Flutamide (patient information)

IMPORTANT WARNING
Flutamide can cause liver failure that could lead to death. Keep all appointments with your doctor and the laboratory. Your doctor will order lab tests to check your liver function before and during treatment.

If you experience any of the following symptoms, call your doctor immediately: nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, excessive tiredness, loss of appetite, flu-like symptoms, dark yellow or brown urine, and yellowing of the skin or eyes.

About your treatment
Your doctor has ordered the drug flutamide to help treat your illness. The drug (in capsule form) is taken by mouth.

This medication is used to treat:


 * prostate cancer

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

Flutamide is in a class of drugs known as antiandrogens. It blocks the activity of testosterone, a hormone produced by the body.

Precautions
Before taking flutamide:


 * tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to flutamide or any other drugs.
 * tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially aspirin and vitamins.
 * tell your doctor if you have or have ever had liver disease, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, or blood disease, and if you are a smoker.
 * you should know that flutamide may stop sperm production in men. However, you should not assume that you cannot get someone else pregnant. 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. Flutamide should not be used by women. When used by women during pregnancy, flutamide may harm the fetus.

Minor side effects
Flutamide may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:


 * hot flashes or sudden sweating
 * breast tenderness or enlargement
 * decrease in sexual desire or ability
 * decrease in appetite
 * sensitivity to sunlight
 * diarrhea

Severe side effects
If you experience any of the following symptoms or those listed in the IMPORTANT WARNING section, call your doctor immediately:


 * depression
 * nervousness
 * skin rash
 * swelling of the feet or hands
 * shortness of breath
 * weakness
 * fast heartbeat

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].

Storage conditions
Keep flutamide in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from excess heat and moisture (not in the bathroom). Throw away any medication that is outdated or no longer needed. Talk to your pharmacist about the proper disposal of your medication.

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.

Brand names

 * Eulexin®