Preventative Breast Cancer Drugs

There is no magic pill that can prevent breast cancer. However, there have been many scientific developments made over the past few years that have led to more effective drugs in the fight against breast cancer. Some women who take these preventative drugs may have already had breast cancer. Instead of trying to prevent the disease from developing in the first place, they take the medications to try to prevent the disease from recurring. Below is a sampling of prescription drugs available to help prevent the development of breast cancer in high-risk women or the recurrence of the disease in women who have already had it.

Nolvadex

Nolvadex is the brand name for a drug called tamoxifen citrate. It is classified as a hormone antagonist. The drug is taken to help to kill off existing cancer cells and to ensure the cancerous cells do not return. The drug is called a hormone antagonist because it is designed to block the production of estrogen in women. Since some cancers are believed to develop in response to estrogen, tamoxifen citrate binds itself to the estrogen receptors at the cancer site. Therefore, the cancer cells that have come to depend on estrogen to thrive will by design stop growing and die. The drug is usually dispensed in pill form and is taken twice a day by most patients.

It is important for a patient considering taking Nolvadex to discuss with her options with a doctor if she is pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant. This drug may cause sterility or birth defects and should thus be used with extreme caution. The drug also increases the risk of blood clots and stroke in patients, so patients should carefully monitor their bodies. The drug’s most common side effect is fatigue, but it can also cause weight gain, changes in mood, and hot flashes. If you have a question about any potential side effect or experience a more severe side effect, contact your doctor immediately.

There are other drugs available that work similarly to tamoxifen citrate in preventing breast cancer by blocking or suppressing estrogen production. Patients should consult with their doctors if they have concerns about which drug is right for them.