Anastrozol bei Brustkrebs

About anastrozole

Treatment options for women with Brustkrebs include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and hormone treatment. Often a combination of two or more of these treatments is used. Anastrozole is a hormone treatment.

Some breast cancers need the hormone oestrogen to grow. In women who have been through the menopause, the main source of oestrogen is through the change of sex hormones called androgens into oestrogen. An enzyme called 'aromatase' is needed for this change to occur. Anastrozole works by blocking (inhibiting) this enzyme. This reduces the amount of oestrogen in your body, which slows the growth of the cancer cells.

Before taking anastrozole

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine may only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking anastrozole it is important that your doctor knows:

• If you are still having menstrual periods - if you have not gone through the menopause you should not take anastrozole.

• If you have been told you have a loss of bone density (osteoporosis).

• If you have problems with the way your liver works, or problems with the way your kidneys work.

• Wenn Sie jemals eine allergische Reaktion auf ein Medikament hatten.

• If you are taking any other medicines. This includes any medicines you are taking which are available to buy without a prescription, as well as herbal and complementary medicines. It is particularly important that your doctor knows if you are taking a medicine called tamoxifen, or any oestrogen-containing medicines such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

How to take anastrozole

• Before you start this treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about anastrozole and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking it.

• Take one 1 mg tablet of anastrozole each day, exactly as your doctor tells you to. Your dose will be printed on the label of the tablet pack to remind you.

• You may take anastrozole at whatever time of day you find easiest to remember, but try to take your doses at the same time each day. This will help you to avoid missing any doses.

• You can take the tablet before or after a meal.

• Wenn Sie eine Dosis vergessen haben, nehmen Sie sie ein, sobald Sie sich daran erinnern. Wenn Sie sich erst am nächsten Tag daran erinnern, lassen Sie die vergessene Dosis aus. Nehmen Sie nicht zwei Dosen zusammen ein, um eine vergessene Dosis auszugleichen.

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• Try to keep your regular appointments with your doctor or clinic. This is so your doctor can check on your progress. Anastrozole lowers the levels of female hormones in your body, which can reduce the strength of your bones. You will need to have bone density tests (before and during your treatment) to check for this.

• Anastrozole is a long-term treatment so it's important to continue to take the tablets regularly unless your doctor tells you otherwise. It is likely you will need to take the tablets for five years.

• If you are having an operation or dental treatment, tell the person carrying out the treatment that you are taking anastrozole.

• Wenn Sie Medikamente kaufen, fragen Sie einen Apotheker, ob sie sicher mit Ihren anderen Medikamenten eingenommen werden können.

Can anastrozole cause problems?

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with anastrozole. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

Wenn Sie andere Symptome bemerken, die Ihrer Meinung nach auf die Tabletten zurückzuführen sein könnten, sprechen Sie mit Ihrem Arzt oder Apotheker für weitere Ratschläge.

How to store anastrozole

• Bewahren Sie alle Medikamente außerhalb der Reichweite und Sicht von Kindern auf.

• An einem kühlen, trockenen Ort aufbewahren, fern von direkter Hitze und Licht.

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