SERM: Benefits for Breast Cancer, Osteoporosis, and More

In addition, your doctor may suggest seeing a mental health professional or going to a cancer support group. In a study of advanced breast cancer, less than 5% of women who took Aromasin reported having a rash and itching. Aromasin and letrozole have slightly different FDA-approved uses, but they’re both used to treat certain types of early and advanced breast cancer. Traditionally, research on human aromatase has been performed on purified native or recombinant protein, allowing for kinetic analysis of aromatase function 22, 28. It is well established that the microsomal enzymatic complex of human aromatase is a heterodimer made up of a cytochrome 450 aromatase, and a ubiquitous NADPH cytochrome P450 reductase 27.

It’s a worrying time for many people and we want to be there for you whenever – and wherever – you need us. Cancer Chat is our fully moderated forum where you can talk to others affected by cancer, share experiences, and get support. Many women find that the side effects are often worse at the start of treatment.

If you’re experiencing symptoms of high estrogen and/or low testosterone, the right place to start is by asking, “Do I have what I need in the amounts at which I need it? Liver diseases are also known to contribute to elevated oestrogen as there is a high level of aromatase present in the liver too. Perhaps due to the potent antioxidant effects of oestrogen; if the liver is damaged, then an increase in oestrogen should help protect it 10,11.

And early breast cancer occurs only in the breast or the lymph nodes in your armpit. In one clinical study of early breast cancer, 1.6% of women who took Aromasin reported having these problems compared with 0.6% of women who took tamoxifen. Heart failure was also reported in 0.4% of women who took Aromasin and 0.3% of women who took tamoxifen. This means that during treatment your bones won’t get enough estrogen to stay healthy. During one study of advanced breast cancer, 13% of women who took Aromasin reported having depression.

Exemestane (Aromasin) and Cost: What You Need to Know

Before you begin taking an aromatase inhibitor, talk with your health care team about possible side effects and how to manage them. Although aromatase inhibitors can cause joint and muscle pain, they don’t cause permanent joint or muscle damage. Aromasin has been used by bodybuilders for the purpose of muscle growth and prevention of gynecomastia (breast growth in males). But the FDA hasn’t approved the drug for this use, and it’s illegal to buy Aromasin for this purpose. Also, the World Anti-Doping Agency has banned Aromasin and many other prescription drugs for this use.

Aromasin and other medications

The amount of time cancer did not worsen or spread in post-menopausal women with secondary HR+ breast cancer on anastrozole vs. tamoxifen. The amount of time cancer did not worsen or spread in post-menopausal women with secondary HR+ breast cancer on letrozole vs. tamoxifen. During your Arimidex treatment, consider keeping notes on any side effects you’re having. This is especially helpful to do when you first start taking new drugs or using a combination of treatments.

Hope you’re doing well despite the nasty cancer side effects. I never got to fully live out my pre-menopausal days because of cancer. I should have had at least more years without hot flashes, fatigue, and sexual disfunction. But instead I have to live like a 55 year old in the body of a 32 year old.

Aromasin for advanced breast cancer

They can give you a physical exam, run a stress test to check the health of your heart, and order heart scans, if needed. High blood pressure can raise your risk for heart problems such as stroke and heart attack. You may wonder how often certain side effects occur with this drug. Here’s some detail on some of the side effects this drug may cause. Most of these side effects may go away within a few days or a couple of weeks.

  • Tamoxifen, aromatase inhibitors and specific drugs used for ovarian suppression are types of hormonal therapy.
  • Read the rules to learn how to become an approved submitter.
  • Almost half of women taking aromatase inhibitors have joint pain and about 15% have muscle pain .

Likewise, those who read my blog A Guide To Steroid Hormones & Immunity, will know that oestrogens also benefit immune function. In this blog, I’m going to review some of the most commonly investigated natural products in their roles as aromatase inhibitors. A number of men suffer from excess aromatisation of testosterone to oestrogen, resulting in an abnormal testosterone Methandienone tablets to oestradiol ratio. This can lead to negative symptoms such as anxiety, water retention, bloating, acne and gynaecomastia. We always advocate weight management and a healthy diet to reduce this risk, however it is sometimes still necessary to micro-dose an aromatase inhibitor until such time the ratio is normalised. However, natural methods are always preferred, they are often inexpensive and can serve other important physiological purposes too.

What’s more, you can experience them much more quickly and with fewer side effects than self-medicating with testosterone booster or estrogen blocker supplements. These drugs do have legitimate therapeutic uses, particularly for men with low testosterone and genuinely excessive levels of estrogen. With proper medical supervision, estrogen blockers can have meaningful benefits, including increasing testosterone and even reversing infertility. They’re also used (again, with a prescription) to help fight breast cancer. There are only two trials comparing 5 years of AIs to the sequential therapy which include BIG 1–98 51 and TEAM 58 trials.