Anastronat 1MG (Anastrozole)

Anastronat 1MG is Natco Pharma Ltd's anastrozole tablet, 1 mg, in a strip of 10 tablets. Anastrozole is a non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor that lowers oestrogen levels by blocking its production from androgens.

Anastrozole is approved for hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer in women after the menopause: as the first treatment of advanced disease, after surgery to reduce the risk of the cancer returning, and after two or three years of tamoxifen.nnOff label it is prescribed to men with high oestradiol levels, including men on testosterone therapy who develop breast tenderness or gynaecomastia, and to boys with delayed puberty or short stature under specialist care.

After the menopause, and in men, most oestrogen is made outside the ovaries by the aromatase enzyme, which converts testosterone and androstenedione into oestradiol and oestrone. Anastrozole blocks that enzyme reversibly and reduces circulating oestradiol by about 80%. Breast cancers that depend on oestrogen stop being stimulated, and in men the drop in oestradiol relieves oestrogen-driven effects and raises testosterone by removing its feedback on the pituitary.

Anastrozole is a 1 mg tablet taken once a day, with or without food, at about the same time each day. In breast cancer it is continued for five years or as the oncologist directs. In men the dose and frequency are set from oestradiol blood tests and are often lower than one tablet a day, because oestrogen that is too low causes its own problems. Take it exactly as prescribed.

• Hot flushes, sweating and vaginal dryness.n- Joint pain and stiffness, often in the hands, wrists and knees.n- Loss of bone density over time, with a higher risk of fractures.n- Tiredness, headache, nausea and mood changes.n- Raised cholesterol.n- Thinning hair and rash.n- In men, oestradiol pushed too low causes joint pain, low libido, poor erections, low mood, dry skin and bone loss.

Anastrozole must not be taken in pregnancy or while breastfeeding, and is not for women before the menopause unless a specialist prescribes it alongside ovarian suppression. It is not combined with tamoxifen or oestrogen-containing medicines, which cancel its effect. Bone density is checked before and during long treatment, and calcium and vitamin D are often advised. Tell your doctor about osteoporosis, liver or kidney disease, or heart disease.