Potential side effects of hormone therapy drugs

The side effects from hormone therapy drugs vary with the type of drug. However, common side effects found with hormone therapy drugs, including:

• Hot flashes
• Mood swings
• Vaginal problems (e.g. dryness, discharge)
• Erectile dysfunction
• Decreased sexual desire (both sexes)
• Fatigue and reduced energy
• Nausea and vomiting
• Weight gain
• Loss of bone mass and strength (osteoporosis)
• Thinning of hair and nails
• Mild anemia
• Liver problems

In addition, women who take tamoxifen may be at higher risk for endometriosis, endometrial cancer and fertility problems. They may also develop thrombosis (blood clots) and have a slightly higher risk of suffering a stroke.

In some cases, patients who take hormone therapy drugs over a long period of time may find that their cancers develop resistance to the medication. For this reason, some drugs may be given for a period of time, discontinued, and started again at a later date. This schedule is used in the hope of preventing the development of such resistance. If resistance occurs, the patient may be switched to a new hormone therapy medication.

Recent research has indicated that changing drug treatments for women with breast cancer may reduce the risk of recurrence of the disease. In clinical trials, postmenopausal women who switched from five years of an anti-estrogen drug to an aromatase inhibitor demonstrated a lower risk of recurrent breast cancer. Other research has suggested that switching during the five-year standard treatment with tamoxifen may benefit certain breast cancer patients as well. Additional research is needed to confirm the findings of these studies.

About hormone therapy drugs

Hormone therapy drugs are used to treat forms of cancer that are influenced by certain hormones to grow and spread. These cancers are hormone-sensitive and can occur in both men and women. Biopsy and additional testing can determine if a patient's cancer is hormone receptor positive and may benefit from hormone therapy drug treatment.

Hormone therapy medications work in one of two ways:

* Reduce the level of hormones in the body. As these medications cause levels of hormones such as estrogen or testosterone to fall, the stimulus for cancer growth decreases.

* Prevent cancer from using hormones. Synthetic hormones can bind to the cancer’s hormone receptors. This prevents the cancer from binding with the natural hormones it needs to thrive.

Hormone therapy drugs are often used as part of cancer treatment with certain cancers. Nevertheless, they also may be used to help prevent some cancers, such as breast cancer, in high-risk women. While hormone therapy drugs can be a potent weapon in the fight against cancer, they also may cause side effects ranging from the relatively minor (nausea or tiredness) to the potentially more serious (endometrial cancer). In addition, many cancers develop resistance to hormone therapy drugs over a period of time. Because of these factors, patients should remain under close continued observation by a physician if they are receiving hormone therapy.

Liothyronine is the most potent form of thyroid hormone. The thyroid hormones are essential to proper development and differentiation of all cells of the human body. These hormones also regulate protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism, affecting how human cells use energetic compounds

A drug that is used to treat certain thyroid (a gland located near the voice box) conditions. It is also being studied in the treatment of thyroid cancer. Liothyronine sodium is made in the laboratory and is a form of the thyroid hormone triiodthyronine. It’s also called Cytomel and Triostat.