Femara and absorbtion

MrC · Apr 11, 2005

Hey guys.
I've been told that femara has some coating to aid in absorbsion, but the dosages recommended are half a tab every 2nd day.
Won't cutting the tab alter the absorbsion?
Would it be better to just take a whole tab every 3rd day since it's half life is 2 days?

MrC · Apr 12, 2005

xcelbeyond · Apr 12, 2005

I'm far from an expert in this field - maybe someone like Snarf will see this post.

Myself, in general, I'm leary of "coatings" on tabs. While letrozole is techincally a prescription pharmaceutical, you wouldn't think I'd have a concern. I believe most coatings actuall prevent something from getting absorbed into the system (they work too well

). Remember IP's instructions to "crash" all tabs - I do this for ALL tabs I take to assure absorption.

Think about it - is a pill gonna "stay in" your your system for 2 days (PROBABLY FAR FROM IT) or will the drug/effects last for two days (half life). I can eat corn and two hours later I see corn in the toilet

knucklehed · Apr 12, 2005

liquid Letro works fine w/no coating

I wouldn't imagine it makes much difference.
KH

Snarf · Apr 12, 2005

Well, some tablet coatings can make a big difference. Often, that coating allows for the tablet to be broken down and absorbed LATER in the digestive process. For example, you may have a drug that is very sensitive to an acidic environment. If the tablet is not coated, or you crush the tablet you are exposing this drug to your stomach which is highly acidic. The result is that you lose a lot of drug right there. By the time it reaches your intestines, where absorption occurs, you have less drug to absorb, so your overall bioavailability goes down.

Other reasons for coatings are to protect your stomach from a harsh drug. For example, enteric coated aspirin is an example of this. Aspirin (and most NSAIDS) can cause stomach upset and even gastric ulcers. The coating prevents it from being broken down in the stomach.

I'll look up the Femara issue tonight - I'm getting on a plane right now.

Snarf · Apr 13, 2005

Ok, I looked up the Femara formulation. It is film coated, but this is basically done to prevent the tablet from starting to disolve when you put it into your mouth and to make it easier to swallow. It does not seem to have any functional coating beyond that.

Therefore, if you crush the tablet, it does not affect bioavailability. There is also no food affect, so you can take it with meals or on an empty stomach. The liquid formulation should have a similar bioavailability. I can see no advantage to crushing the tablet or holding it under your tongue.

Interestingly, if is taken with Nolvadex (tamoxifen), the Femara serum plasma levels drop about 38%, but this does not seem to be enough of a drop to inhibit its aromatase inhibition.

The half life is 2 days! Therefore, dosing every other day or even every third day is just fine.