Flutamide - an anti-androgen for men

About flutamide

Flutamide belongs to a group of medicines known as anti-androgens. This means that it blocks the actions of male sex hormones called androgens. It also reduces the amount of male hormones (such as testosterone) that your body produces.

In cancer de la prostate, the cancer cells need the male hormone testosterone to grow and multiply well. Hormone treatments like flutamide block the effect of testosterone on prostate cancer cells. This slows down the growth of the cancer. Flutamide also helps to reduce symptom 'flares' and side-effects from other treatments which may be used for the cancer, or following surgery.

Some medicines are not suitable for people with certain conditions, and sometimes a medicine can only be used if extra care is taken. For these reasons, before you start taking flutamide it is important that your doctor knows:

• Si vous avez des problèmes avec le fonctionnement de votre foie.

• Si vous avez une maladie cardiaque.

• Si vous avez un trouble sanguin héréditaire rare appelé porphyrie.

• Si vous prenez d'autres médicaments. Cela inclut tous les médicaments disponibles à l'achat sans ordonnance, ainsi que les médicaments à base de plantes et les médecines complémentaires.

• Si vous avez déjà eu une réaction allergique à un médicament.

• Before you start the treatment, read the manufacturer's printed information leaflet from inside the pack. It will give you more information about flutamide and will provide you with a full list of the side-effects which you may experience from taking it.

• Take the tablets exactly as your doctor tells you to. Your dose will be printed on the label of the pack of tablets to remind you about what the doctor said to you. It is usual to take one tablet three times a day.

• You can take flutamide tablets either with or without food. Taking the tablet with a drink of water will help you to swallow it.

• Try to take the tablets at the same times of day each day. This will help you to remember to take your doses regularly.

• Si vous oubliez de prendre une dose, prenez-la dès que vous vous en souvenez (sauf s'il est presque l'heure de votre prochaine dose, auquel cas laissez de côté la dose oubliée). Ne prenez pas deux doses ensemble pour compenser une dose oubliée.

• Please keep your regular appointments with your doctor so that your progress can be monitored. Your doctor will want you to have some blood tests from time to time to check that your liver is staying healthy.

• Your doctor will recommend that you do not drink much alcohol while you are on flutamide.

• Treatment with flutamide is often long-term. You should continue to take the tablets regularly unless you are told otherwise by your doctor.
  

Along with their useful effects, most medicines can cause unwanted side-effects although not everyone experiences them. The table below contains some of the most common ones associated with flutamide. You will find a full list in the manufacturer's information leaflet supplied with your medicine. The unwanted effects often improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine, but speak with your doctor or pharmacist if any of the following continue or become troublesome.

Si vous ressentez d'autres symptômes que vous pensez être dus aux comprimés, veuillez consulter votre médecin ou votre pharmacien pour obtenir des conseils supplémentaires.

• Gardez tous les médicaments hors de la portée et de la vue des enfants.

• Conserver dans un endroit frais et sec, à l'abri de la chaleur et de la lumière directes.