How long does it take for Faslodex to start working?
Once Faslodex (fulvestrant) is given by intramuscular (into the muscle) injection it takes 7 days to reach peak levels. When Faslodex is at a therapeutic level it starts to treat the estrogen dependent breast cancer by blocking estrogen receptors on the breast cancer cells and also reducing the number of estrogen receptors.
Even though Faslodex has reached peak plasma levels and is blocking and reducing the number of estrogen receptors, the effect of Faslodex on your breast cancer will not be noticeable for some time.
To find out how long it will take for Faslodex to have a noticeable effect, you will need to discuss this with your cancer health care professional, who will be familiar with your clinical situation and history. They will be monitoring your treatment and will be able to discuss when you may expect to see results from Faslodex treatment.
How often is Faslodex injection given?
Faslodex is given as an injection every two weeks for the first three doses, then once a month thereafter. The half life, which is how long it takes for half of the dose to be removed from the body, is approximately 40 days so the Faslodex remains effective for a long time. This means once you are on the monthly maintenance dose the Faslodex levels remain consistently at a therapeutic level.
Bottom Line:
- Faslodex takes 7 days to reach peak plasma levels after intramuscular injection.
- The effect of Faslodex on your breast cancer will not be noticeable for some time.
- To find out how long it will take for Faslodex to have a noticeable effect on your breast cancer you need to discuss this with your cancer specialist, who is familiar with your individual situation.
References
Fulvestrant Medication information: https://www.drugs.com/ppa/fulvestrant.html
Fulvestrant Medication information: https://reference.medscape.com/drug/faslodex-fulvestrant-342224#10
Faslodex Medication information: https://www.drugs.com/faslodex.html
Read next
Related medical questions
- How long can you take Faslodex?
- Is Faslodex a form of chemotherapy?
- Why are my nipples sore? 7 possible causes
- Does anastrozole cause hair loss?
- How do you relieve joint pain associated with tamoxifen or Aromasin?
- What are monoclonal antibodies?
- Is letrozole a form of chemotherapy?
- What is the success rate of Keytruda?
- What does anastrozole do to your body?
- What is the lifetime or cumulative dose for Adriamycin?
- Does Femara make your hair fall out?
- What is Herceptin? Is Herceptin a chemo drug? How does it work?
- Why give Taxol (Paxel) before carboplatin?
- Does letrozole affect blood sugar levels?
- Will insurance pay for the cost of Ibrance?
- How does AC (Adriamycin and Cytoxan [cyclophosphamide]) work for Breast Cancer?
- What is the success rate for Femara in breast cancer?
- Is it common to lose hair AFTER stopping tamoxifen?
- Why do you need to take Xeloda with food?
- What are the long-term side effects of Adriamycin?
- Which is better - Aromasin or Femara?
- How long can you stay on Herceptin and Perjeta?
- How long do you take Verzenio for?
- How long does Herceptin stay in your body?
- How does Ibrance kill cancer?
- How common is hair loss with Ibrance?
- What is Paxel called in the USA?
- Is Verzenio better than Ibrance?
- Is Ibrance a form of chemo?
- How effective is Trodelvy?
Drug information
Related support groups
- Faslodex (5 questions, 31 members)
- Fulvestrant (3 questions, 8 members)
- Breast Cancer (119 questions, 304 members)
- Breast Cancer, Metastatic (54 questions, 80 members)