Estrogen is a natural hormone that is produced by the body and helps girls to grow into women. However, sometimes too much estrogen can be a bad thing, especially for people with certain types of cancer. This is where antiestrogen medication comes into play.
Antiestrogen medication is a type of medicine that helps to block the effects of estrogen on the body. The medication works by attaching itself to estrogen receptors, which prevents estrogen from doing its job. This can be useful for people with breast cancer, for example, since some types of breast cancer grow faster when they are exposed to estrogen.
Sometimes, people who have been taking antiestrogen medication for a while may experience something called an "antiestrogen withdrawal response". This is a fancy way of saying that their body reacts when they stop taking the medication.
When someone stops taking antiestrogen medication, their body may suddenly have too much estrogen again. This can cause symptoms like hot flashes, mood swings, and bone pain. It's kind of like if you were playing with a toy car and then your friend suddenly took it away - you might feel sad or angry because you weren't ready to stop playing with it.
However, the antiestrogen withdrawal response usually goes away after a few weeks or months. This is because the body adjusts to having more estrogen again. In the meantime, doctors may offer other medications or therapies to help manage the symptoms.