Nilutamide (patient information)

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About your treatment

Your doctor has ordered the drug nilutamide to help treat your illness. The drug comes in tablets to take by mouth. It can be taken with or without food.

This medication is used in combination with surgical removal of your testicles to treat:

prostate cancer

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

Nilutamide is in a class of drugs known as antiandrogens; it slows or stops the growth of cancer cells in your body. It works by blocking the effects of excess testosterone, a substance produced by the body, that promotes the growth of cancer cells.

You should begin taking nilutamide the day of or on the day after the surgical removal of your testicles. After about 30 days of treatment, your doctor will probably decrease your dose. The length of treatment depends on the types of drugs you are taking and how well your body responds to nilutamide.

Precautions

Before taking nilutamide

• tell your doctor and pharmacist if you are allergic to nilutamide, bicalutamide, flutamide, or any other drugs.
• tell your doctor and pharmacist what prescription and nonprescription medications you are taking, especially anticoagulants ('blood thinners') such as warfarin (Coumadin), aspirin, aspirin-substitute products, phenytoin (Dilantin), theophylline (Theo-Dur, Slo-Phyllin, others), and vitamins and herbal products.
• tell your doctor if you have or have ever had liver disease or breathing problems.
• you should know that this drug may stop sperm production. However, you should not assume that you cannot get your partner 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.
• you should know that you may experience facial flushing, tiredness, and low blood pressure problems if you drink alcohol after taking nilutamide. If you experience any of these symptoms you should avoid alcohol while taking nilutamide.
• you should know that you may have trouble seeing for a few seconds to a few minutes when you move from a lighted area to a dark area. You should be careful driving at night or through tunnels. You may want to wear tinted glasses while taking nilutamide.
• do not have any vaccinations (e.g., measles or flu shots) without talking to your doctor.

Side effects

Mild side effects

Side effects from nilutamide can occur. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:

• alcohol intolerance (e.g., flushing, increased or irregular heartbeats, tiredness or confusion, headache)
• impotence
• loss of sexual desire
• visual changes
• constipation
• dizziness
• difficulty sleeping
• sweating
• loss of body hair

Severe side effects

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

• new or worsening shortness of breath
• cough
• chest pain
• fever
• yellowing of the skin or eyes
• nausea
• vomiting
• stomach pain
• pain on the right side of your torso
• tiredness
• loss of appetite
• flu-like symptoms
• dark urine

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 nitulamide in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from light and 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.

Special instructions

Some patients may experience unpleasant side effects if they consume alcohol while taking nilutamide. If you experience flushing, irregular heartbeats, confusion, or headache you should avoid drinking alcohol or using products such as mouthwash or cough and cold medications that contain alcohol.

Brand names

• Nilandron®