Common uses

Arimrdex is approved for adjuvant treatment (treatment following surgery with or without radiation) of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer.
Arimrdex is also approved for the initial treatment of postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive or hormone receptor-unknown locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer and for the treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced breast cancer that has progressed following treatment with tamoxifen. Patients with hormone receptor-negative disease and patients who did not previously respond to tamoxifen therapy rarely responded to Arimidex.

Before using

You should not use this medication if you are allergic to anastrozole, or if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.
Before using anastrozole, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:
• severe liver disease;
• severe kidney disease; or
• not yet completed menopause.
If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take anastrozole.
FDA pregnancy category D. This medication can cause harm to an unborn baby. Do not use anastrozole without telling your doctor if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn baby. Use effective birth control, and tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.
You may need to take a pregnancy test before using anastrozole, to make sure you are not pregnant.
It is not known whether anastrozole passes into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Directions

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Do not take it in larger amounts or for longer than recommended. Follow the directions on your prescription label.
Anastrozole is usually taken once per day. You may need to keep taking take this medication for up to 5 years. Follow your doctor's instructions.
Store anastrozole at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

Cautions

Arimidex can cause fetal harm when administered to a pregnant woman. Anastrozole has been found to cross the placenta following oral administration of 0.1 mg/kg in rats and rabbits (about 1 and 1.9 times the recommended human dose, respectively, on a mg/m2 basis). Studies in both rats and rabbits at doses equal to or greater than 0.1 and 0.02 mg/kg/day, respectively (about 1 and 1/3, respectively, the recommended human dose on a mg/m2 basis), administered during the period of organogenesis showed that anastrozole increased pregnancy loss (increased pre- and/or post-implantation loss, increased resorption, and decreased numbers of live fetuses); effects were dose related in rats. Placental weights were significantly increased in rats at doses of 0.1 mg/kg/day or more.
Possible side effects
Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. Call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:
• swollen glands;
• a bone fracture; or
• swelling in your hands or feet;
Less serious side effects may include:
• hot flashes;
• joint pain or stiffness;
• weakness;
• sore throat;
• depression, mood changes;
• nausea; or
• back pain, bone pain.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

If you take too much

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine. Overdose symptoms may include stomach pain, nausea, vomiting, or blood in your stools.

Additional information

Arimidex is contraindicated in any patient who has shown a hypersensitivity reaction to the drug or to any of the excipients.
FDA pregnancy category D. This medication can cause harm to an unborn baby. Do not use anastrozole without telling your doctor if you are pregnant. It could harm the unborn baby. Use effective birth control, and tell your doctor if you become pregnant during treatment.
You may need to take a pregnancy test before using anastrozole, to make sure you are not pregnant.
You also should not use this medication if you are breast-feeding a baby, or if you are allergic to anastrozole.
Before using anastrozole, tell your doctor if you have severe liver or kidney disease, or if you have not yet completed menopause. If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take anastrozole.

Drug interactions

Anastrozole may not work as well if you take it together with tamoxifen or an estrogen medication. Before you start taking anastrozole, tell your doctor if you also take tamoxifen or estrogen.
There may be other drugs that can interact with anastrozole. Tell your doctor about all your prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.