How long arimidex treatment

The researchers will see if this result continues as more data is collected and analyzed. Some side effects may mean that you're having an allergic reaction to Arimidex.

If you have any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:. In most cases, you'll take Arimidex for 5 years. Doctors may recommend that some women take it for a longer or shorter period of time.

While costs vary, Arimidex can cost several hundred dollars per month. Arimidex also is available as a generic medicine, which is usually less expensive. If you have health insurance, check with your insurance company to see if and how much of the cost of Arimidex is covered. If you don't have health insurance or your insurance doesn't cover the cost of Arimidex, ask your doctor or nurse about programs in your area that may be able to help.

AstraZeneca, the company that makes Arimidex, offers the AZ Cancer Support Network, which can help you learn about prescription programs. You can also read the Breastcancer. Create a profile for better recommendations. Breast implant illness BII is a term that some women and doctors use to refer to a wide range Sign up for emails about breast cancer news, virtual events, and more. About hormonal therapy About the study What this means for you.

After surgery, people diagnosed with early-stage hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer usually take hormonal therapy medicine to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back recurrence. There are several types of hormonal therapy medicines. Tamoxifen — a selective estrogen receptor modulator SERM — is one of the most well-known.

Both premenopausal and postmenopausal women can take tamoxifen. In the early s, the following aromatase inhibitors proved to be more effective at reducing recurrence risk in postmenopausal women:. For many years, women took hormonal therapy for 5 years after breast cancer surgery. Taking tamoxifen for 10 years after surgery became the standard of care in In , the American Society of Clinical Oncology ASCO updated its guidelines on adjuvant hormonal therapy , recommending postmenopausal women diagnosed with early-stage hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer that has spread to the lymph nodes node-positive disease receive hormonal therapy treatment, including an aromatase inhibitor, for 10 years after surgery.

Doctors call taking hormonal therapy for 10 years after surgery extended adjuvant hormonal therapy. Still, aromatase inhibitors can cause a number of troubling side effects, including hot flashes, joint pain, and bone pain. In some cases, the side effects are so bothersome that women stop taking the medicine early. Aromatase inhibitors also can cause osteoporosis, which increases the risk of breaking a bone. Before menopause, estrogen is mainly produced by your ovaries. And just a small amount is made by the aromatase enzyme.

But after menopause, your ovaries stop producing estrogen. At that point, the aromatase enzyme is the main way that your body makes estrogen. And in men, estrogen is also mainly produced by the aromatase enzyme. By stopping aromatase from working, Arimidex lowers the amount of estrogen in your body. This helps to stop estrogen from encouraging breast cancer to grow and spread. Arimidex will start working soon after you begin taking it.

Your doctor may order different kinds of tests during your treatment to check and see if the drug is working for you. However, if you have certain side effects of Arimidex, drinking alcohol could worsen them. These side effects include headaches, dizziness, nausea, and tiredness. Drinking alcohol is also known to raise your risk of developing breast cancer. They can give you advice on much alcohol is safe for you to drink. Different interactions can cause different effects. For instance, some interactions can interfere with how well a drug works.

Other interactions can increase side effects or make them more severe. Below are lists of medications that can interact with Arimidex. These lists do not contain all the drugs that may interact with Arimidex. Before taking Arimidex, talk with your doctor and pharmacist.

Tell them about all prescription, over-the-counter, and other drugs you take. Also tell them about any vitamins, herbs, and supplements you use. Sharing this information can help you avoid potential interactions.

If you have questions about drug interactions that may affect you, ask your doctor or pharmacist. But taking tamoxifen with Arimidex can lower the amount of Arimidex in your body. This can make Arimidex less effective for you. Taking Arimidex with drugs that contain estrogen could make Arimidex less effective for you. If you have questions about using medications that contain estrogen with Arimidex, talk with your doctor. However, you should still check with your doctor or pharmacist before using any of these products while taking Arimidex.

These supplements are used by some women to reduce menopausal symptoms, such as hot flashes. This interaction is possible because these supplements contain phytoestrogens , which are weak estrogen-like substances found in certain plants. Talk with your doctor to find out if there are any foods you should avoid during Arimidex treatment.

