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Concerned about the side effects of anastrozole
Breast Cancer | Last Active: Jul 28 9:25am | Replies (1934)Comment receiving replies
My name is Celia, I live in Switzerland and had a cancer removed from one breast last year. my first oncologist prescribed Anastrazole, the second oncologist prescribed Aroma tase and this third Professor Oncologist said that I should quit all these terrible new medecins and take 20mg of Tamoxifen a day for 5 years - a drug of more than 20 years on the market and is the best and least harmful. I have been taking this drug now for a year and feel tired and this worries me because I felt quite vigorous before taking this drug which deprives me of my Estrogen - a very peculiar way to keep cancer at bay! Is there a better solution?
Thanks in advance for your replies and a very Happy New Year to you all.
Celia
Replies to "My name is Celia, I live in Switzerland and had a cancer removed from one breast..."
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Hi Celia,
That must be so confusing to get different opinions from different specialists. Perhaps I can clarify at least one apparent misunderstanding. Aromatase inhibitors (AIs) are a class of drugs that stop the production of estrogen in postmenopausal women. There are several kinds, for example:
Anastrozole (Arimidex)
Letrozole (Femara)
Exemestane (Aromasin)
It sounds like the first oncologist suggests anastrozole (brand name Arimidex) and the second prescribed exemestane (brand name Aromasin). Studies have found that they are equally effective, but they have different side effects. Every person reacts differently, so the choice is usually made according to which side effects you experience and which you can tolerate.
Tamoxifen is the oldest and most-prescribed selective estrogen receptor modulator (SERM). While an aromatase inhibitor is the first hormonal therapy medicine choice for postmenopausal women, tamoxifen is the first choice for premenopausal women and is still a good choice for postmenopausal women who can't take an aromatase inhibitor.
A number of studies have compared aromatase inhibitors with tamoxifen to see which type of medicine was more effective in treating early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in postmenopausal women.
I copied selected information above from the website BreastCancer.org from these 2 articles:
- https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/hormonal/aromatase_inhibitors
- https://www.breastcancer.org/treatment/hormonal/serms/tamoxifen
I hope this helps to give you more information to discuss with your oncologist. I also look forward to hearing the experiences of others who may have had to choose between an AI and Tamoxifen.