes called aromatase which are located in the liver and fat deposits. The common antiestrogens are ineffective because estrogenic receptors poorly work during postmenopause, and the entire process of the estrogen accumulation in tumors occurs by means of aromatase.

Arimidex blocks the process of aromatization in the peripheral tissues including fatty ones, and it leads to the reduction of estradiol.

The active ingredient anastrozole does not have progestogenic, androgenic, and estrogenic activity. It does not regulate the level of estrogens in the blood but blocks the increase of the estrogen concentration on the stage of aromatization.

It is clinically proved that the reduction of the level of the circulated estradiol helps to gain an expressed therapeutic effects during the use of Arimidex in patients with breast cancer.

Arimidex is effective only during hormone-dependent forms of the breast cancer. Therefore, before taking this medication, it is necessary to have a complex examination and detect a cause of the malignant tumor.

Howtotake Arimidex?

Therapeutic course of the hormone-positive breast cancer is the most effective in combination with Tamoxifen and Arimidex. Patients are recommended to start taking antiestrogen Tamoxifen which will decrease the estrogen concentration. Then Arimidex is taken as the basic therapy within 2-3 years.

However, the simultaneous use of Tamoxifen with Arimidex is not recommended because these medicines lower the efficiency of each other.

Arimidex blocks aromatization rather quickly but the therapeutic effect is developed slowly, and that is why the treatment lasts for 2 to 5 years on the average.

Treating the breast cancer a regular use of the Arimidex pills is required, without missing any dose. If you started taking aromatase inhibitors, the high concentration of Anastrozole should be maintained in the cells in order to block the accumulation of estrogens in the tissues.

The Arimidex pills are taken once per day with a full glass of water. The medication can be used at any time but it is desirable to have regimen and use the pills every day at the same time.

The standard daily dose of Arimidex is 1 mg. The higher doses of Arimidex are pointless because it will not bring the expressed effect but it will increase the risk of the side effects.

Recommendations

 

• Women with severe diseases of kidneys, liver, or intolerance of Anastrozole are contraindicated to take Arimidex
• Arimidex is not me ant for theuse during perimenopause.
• Women with high risk of the osteoporosis development should consult a doctor before taking Arimidex. This medication is able to damage a mineral solidity of the bone tissue.

 

 

What side effects can be during the use of Arimidex ?

 

Arimidex can cause nausea, diarrhea, alopecia, asthenia, bad condition of hair, flashes, fever, dryness of vagina, headache, and skin rash.

The side effects of Arimidex may run within the entire treatment from time to time but they usually are not expressed and do not prevent the normal life of a woman.