About Aromasin

Exemestane tablets that have the brand name Aromasin is a prescription medicine that can be prescribed by your doctor. Pfizer Company is responsible for developing this drug and has been in use since 1999 for women with advanced breast cancer who are also postmenopausal. This drug is for women who have gone through menopause, has breast cancer that responds to hormone therapy, and has taken tamoxifen for two to three years. If your doctor believes you would benefit from this drug, you would stop taking tamoxifen and begin taking Aromasin. You would remain on Aromasin for the five years after surgery that tamoxifen is taken.

Studies of women who have successfully switched from tamoxifen to Aromasin have a thirty-one percent lower risk of breast cancer recurrence. This is a significant number and should be examined carefully for the benefits of switching from tamoxifen.

Another outstanding number is there were sixty-eight percent fewer cases of cancer developing in the healthy breast after staying on tamoxifen for two to three years and then switching to Aromasin. Breaking these statistics down for numbers that are easier to understand means there was a difference of over 70 women who did not experience a recurrence of their cancer after taking Aromasin.

Unlike other drugs that are being studied and used in clinical trials, Aromasin was designed for women who have advanced stages of breast cancer. It has proven effective in early stage breast cancer for those women who have hormone receptive cancer. Aromasin is to be used after an early period of taking the drug tamoxifen and women who have already gone through menopause.

Chances for side effects are a little higher for Aromasin than tamoxifen. The side effects of both drugs are joint pain, headache, hot flashes, increased sweating, fatigue, and insomnia. Avoiding some of these side effects can be as simple as avoiding any form of caffeine, forgoing alcohol, and quitting the smoking habit. These will help ease the hot flashes that come with taking this drug. To avoid upset stomach, take Aromasin with food. Fatigue is another side effect and can be eased by eating healthier foods and drinking plenty of fluids. If you are active, try to take breaks often. Keeping regular sleeping habits and getting plenty of rest can also ease fatigue.

Women should not take Aromasin if they are pregnant and if you have not gone through menopause. Do not take Aromasin if you are on hormone replacement therapy or if you have an allergy to the medicine or others like it. If you are taking a drug with estrogen you should not take Aromasin. Always tell your doctor of what drugs you are taking. He will be able to tell if Aromasin will cause in interaction between the two drugs.

A more serious side effect of Aromasin is osteoporosis. The risk of developing osteoporosis doubles if you are taking Aromasin. There is also an increased risk of heart pain or chest discomfort.

You should discuss Aromasin with your doctor to see if this drug would benefit you.

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