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Is there anyone that had estrogen positive cancer, without use of AI?
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Dec 15, 2023 | Replies (146)Comment receiving replies
I doubt that dose makes any difference. The goal is to stop your adrenals from producing estrogen. A full dose will reliably do that. I was just making the point that you can start off by alternating days, or even continue that way, according to my doc. If you look at the half life of an AI and how long it takes to reach steady state, you can figure out that alternating days probably means a steady state high enough to be effective. Again, my doc concurred.
Nevertheless I took a full dose. I just posted on another thread that the frequent discussion here of side effects sometimes seems to forget the cancer risk that prompted us to consider these meds in the first place.
I would/did endure many side effects to feel safer from a recurrence. That said, I understand some really cannot continue.
With hormonal drugs, I would speculate that it takes some time for the body to adjust so I would always hope people would give them time. Side effects, in some cases, lessen.
I am grateful for my Femara (letrozole). After 5 years the Breast Cancer Index test told me that I no longer benefited but I would have loved to have done 7-10 years if effective- even with bone loss and joint pain.
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Here is the text of the insert:
Pharmacodynamics
In postmenopausal patients with advanced breast cancer, daily doses of 0.1 mg to 5 mg Femara (letrozole) suppress plasma concentrations of estradiol, estrone, and estrone sulfate by 75% to 95% from baseline with maximal suppression achieved within two-three days. Suppression is dose-related, with doses of 0.5 mg and higher giving many values of estrone and estrone sulfate that were below the limit of detection in the assays. Estrogen suppression was maintained throughout treatment in all patients treated at 0.5 mg or higher.
Letrozole is highly specific in inhibiting aromatase activity. There is no impairment of adrenal steroidogenesis. No clinically-relevant changes were found in the plasma concentrations of cortisol, aldosterone, 11-deoxycortisol, 17-hydroxy-progesterone, ACTH or in plasma renin activity among postmenopausal patients treated with a daily dose of Femara 0.1 mg to 5 mg. The ACTH stimulation test performed after 6 and 12 weeks of treatment with daily doses of 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1, 2.5, and 5 mg did not indicate any attenuation of aldosterone or cortisol production. Glucocorticoid or mineralocorticoid supplementation is, therefore, not necessary.
No changes were noted in plasma concentrations of androgens (androstenedione and testosterone) among healthy postmenopausal women after 0.1, 0.5, and 2.5 mg single doses of Femara or in plasma concentrations of androstenedione among postmenopausal patients treated with daily doses of 0.1 mg to 5 mg. This indicates that the blockade of estrogen biosynthesis does not lead to accumulation of androgenic precursors. Plasma levels of LH and FSH were not affected by letrozole in patients, nor was thyroid function as evaluated by TSH levels, T3 uptake, and T4 levels.