Hormone blocking medication known as an aromasin inhibitor can reduce the risk of breast cancer. The medication does not appear to have serious side effects. It can reduce the chance of developing invasive breast cancer by 65%. The drug already on the market is showing promise, preventing breast cancer in post menopausal women to fight against breast cancer. And unlike other anti-estrogen therapies such as tamoxifen and raloxifene, Aromasin (exemestane) did not carry a heightened risk of endocrine cancer or blood clots, although it did have the well-known problems of hot flashes and joint stiffness also attributable to tamoxifen and raloxifene, the study authors said. Aromasin, an aromatase inhibitor now available in generic form, is currently approved for early breast cancer patients but not to prevent tumors. Exemestane is an effective steroidal aromatase inactivator with superior tolerability, safety and efficacy in the adjuvant, neo-adjuvant and metastatic therapy of breast cancer.Aromasin side effects (exemestane) As with any medicine, there are possible side effects with Aromasin® (exemestane). However, not everyone who takes the medication will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate the medication well. If side effects do occur, in most cases they are minor and either require no treatment or are easily treated by you or your healthcare provider. Side Effects of Aromasin: Important things to remember about the side effects of Aromasin: Most people do not experience all of the side effects listed. Side effects are often predictable in terms of their onset and duration. Side effects are almost always reversible and will go away after treatment is complete. There are many options to help minimize or prevent side effects. There is no relationship between the presence or severity of side effects and the effectiveness of the medication. The following side effects are common (occurring in greater than 30%) for patients taking Aromasin: There are no common side effects of Aromasin. These side effects are less common side effects (occurring in about 10-29%) of patients receiving Aromasin: Fatigue,Nausea (mild), Hot flashes, Depression, Bone pain, Insomnia, Anxiety, Shortness of breath, Not all side effects are listed above. Some that are rare (occurring in less than 10% of patients) are not listed here. However, you should always inform your health care provider if you experience any unusual symptoms.
Posts tagged ‘Hormone’
Quite by accident I stumbled across to separate little blurbs in my local newspaper, both about hormone replacement therapy (HRT), one is a study on HRT and asthma and the other is about HRT and colon cancer. I find these studies quite interesting because it highlights all the pros and cons surrounding HRT quite nicely. The asthma study involved 57,000 French women of menopausal age over ten years. This study found that an HRT with both oestrogen and progesterone didn’t result in a higher rate of asthma, but women doing HRT with only oestrogen were 67% more likely to develop asthma than other women who never had HRT. The colon cancer study was done on 57,000 women who were teachers in California. This study found that women on either combined HRT or the estrogen only HRT were 36% less likely to get colon cancer, once the treatment stops though the colon cancer incidence returns to normal levels. Unfortunately even though a 36% decrease in colon cancer is remarkable, doctors still don’t recommend this as preventative measure due to all the other increased risks.
Before a very influential study conducted in the 1990′s by the Women’s Health Initiative, HRT was widely prescribed to menopausal women by doctors to treat hot flashes, night sweats, and other signs of menopause. The good news, HRT is very successful at treating these symptoms. The bad news, it may kill you. That’s of course the overly simplistic view, but the great HRT debate rages on. The Women’s Health Initiative study was so shocking that once its results were announced, HRT use plunged. The study found an increased risk of heart attacks, strokes, and breast cancer, the study also found a decrease in osteoporosis and colon cancer, but the risks far outweighed any medical benefit.
It’s no wonder that women are so confused about HRT. There’s a lot of information about HRT, but no easy answers. Today, HRT is still in use especially in younger women who have undergone surgical menopause rather than older women who are undergoing natural menopause, but usually it is only give in low doses and for short time frames due to the inherent risks involved.