The side effects of taking too much Arimidex might include an increase in some of the typical side effects of the drug. However, in some clinical studies Arimidex was given at a dosage of 10 mg daily, which is higher than the recommended dosage. However, do not use more Arimidex than your doctor recommends. You can also call the American Association of Poison Control Centers at or use their online tool. But if your symptoms are severe, call or go to the nearest emergency room right away.

You can take your Arimidex dose at any time of the day. But try to stick with the same time each day. Instead, you should swallow them whole.

If you have trouble swallowing pills, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. When you get Arimidex from the pharmacy, the pharmacist will add an expiration date to the label on the bottle. This date is typically 1 year from the date they dispensed the medication. The expiration date helps guarantee that the medication is effective during this time. If you have unused medication that has gone past the expiration date, talk to your pharmacist about whether you might still be able to use it.

How long a medication remains good can depend on many factors, including how and where you store the medication. Avoid storing this medication in areas where it could get damp or wet, such as in bathrooms.

This helps prevent others, including children and pets, from taking the drug by accident. It also helps keep the drug from harming the environment. The FDA website provides several useful tips on medication disposal. You can also ask your pharmacist for information on how to dispose of your medication. Your insurance plan may require you to get prior authorization before approving coverage for Arimidex. This means that your doctor and insurance company will need to communicate about your prescription before the insurance company will cover the drug.

The insurance company will review the request and let you and your doctor know if your plan will cover Arimidex. If you need financial support to pay for Arimidex, or if you need help understanding your insurance coverage, help is available. AstraZeneca, the manufacturer of Arimidex, offers a program called Arimidex Patient Direct, which can help to lower the cost of your prescription. This program also provides support from pharmacists.

In animal studies , the drug did cause harm to fetuses when it was given to pregnant females. However, based on how Arimidex works, it could be harmful to a human fetus if taken during pregnancy. Arimidex could harm a fetus if taken during pregnancy. And you should continue using birth control for at least 3 weeks after your last dose of Arimidex.

But the drug could be harmful to a child who consumes it in breast milk. They can recommend safe and healthy ways to feed your child. Before taking Arimidex, talk with your doctor about your health history.

Arimidex may not be right for you if you have certain medical conditions or other factors affecting your health. These include:. Arimidex contains the aromatase inhibitor anastrozole. It blocks the action of the aromatase enzyme, which then prevents the conversion of androgens into estrogen.

In postmenopausal women, estrogen is primarily produced by the aromatase enzyme. Blocking aromatase in postmenopausal women lowers estrogen levels. Anastrozole is rapidly absorbed after oral administration. Maximum blood levels are reached within 2 hours of dosing on an empty stomach. Taking Arimidex with food delays absorption but does not affect the amount of drug absorbed. Steady state concentration is reached after about 7 days of once-daily dosing.

Anastrozole has an average half-life of 50 hours. No dose adjustment is needed in stable hepatic cirrhosis. Arimidex is contraindicated in people with known hypersensitivity to anastrozole or any of the excipients of Arimidex. Disclaimer: Medical News Today has made every effort to make certain that all information is factually correct, comprehensive, and up to date.

However, this article should not be used as a substitute for the knowledge and expertise of a licensed healthcare professional. You should always consult your doctor or other healthcare professional before taking any medication. The drug information contained herein is subject to change and is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects.

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. Read this article in Spanish. Stage 4 breast cancer occurs when cancer spreads to distant parts of the body. Learn more about the symptoms, outlook, and treatment options here. There are two main types of HER2-negative breast cancer: Hormone receptor-positive and triple-negative.

Many treatments exist, and outlook varies. A new study proposes new breast cancer screening standards for Black women to address the disparities that racism causes. A vaccine that aims to prevent triple-negative breast cancer, a particularly lethal and aggressive type of cancer, is now in phase 1 trials. Fungating or ulcerating breast tumors cause lesions on or around the breast, which can be painful and itchy. Learn more. Arimidex anastrozole. Medically reviewed by Zara Risoldi Cochrane, Pharm.

Arimidex generic. Arimidex side effects. Arimidex dosage. Arimidex uses. Arimidex use with other drugs. Alternatives to Arimidex. Arimidex vs. Common questions about Arimidex. How Arimidex works. Arimidex and alcohol. Arimidex interactions.