ARIMIDEX™
Anastrozole, 1 mg Tablets
What Arimidex is used for
Arimidex is used to treat breast cancer in women after the change of life (menopause). Arimidex does not kill cancer cells. Rather, it stops or slows their growth.
Your doctor will help you understand the benefits of taking Arimidex for your particular problem.
Ask your doctor for further information if he/she has prescribed this medicine for a different purpose.
How Arimidex works
Arimidex belongs to a group of medicines called aromatase inhibitors. It acts on the body to stop production of the low levels of female sex hormones (oestrogen) produced in the body.
In younger women, high levels of oestrogen are produced by the ovary and act to make the breast grow, prepare the womb for pregnancy and develop sex drive. After the change of life (menopause) low levels of oestrogen are made in fat cells throughout the body. These low levels of oestrogen may help cancer cells to grow, in women with breast cancer.
Before you use Arimidex
Before you start to use it, you must tell your doctor if:
- You have allergies to:
- Arimidex (if you have taken this medicine previously and experienced an allergic reaction).
- any of the ingredients listed at the end of this leaflet.
- If you have an allergic type reaction, you may have trouble breathing, skin rash or hay fever.
- You have the following medical conditions:
- any disease or disorder which affects your kidney or liver.
If you have any of these conditions it may not be appropriate for you to take Arimidex.
- You are on the following medicines:
- medicines which contain oestrogen
- any other medicines, including medicines that you buy without a prescription at the chemist, supermarket or health food shop.
These other medicines may have some effect on the way Arimidex works. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you what to do if you are taking any of these medicines.
If you have not told your doctor any of the things above, please tell him/her before you start taking Arimidex.
When you must not use it
Do not use Arimidex if you have not yet experienced menopause or if you are a child. We do not know if Arimidex is safe for these patients.
Do not use Arimidex if you are pregnant or breastfeeding your baby.
Do not use Arimidex after the expiry date. This date is printed on the pack. It may have no effect at all, or an unexpected effect if you take it after the expiry date.
These tablets are only for you and must not be given to anyone else. If the packaging of Arimidex appears torn or "tampered with" when you receive it, do not use the tablets.
Directions
Your doctor will have decided how much Arimidex you should take each day. The usual adult dose is one tablet taken daily.
Try to take your tablets at the same time each day.
Arimidex tablets may be taken before or after food.
Arimidex tablets should be swallowed whole with a drink of water. Do not chew the tablets.
Do not stop taking your tablets even if you are feeling well, until your doctor tells you.
If you forget to take it
You should take Arimidex as prescribed by your doctor. However, if you miss a dose, do not take an extra dose. Just resume your normal schedule. For example, if you forget to take Monday's tablet leave the tablet allocated to Monday. Then on Tuesday resume as normal by taking the tablet allocated to Tuesday. Do not take extra tablets to make up for a missed dose.
If you have trouble remembering when or how to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist or doctor for some hints.
Overdose
Telephone your doctor or the National Poisons and Hazardous Chemicals Information Centre (Ph: 0800 POISON or 0800 764 766) or go to casualty at your nearest hospital immediately if you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much Arimidex. Even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning.
While you are using Arimidex
If you go into hospital, please let the medical staff know that you are taking Arimidex.
Your doctor will tell you for how long you may need to take Arimidex. Only stop taking your tablets if your doctor tells you.
It is unlikely that Arimidex will affect your ability to drive a car or to operate machinery.
However, some patients may occasionally feel weak or sleepy, and caution should be observed when driving or operating machinery while such symptoms persist. If this happens to you, ask your doctor for advice.
Side effects
Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Arimidex.
As with all medicines, undesirable effects are sometimes experienced. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. Some people taking Arimidex have noticed the following side effects, however you may not experience any of them:
- hot flushes
- thinning of the hair
- vaginal dryness
- anorexia (loss of appetite)
- nausea
- vomiting
- diarrhoea
- feeling weak
- headache
- joint pain or joint stiffness
- sleepiness
- skin rash
- vaginal bleeding (usually in the first few weeks of treatment)
Occasionally, some people having Arimidex have had slight increases in cholesterol (blood fat). Some breast cancer patients may experience changes in their liver.
Important: This leaflet alerts you to some of the situations when you should call your doctor. Other situations, which cannot be predicted, may arise. Nothing in this leaflet should stop you from calling your doctor or pharmacist with any questions or concerns you have about using Arimidex.
After using Arimidex
Storage
Keep your tablets in the blister pack until it is time to take them.
If you take the tablets out of the box or blister pack they may not keep well.
Keep in a cool, dry place. Do not store above 30°C (86°F).
Keep your tablets in a safe place where children cannot see or reach them. Your tablets could harm them. A locked cupboard at least one and a half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.
Disposal
Ask your pharmacist what to do with any tablets you have left over if your doctor tells you to stop taking them, or your find that the expiry date has passed.
Product description
What it looks like
Arimidex comes in white tablets. One side of the tablet is marked with a logo consisting of the letter 'A' with an arrowhead attached to the foot of the extended right leg of the 'A'. The other side is impressed with a tablet strength marking ('Adx 1').
Arimidex comes in blister packs of 28 tablets.
Ingredients
Each tablet contains 1 mg of the active ingredient anastrozole. Each tablet also contains inactive substances which are commonly used in the manufacture of medicines. These are:
- lactose
- povidone
- sodium starch glycollate
- magnesium stearate
- hypromellose
- macrogol 300
- titanium dioxide
| 
