Anastrozole 1 mg film-coated tablets

• Keep this leaflet. You may need to read it again.
• If you have any further questions, ask your doctor or pharmacist.
• This medicine has been prescribed for you only. Do not pass it on to others. It may harm them, even if their signs of illness are the same as yours.
• If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. See section 4.

1. What Anastrozole is and what it is used for
2. What you need to know before you take Anastrozole
3. How to take Anastrozole
4. Possible side effects
5. How to store Anastrozole
6. Contents of the pack and other information

• if you are allergic to anastrozole or any of the other ingredients of this medicine (listed in section 6)
• if you are pregnant or breast-feeding (see the section called ‘Pregnancy and breast-feeding’).

Do not take Anastrozole if any of the above apply to you. If you are not sure, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Anastrozole.

Talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Anastrozole

• if you still have menstrual periods and have not yet gone through the menopause
• if you are taking a medicine that contains tamoxifen or medicines that contain estrogen (see the section called ”Other medicines and Anastrozole’)
• if you have ever had a condition that affects the strength of your bones (osteoporosis)
• if you have problems with your liver or kidneys.

If you are not sure if any of the above applies to you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist before taking Anastrozole.

If you go into the hospital, let the medical staff know you are taking Anastrozole.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking, have recently taken or might take any other medicines. This is because Anastrozole can affect the way some medicines work and some medicines can have an effect on Anastrozole.

Do not take Anastrozole if you are already taking any of the following medicines:

• certain medicines used to treat breast cancer (selective estrogen receptor modulators), e.g., medicines that contain tamoxifen. This is because these medicines may stop Anastrozole from working properly.
• medicines that contain estrogen, such as hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

If this applies to you, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking the following:

• a medicine known as an ‘LHRH analogue’. This includes gonadorelin, buserelin, goserelin, leuprorelin and triptorelin. These medicines are used to treat breast cancer, certain female health (gynaecological) conditions, and infertility.

Do not take Anastrozole if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Stop Anastrozole if you become pregnant and talk to your doctor.

If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, think you may be pregnant or are planning to have a baby, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice before taking this medicine.

Anastrozole is unlikely to affect your ability to drive or use any tools or machines. However, some people may occasionally feel weak or sleepy while taking Anastrozole. If this happens to you, ask your doctor or pharmacist for advice.

Anastrozole 1 mg film coated tablets contain 68.75mg lactose monohydrate per tablet. If you have been told by your doctor that you have an intolerance to some sugars, contact your doctor before taking this medicinal product.

Anastrozole should not be given to children and adolescents.

If you take more Anastrozole than you should, talk to a doctor straight away.

If you forget to take a dose, just take your next dose as normal.

Do not take a double dose to make up for a forgotten dose.

Do not stop taking your tablets unless your doctor tells you to.

• an extremely severe skin reaction with ulcers or blisters on the skin. This is known as ‘Stevens-Johnson syndrome’.
• allergic (hypersensitivity) reactions with swelling of the throat that may cause difficulty in swallowing or breathing. This is known as ‘angioedema’.

Very common (may affect more than 1 in 10 people)

• headache
• hot flushes
• feeling sick (nausea)
• skin rash
• pain or stiffness in your joints
• inflammation of the joints (arthritis)
• feeling weak
• bone loss (osteoporosis)
• depression.

Common (may affect up to 1 in 10 people)

• loss of appetite
• raised or high levels of a fatty substance known as cholesterol in your blood. This would be seen in a blood test.
• feeling sleepy
• carpal tunnel syndrome (tingling, pain, coldness, weakness in parts of the hand)
• tickling, tingling or numbness of skin, loss/lack of taste
• diarrhoea
• being sick (vomiting)
• changes in blood tests that show how well your liver is working
• thinning of your hair (hair loss)
• allergic (hypersensitivity) reactions including face, lips, or tongue
• bone pain
• vaginal dryness
• bleeding from the vagina (usually in the first few weeks of treatment – if the bleeding continues, talk to your doctor)
• muscle pain.

Uncommon (may affect up to 1 in 100 people)

• changes in special blood tests that show how your liver is working (gamma-GT and bilirubin)
• inflammation of the liver (hepatitis)
• hives or nettle rash
• trigger finger (a condition in which your finger or thumb catches in a bent position)
• increased amounts of calcium in your blood. If you experience nausea, vomiting and thirst, you should tell your doctor, or pharmacist or nurse as you may need to have blood tests.

Rare (may affect 1 in 1,000 people)

• rare inflammation of your skin that may include red patches or blisters
• skin rash caused by hypersensitivity (this can be from allergic or anaphylactoid reaction)
• inflammation of the small blood vessels causing red or purple colouring of the skin. Very rarely symptoms of joint, stomach, and kidney pain may occur; this is known as ‘Henoch-Schönlein purpura’.

Anastrozole lowers the amount of the hormone called estrogen that is in your body. This may lower the mineral content of your bones. Your bones may be less strong and may be more likely to fracture. Your doctor will manage these risks according to treatment guidelines for managing bone health in women who have gone through the menopause. You should talk to your doctor about the risks and treatment options.

If you get any side effects, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. This includes any possible side effects not listed in this leaflet. You can also report side effects directly via the Yellow Card Scheme at: www.mhra.gov.uk/yellowcard or search for MHRA Yellow Card in the Google Play or Apple App Store.

By reporting side effects you can help provide more information on the safety of this medicine.

• The active substance is anastrozole.
• Each film-coated tablet contains 1 mg anastrozole.
• The other ingredients in the tablet core are lactose monohydrate, povidone K30 (E1201), sodium starch glycolate (type A), magnesium stearate (E572).
  The tablet cores are coated with film-coating agent Opadry white consisting of hypromellose 6CP (E464), titanium dioxide (E171), macrogol 400.

Anastrozole 1 mg film-coated tablets are white to off white circular, biconvex, film-coated tablets debossed with “A1” on one side.

The film-coated tablets are marketed in PVC/Al blisters of 10 or 14 tablets in boxes of 28, 30, 60, 84 or 100 tablets.

Not all pack sizes may be marketed.