Exemestane History
Exemestane was developed by Pharmacia & Upjohn (Pharmacia), which gained FDA approval for sale of the drug in late 1999. They introduced it under the Aromasin brand name in early 2000. Although the drug proved to be effective in doses as low as 2.5 mg per day in some patients, the company developed it in a standard and near universally effective dosage of 25 mg per tablet. The company has since introduced the drug to many other nations under the same trade name. Due to various patents and general market dominance, Aromasin is the only brand name of exemestane one is likely to come across in general commerce at the present time. It is currently available in over three dozen countries including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, Chile, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Norway, New Zealand, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Russia, South Africa, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and Venezuela.
How is Exemestane Supplied
Exemestane is most commonly supplied in tablets of 25 mg.
Structural Characteristics of Exemestane
Exemestane is classified as an irreversible steroidal aromatase inhibitor. It has the chemical designation 6-methyl-enandrosta-1,4-diene-3,17-dione.
Exemestane Side Effects
Common side effects associated with the use of an aromatase inhibitor include hot flashes, joint pain, weakness, fatigue, mood changes, depression, high blood pressure, swelling of the arms/legs, and headache. Aromatase inhibitors may also decrease bone mineral density, which may lead to osteoporosis and an increase in fractures in susceptible patients. Some individuals may also respond to the medication with gastrointestinal side effects including nausea and vomiting. Aromatase inhibitors can harm the development of an unborn fetus, and should never be taken or handled during pregnancy.
When taken by men (as an off-label use) to reduce estrogenicity during prolonged periods of steroid treatment, aromatase inhibitors may increase cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk by retarding some beneficial properties of estrogen on cholesterol values. Studies have demonstrated that when an aromatizable steroid such as testosterone enanthate is taken in conjunction with an aromatase inhibitor, suppression of HDL (good) cholesterol levels become significantly more pronounced. Since the estrogen receptor agonist/antagonist Nolvadex generally does not display the same anti-estrogenic (negative) effect on cholesterol values, it is usually favored over aromatase inhibitors for estrogen maintenance by male bodybuilders and athletes concerned with cardiovascular health.
Exemestane Administration
Exemestane is FDA approved for adjunctive treatment of postmenopausal women with estrogen-receptor positive early breast cancer with disease progression following tamoxifen. Therapy is initiated 2-3 years after tamoxifen has failed to elicit a desirable response, at which point tamoxifen is discontinued. Treatment with exemestane is continued for 2-3 additional years, and is completed after 5 years of cumulative adjunctive drug therapy (tamoxifen and exemestane treatment combined). The dosage prescribed in all instances is one 25 mg tablet per day, taken after a meal.
When used to mitigate the estrogenic side effects of anabolic/androgenic steroid use or increase muscle definition, male athletes and bodybuilders will commonly take 12.5 mg to 25 mg of exemestane per day. In some instances a half of a tablet (12.5 mg) taken every other day is sufficient to prevent the onset of estrogenic side effects.
Exemestane Availability
Exemestane is available in the U.S and in more than three dozen other nations under the Aromasin brand name (Pharmacia). Aromasin, likewise, dominates the global market, and is presently the only exemestane product one is likely to encounter.
Magnus Pharmaceuticals makes the product Exemestane primarily for the EU and UK markets. Due to fake products appearing on the market, Magnus offers an online checker that lets steroid users verify their product originality.
References
Wlliam Llewellyn (2011) - Anabolics
