Goserelin (patient information)

About your treatment
Your doctor has ordered the drug goserelin to help treat your illness. This drug is given by injection under the skin in the stomach area, usually every 28 days or every 3 months. The medication is slowly released into your bloodstream over that period.

This medication is used to treat:


 * prostate cancer
 * endometriosis
 * advanced breast cancer in premenopausal and perimenopausal women

This medication is sometimes prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for information.

Goserelin is a synthetic hormone. In men, it stops the production of the hormone testosterone, which may stimulate the growth of cancer cells. In women, goserelin decreases the production of the hormone estradiol (which may stimulate the growth of cancer cells) to levels similar to a postmenopausal state. When the medication is stopped, hormone levels return to normal.

Precautions
Before taking goserelin:


 * tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to goserelin, gonadorelin (Factrel, Lutrepulse), histrelin (Supprelin), leuprolide (Lupron), menotropins (Humegon, Pergonal, Repronex), or any other drugs.
 * tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially aspirin and vitamins.
 * you should know that goserelin may interfere with the normal menstrual cycle (period) in women and may stop sperm production in men. However, you should not assume that you cannot get pregnant or that you cannot get someone else pregnant. Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding should tell their doctors before they begin taking this drug. You should not plan to have children while receiving chemotherapy or for a while after treatments. (Talk to your doctor for further details.) Use a reliable method of birth control to prevent pregnancy. Goserelin may harm the fetus.

Minor side effects
Side effects from goserelin are common and include:


 * hot flashes
 * decreased sexual desire
 * weight gain
 * swelling and tenderness of the breasts
 * headaches
 * bone pain

Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:


 * nausea
 * vomiting
 * vaginal dryness
 * emotionality
 * increased amount of body hair
 * lethargy

Severe sid effects
If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately:


 * chest pain
 * difficulty breathing
 * fever
 * chills
 * rapid heartbeat
 * painful urination

If you experience a serious side effect, you or your doctor may send a report to the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online [at http://www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm] or by phone [1-800-332-1088].

In case of emergency/overdose
In case of overdose, call your local poison control center at 1-800-222-1222. If the victim has collapsed or is not breathing, call local emergency services at 911.

Special instructions
Menstruation should stop in women; call your doctor if your regular menstruation continues. Hormone replacement therapy may improve some side effects caused by goserelin, including vaginal dryness and hot flashes. Talk to your doctor about whether you should take hormone replacement therapy.

Brand names

 * Zoladex ®