Antiandrogen

What is Anti androgen

Anti androgen pills or drugs efficiently block the receptors on the prostate cancer cells that are sensitive to the androgen hormones. By blocking these receptors or also known as the androgen receptors, the cancer cells are hindered from further progression thus, making the cancer cells incapable of enlarging and multiplying.
An antiandrogen therapy stops the effect of androgen that is present on tumor cells of the prostate. Antiandrogens are said to be very effective when it is done with the combination of either drug therapy or surgery that completely slows down the production of male hormones. An antiandrogen is usually added to luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) agonist therapy in order to restrict the rise in testosterone at the beginning of LH-RH agonist therapy. Whenever the rise in testosterone happens, it can cause a tumor flare with an excruciating pain in the bones, difficulty in urinating and other symptoms of fast cancer growth. However, this growth is thought to decrease over time. Medical doctors perform orchiectomy which is the process of removing the testicles along with the used of antiandrogens.

A long term treatment with antiandrogens can possibly cause osteoporosis. Antiandrogen drugs are somehow considered to be harmful to the bones, which cause bones to become fragile and break easily.

Anti androgens are typically used in combination with some other hormone therapy to block the supply of testosterone. The main goal of this combination is to delay the growth of advanced prostate cancer and reduce terrible pain caused by the propagation of cancer to the bones. Antiandrogens can be used 2 months before the radiation therapy or from 4 months to 2 years after radiation with average risk prostate cancer. There are various side effects that can occur from having an antiandrogen treatment and these side effects are:

• A decreased count of red blood cell. (Anemia)
• Enlargement of the breast. (Gynecomastia)
• Erectile Dysfunction occurs
• Decreased in sexual desire
• Liver problems
• Diarrhea
• Nausea

Anti androgens are considered as a powerful treatment for hair loss in men. This treatment is based on the belief that anti androgen works to stop DHT from binding to the androgen receptor. According to studies, androgens come in about three fourths of the process that leads to hair loss and as they come to rescue, they intercept the process before certain damages are caused to hair follicles.