Breast cancer is a dangerous disease that annually takes the lives of millions of women around the world. Fighting this ailment is difficult, but possible. To prevent the growth of a cancerous tumor and the further development of metastases, the Anastrozole drug helps many. It really does not allow malignant growth to increase, due to which women can live a long and happy life. Today we learn how to use this medication, what side effects it has, and also consider analogues of "Anastrozole" - a means of prolonging the lives of people. In addition, we find out how patients and doctors respond about him.
In what cases is the drug prescribed?
Anastrozole is a pill prescribed by a doctor to his patients who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. This medication must be used to treat exactly this ailment. Tablets are used in the postmenopausal period.
Structure
The Anastrozole medication, the instructions for use of which are indicated below, consists of the following elements:
- Anastrozole - active substance, 1 mg.
- Auxiliary components: lactose monohydrate, povidone-K30, sodium type A, carboxymethyl starch, magnesium stearate. The tablet shell consists of the following elements: hypromellose E464, macrogol 6000 and 400, titanium dioxide E171.
Release form
The drug is sold in the form of film-coated pills. The tablets are placed in blisters of 7 or 10 pieces each. In one package can be 1, 3, 4 or 5 blisters.
Dosage
The Anastrozole medication, the instructions for which should always be in the package with this drug, should be taken orally 1 mg once a day, that is, 1 tablet per day. The duration of therapy depends on the severity and form of the disease. The remedy is prescribed only by the treating oncologist. Recommended treatment duration is 5 years. If during this time signs of the progression of the disease are visible, then taking this medication should be stopped.
Side effects
The medicine "Anastrozole" after use can cause such undesirable manifestations in the female body:
- From the nervous system and sensory organs: drowsiness, depression, anxiety, headache, paresthesia.
- From the cardiovascular system and blood: thrombophlebitis, anemia, hypertension.
- From the organs of the gastrointestinal tract: nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, dry mouth, constipation or, conversely, diarrhea.
- Allergic reactions: itching, rash on the body, Stevens-Johnson syndrome.
- Other: vaginal dryness, hot flashes, chest, back pain, sweating, hair loss, bronchitis, pharyngitis, weight gain.
Similar preparations for the active substance
The medicine to which the article is devoted has analogues. Among the drugs that can be replaced by Anastrozole are: Anastrozole-Teva, Anastrozole-Kabi, Vero-Anastrozole, Egistrazole, Mammozole, Anabrez, Axastrol, Arimidex . The listed drugs are sold in the form of tablets, as well as in powder. These analogues of "Anastrozole" - a drug that is prescribed for a serious illness - have the same active substance in their composition, and this is anastrozole. Therefore, if the pharmacies do not have the necessary funds, then it can be replaced by another. However, you should first consult with your oncologist about replacing drugs.
Similar medications for effects
Analogs of "Anastrozole" - a medicine that often brings a positive effect from therapy - may vary in composition. For example, these are Letrozole tablets, in which letrozole itself, 2.5 mg, acts as the active substance. This is a completely different element, but the drug itself is intended in the same situations as the medicine to which the article is devoted. So what is better in the end: Letrozole or Anastrozole tablets? In fact, they are similar in action drugs, therefore, it is impossible to say which one is worse. Their only difference is dosage. If you take the drug "Letrozole", then you need 2.5 mg, in the case of the medicine "Anastrozole" you will need only 1 mg. However, the effect will be the same in the end.
The popular analog drug Arimidex
"Anastrozole" - tablets dispensed from a pharmacy only by prescription, can be replaced with another well-known medication. And his name is Arimidex. This drug is also prescribed for malignant neoplasms of the mammary glands. It is also taken 1 tablet (1 mg) once a day. The cost of Arimidex tablets ranges from 4 thousand rubles per 1 pack containing 28 pills. For comparison, Russian-made Anastrozole costs about 2 thousand rubles. And this is also for 1 pack, in which there are 28 tablets. As you can see, the drug "Arimidex" is 2 times more expensive than its counterpart. Therefore, it will be cheaper to buy the medicine Anastrozole. However, it often happens that it is dismantled as soon as it appears in pharmacies. Therefore, in case it is not there, you can purchase a substitute.
Cost of pills
The drug "Anastrozole", the price of which is not fixed, because it depends on many factors, is not a cheap medicine. Yes, no one said that the tool will be affordable. Nevertheless, the medication helps to cope not with diarrhea or fever, but with a breast cancer. Therefore, the cost of the drug is high.
The price of this medicine depends on the number of tablets in the package, on the location of the pharmacy and the extra charge, on the manufacturer. So, on average, the cost of 20 tablets of this drug will be in the range of 1300 rubles. If you take 30 pills, then, of course, the Anastrozole medication, whose price, by the way, is lower than that of similar drugs, will cost about 2700 rubles. If you buy these tablets of Indian production, then the price will be more than 8 thousand rubles for 30 tablets. If you buy pills of the Russian manufacturer ZAO R-Pharm, then the cost will be the same as indicated above - within 3 thousand rubles.
Positive feedback from patients
The drug "Anastrozole" reviews on the Internet has a few. Probably people do not want to share their other problems. However, those responses that are (although their number is small), make it possible to analyze the situation with this medicine. Anastrozole tablets receive commendable reviews from patients. Indeed, after the start of taking this medication in women, the growth of a tumor in the mammary gland is clearly slowed down, and also this drug does not allow metastases to form and grow. Representatives of the weaker sex also note that they receive this drug mainly for benefits, that is, for free.
Negative patient feedback
Unfortunately, the medicine Anastrozole also has negative reviews. People note that, despite the effectiveness of the drug, it still has many side effects. So, some women noticed that after taking these pills their health worsened: severe headaches, mood swings, problems with stools, vomiting, hair loss, allergies, weight gain and more appeared. This, indeed, happens, but not at all. And it is explained simply. Those women who purchase a drug of Indian or Israeli origin do not experience any side effects, but the Russian drug Anastrozole can really cause problems.
Also, many do not like that this drug often does not happen in pharmacies, it turns out to be inaccessible. Analogs of Anastrozole, a pill that helps women fight cancer, are more accessible in this regard. Therefore, people sometimes buy other drugs, because you do not wait for the moment when the right tool appears. Often they acquire pills that are similar in name to the medication to which the article is devoted. This medicine "Anastrozole-teva", it has almost the same composition. Cancer is a disease that does not require urgency. Therefore, to replace one drug with another is quite normal.
Opinions of oncologists
Doctors are positive about this medicine. According to them, this is a medication that is prescribed for chemotherapy of malignant tumors in the chest, only in a lightweight version. Therefore, experts often prescribe it for women in old age after menopause or for those representatives of the weaker sex who have serious health problems. Since such persons cannot be prescribed too heavy medications, the optimal drug that can stop the development of the tumor is Anastrozole. These pills, however, it is really better to buy not domestic production, but foreign. Be careful when choosing a manufacturer.
Conclusion
Now you know why Anastrozole is needed, what side effects it has, analogues. They also determined that it is better to purchase this drug from a foreign manufacturer, since domestic medication can often cause various undesirable reactions. To the question of many women about which is better: the drug "Letrozole" or "Anastrozole", we gave an answer. These medicines are interchangeable, so if one is not on sale, then you can buy another. However, in any case, to begin with, you should notify the attending oncologist about this.