Managing Side Effects
ELIGARD Side Effects
ELIGARD – A Hormonal Therapy for Prostate Cancer
ELIGARD is a prescription medication for the palliative treatment (management of
symptoms) of advanced prostate cancer. ELIGARD is an LHRH (luteinizing hormone-releasing
hormone) agonist. It is designed to reduce the amount of testosterone in the body
by reducing the testicles' production of testosterone. It is not a cure for advanced
prostate cancer.
ELIGARD is now available in 4 different prescription doses, giving you and your
physician flexible dosing options for treating your advanced prostate cancer. The
ELIGARD 45 mg shot, the newest addition to the ELIGARD family, is the first and
only 6-month hormone therapy for the treatment of advanced prostate cancer. ELIGARD
45 mg gives you the benefit of a full year of hormone therapy with just 2 injections.
Ask you doctor about twice-yearly ELIGARD.
Like all LHRH agonists, ELIGARD decreases the level of male hormones in the body.
As a result, ELIGARD may cause some side effects. The good news is that there are
things you can do to help manage ELIGARD side effects.
It's important that you pay attention to how you're feeling and share that information
with your doctor or nurse. They may have suggestions beyond what's on this web site
on how to manage the effects.
For more information, see the ELIGARD
Prescribing Information or talk to your doctor or nurse.
|
Most Common Side Effects of ELIGARD (reported by 2% or more of men) |
|
Dose |
Side Effects |
ELIGARD 7.5 mg
|
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Hot flashes/sweats
- Decrease in the size of the testes
- Inflammation of the stomach/intestine
|
ELIGARD 22.5 mg
|
- Hot flashes/sweats
- Fatigue
- Urinary frequency
- Nausea
- Itching
- Joint Pain
|
ELIGARD 30 mg |
- Hot flashes
- Fatigue
- Testicular atrophy (decrease in the size of the testes)
- Gynecomastia (breast growth)
- Testicular pain
- Clamminess
- Night sweats
- Hair loss
- Frequent need to urinate, especially at night
- Dizziness
- Decreased libido
- Myalgia (muscle pain)
- Nausea
|
ELIGARD 45 mg |
- Hot flashes
- Fatigue
- Weakness
- Testicular atrophy (decrease in the size of the testes)
- Gynecomastia (breast growth)
- Night sweats
- Myalgia (muscle pain)
- Pain in limb
|
|
|
Less Common Side Effects of ELIGARD (reported by fewer than 2% of men) |
|
Dosing |
Side Effects |
ELIGARD 7.5 mg |
- Sweating
- Syncopy (fainting)
- Insomnia (sleeplessness)
- Light-headedness
- Intestinal gas
- Constipation
- Decreased red blood cell count, hematocrit, and hemoglobin
- Weight gain
- Tremor
- Backache
- Joint pain
- Disturbance of smell and taste
- Depression
- Vertigo
- Hair loss
- Testicular soreness
- Inability to have or maintain an erection
- Decreased libido
- Gynecomastia (breast growth)
- Breast soreness
|
ELIGARD 22.5 mg |
- Dyspepsia (indigestion)
- Rigors (chill)
- Weakness
- Lethargy (mild impairment of consciousness)
- Difficulties with urination
- Pain on urination
- Scanty urination
- Bladder spasm
- Blood in urine
- Urinary retention
- Breast tenderness
- Decrease in the size of the testes
- Testicular pain
- Gynecomastia (breast growth)
- Inability to have or maintain an erection
- Clamminess
- Night sweats, increased sweating
- Hypertension (high blood pressure)
- Hypotension (low blood pressure)
|
ELIGARD 30 mg |
- Lethargy (mild impairment of consciousness)
- Gynecomastia (breast growth)
- Inability to have or maintain an erection
- Reduced penis size
- Urinary urgency
- Incontinence
- Insomnia (sleeplessness)
- Depression
- Muscle atrophy
- Limb pain
|
ELIGARD 45 mg |
- Lethargy (mild impairment of consciousness)
- Reduced penis size
- Nocturia (excessive nighttime urination)
- Nocturia aggravated
- Loss of libido
|
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- What side effects am I likely to experience?
- Can you recommend ways to manage side effects?
- Are the side effects permanent or temporary?
- Are there certain foods that might help?
- What form of exercise is right for me?
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Remember, Eligard is available by Rx only and your doctor is the single best
source of information regarding you and your health.
Please consult your doctor if you have any questions about your health or your medication.