{"id":55086,"date":"2022-11-04T23:04:40","date_gmt":"2022-11-05T03:04:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/?p=55086"},"modified":"2026-03-04T16:14:13","modified_gmt":"2026-03-04T21:14:13","slug":"anastrozole-alternatives","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.singlecare.com\/blog\/anastrozole-alternatives\/","title":{"rendered":"Anastrozole alternatives: What can I take instead of anastrozole?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Anastrozole<\/span><\/a> (brand name Arimidex) is a medication used to treat breast cancer in women after menopause. Specifically, anastrozole treats hormone receptor-positive breast cancer. Anastrozole is an oral tablet taken by mouth once daily. Women with hormone receptor-positive breast cancer often respond to endocrine therapy (also called hormone therapy), such as anastrozole, which can reduce tumor burden and symptoms with generally fewer side effects and toxicities than chemotherapy. As an endocrine therapy, anastrozole works as a type of nonsteroidal <\/span>aromatase inhibitor<\/span><\/a> that lowers estrogen levels in the body by blocking aromatase, an enzyme that converts other hormones into estrogen (estradiol and estrone). Hormone receptor-positive breast cancer cells need <\/span>estrogen<\/span><\/a> and\/or <\/span>progesterone<\/span><\/a> to grow. The goal of treatment with anastrozole is to decrease tumor mass or delay progression.<\/span><\/p>\n

While an effective treatment option for some people, anastrozole may not be the best and safest option for all women treating breast cancer. Anastrozole and other aromatase inhibitors can cause bone loss. Combination therapy will often be used to help treat the cancer through different mechanisms and requires more than one medication. While endocrine therapy, like anastrozole, is recommended for women starting treatment, this therapy may not be effective for some women. Chemotherapy can be used in women with disease not responding to endocrine therapy, more invasive breast cancers, or those who have extensive symptomatic visceral involvement.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>The 5 cancer screenings women need<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n

What can I take in place of anastrozole?<\/span><\/h2>\n

There are other options available to treat hormone receptor-positive breast cancer that do not improve with anastrozole. These alternative medications include other types of aromatase inhibitors, <\/span>selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs)<\/span><\/a>, cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) 4\/6 inhibitors, mTOR kinase inhibitors, and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) inhibitors. Among the available aromatase inhibitors, clinical trials have shown that the clinical activity, side effects, and toxicity of these are almost identical, and the choice of any one of them is appropriate. Overall, these alternatives may be more suitable for certain individuals due to their different uses, side effect profiles, and dosages.<\/span><\/p>\n

RELATED: <\/b>Anastrozole side effects and how to avoid them<\/b><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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Compare anastrozole alternatives<\/span><\/h2>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n

Drug name<\/b><\/td>\nUses<\/b><\/td>\nDosage<\/b><\/td>\nSavings options<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Arimidex (<\/span>anastrozole)<\/span><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Treatment of hormone receptor-positive locally advanced or metastatic\u00a0 breast cancer in postmenopausal women<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Adjuvant treatment of hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer in postmenopausal women<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Take 1 mg by mouth once daily<\/span><\/td>\nArimidex coupons<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Afinitor (everolimus)<\/span><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Treatment of postmenopausal women with advanced hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative breast cancer in combination with exemestane, after failure of treatment with letrozole or anastrozole<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Treatment of adult patients with progressive neuroendocrine tumors of pancreatic origin (PNET)\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Treatment of adult patients with advanced RCC after failure of treatment with sunitinib or sorafenib<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Treatment of adult patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-associated renal angiomyolipoma<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Treatment of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-associated subependymal giant cell astrocytoma (SEGA)<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Adjunctive treatment of tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC)-associated partial-onset seizures<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Take 10 mg by mouth once daily<\/span><\/td>\nAfinitor coupons<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Aromasin (exemestane)<\/span><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Treatment of advanced breast cancer that has progressed after tamoxifen therapy in postmenopausal women<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Adjuvant therapy of hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer in postmenopausal women who have received 2-3 years of treatment with tamoxifen<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Take 25 mg by mouth once daily<\/span><\/td>\nAromasin coupons<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Evista (raloxifene)<\/span><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Treatment and prevention of osteoporosis in postmenopausal women<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Reduction in risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women with high risk for invasive breast cancer<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Take 60 mg by mouth once daily<\/span><\/td>\nEvista coupons<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/td>\n<\/tr>\n

Fareston (toremifene)<\/span><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Treatment of metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor-positive or unknown receptor status in postmenopausal women<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Take 60 mg by mouth once daily<\/span><\/td>\nFareston coupons<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Faslodex (fulvestrant)<\/span><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Treatment of hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal women<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Administer 500 mg intramuscularly (IM) on Days 1, 15, and 29, and then once per month<\/span><\/td>\nFaslodex coupons<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Femara (letrozole)<\/span><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Treatment for hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer in postmenopausal women<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Adjuvant therapy of hormone receptor-positive early breast cancer in postmenopausal women<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Treatment of hormone receptor-positive or unknown advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Take 2.5 mg by mouth once daily<\/span><\/td>\nFemara coupons<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Ibrance (palbociclib)<\/span><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Treatment of adult patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer (in combination with an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Take 125 mg by mouth once daily on days 1-21 of a 28-day cycle<\/span><\/td>\nIbrance coupons<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Kisqali (ribociclib)\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Treatment of hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal females or in adult males (in combination with an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Take 600 mg by mouth every morning on days 1-21 of a 28-day cycle<\/span><\/td>\nKisqali coupons<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Piqray (alpelisib)<\/span><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Treatment of postmenopausal women, and men, with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, PIK3CA-mutated, advanced or metastatic breast cancer (in combination with fulvestrant)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Take 300 mg by mouth daily<\/span><\/td>\nPiqray coupons<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tamoxifen<\/span><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Treatment of estrogen receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Adjuvant therapy of early-stage estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Reduction in risk of breast cancer in adult females at high risk for breast cancer<\/span><\/li>\n
  • To reduce the risk of invasive breast cancer in adult females with ductal carcinoma in situ<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Take 20 to 40 mg by mouth daily<\/span><\/td>\nTamoxifen coupons<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Verzenio (abemaciclib)\u00a0<\/span><\/td>\n\n
    \n
  • Treatment of hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer in postmenopausal females and in males (in combination with an aromatase inhibitor or fulvestrant)<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Adjuvant therapy of adult patients with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative, node-positive, early breast cancer\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n
Take 150 mg by mouth twice daily<\/span><\/td>\nVerzenio coupons<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Other alternatives to anastrozole<\/span><\/h3>\n

The following are other alternatives for people seeking treatment options for hormone receptor-positive breast cancer:<\/span><\/p>\n