Enzalutamide
About Enzalutamide
Enzalutamide is a prescription medicine primarily used to treat advanced types of prostate cancer. It is designed for prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body or no longer responds to medical or surgical treatments that lower testosterone. This medicine works by stopping hormone signals that would otherwise allow cancer cells to grow and multiply.
To get the best results, you must take Enzalutamide consistently every single day at the same time as prescribed. You can take this medicine with or without food, making it easy to fit into your daily routine. Making small adjustments to your daily life, such as incorporating gentle physical activity and eating a balanced diet, can help your body handle the therapy more effectively.
While taking this medicine, you may experience common side effects like hot flashes, fatigue, and joint discomfort. However, you must contact your doctor immediately if you experience severe symptoms such as sudden confusion, severe dizziness, chest pain, or seizures.
Before starting Enzalutamide, you must talk to your doctor if you have a history of seizures, brain injury, stroke, heart disease, or high blood pressure. Do not take this if you are allergic to Enzalutamide or any of the inactive ingredients contained in the tablet.
This medicine can interact with other drugs like blood thinners and certain heart medicines, which may change how well they work or increase side effects. It is not approved for use in women, and pregnant or breastfeeding individuals must not handle or touch the tablets. Elderly patients should talk to their doctor to closely monitor their physical strength and heart health, taking extra precautions against falls due to the combined risk of dizziness, fatigue, and bone weakening.
Uses of Enzalutamide
Medicinal Benefits
Enzalutamide helps slow the progression of advanced prostate cancer and supports long-term disease management. The key benefits of Enzalutamide are as follows:
- Slows Cancer Progression: By blocking the hormones that fuel tumour growth, Enzalutamide helps slow the progression of advanced prostate cancer, reduces cancer-related pain, and helps prevent the disease from spreading further.
- Prolongs Survival and Delays Intensive Treatment: Clinical studies have shown that Enzalutamide helps prolong survival and may delay the need for more intensive treatments, such as chemotherapy, allowing many patients to maintain their independence and daily routine for longer.
Directions for Use
- Enzalutamide can be taken with or without food or as advised by your doctor.
- Follow your doctor's instructions on the dosage and timing of this medication.
- Swallow Enzalutamide as a whole with a glass of water.
- Do not crush, break, or chew it.
Storage
Side Effects of Enzalutamide
Common Side Effects (Usually mild):
- Feeling unusually tired, weak, or lacking energy
- Hot flashes or sudden feelings of warmth and sweating
- Joint, muscle, or bone pain
- High blood pressure
- Decreased appetite or weight loss
Serious Side Effects (Consult your doctor right away):
- Seizures or fits
- Severe dizziness, fainting, or loss of balance
- Chest pain, shortness of breath, or a rapid, irregular heartbeat
- Sudden confusion, difficulty speaking, or changes in your vision
- Severe allergic reactions, such as swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat, or trouble breathing
Medicines Containing this Salt
View AllDrug Warnings
- Be aware of seizure and fall risks: This medicine can increase your risk of seizures, severe dizziness, and fatigue. Take extra precautions to prevent falls, and avoid activities like driving, climbing, or operating heavy machinery if you feel lightheaded.
- Handle with care: Pregnant women, those planning a pregnancy, or breastfeeding individuals should not touch or handle broken, cracked, or damaged tablets of Enzalutamide to prevent the drug from absorbing through the skin.
- Use reliable birth control and consider fertility: If you are sexually active with a female partner who could become pregnant, you must use a highly effective birth control method (such as a condom) during treatment and for 3 months after your last dose. Because Enzalutamide can impair male fertility, discuss sperm banking options with your doctor before starting treatment if desired.
- Inspect your tablets: Always check your pills before taking them. Do not take any tablets that look damaged, broken, or moist.
Drug Interactions
- Blood thinners: Taking Enzalutamide with medicines like warfarin can alter how your blood clots, increasing your risk of bleeding or reducing the drug's effectiveness.
- Seizure medicines: Combining this medicine with certain anticonvulsants can lower the seizure threshold or affect how both medicines work.
- Certain heart, cholesterol, and daily medicines: Enzalutamide is a strong liver enzyme inducer, meaning it speeds up how your liver processes many other medicines, making them less effective. Your doctor will regularly monitor your liver function and review all your medicines.
Drug-Drug Interactions Checker List:
Safety Advice
Alcohol
unsafeAvoid alcohol consumption while on treatment with Enzalutamide.
Pregnancy
not applicableEnzalutamide is only for use in men. Women should not take this medication.
Breast Feeding
not applicableEnzalutamide is only for use in men. Women should not take this medication.
Driving
unsafeEnzalutamide may affect your reactions and your ability to drive. Do not drive and/or operate machines that require your alertness.
Liver
cautionIn patients with mild or moderate liver impairment, there is no need to alter the initial dose. There is no information available on patients with severe liver impairment.
Kidney
cautionIn patients with mild or moderate kidney impairment, there is no need to alter the initial dose. There is no information available on patients with severe kidney impairment.
Children
unsafeThe safety and effectiveness of Enzalutamide in pediatric patients have not been established.
Habit Forming
Diet & Lifestyle Advise
- Protect your bones: Since hormone therapies can weaken bones, talk to your doctor about taking calcium and vitamin D supplements to lower your risk of bone loss and fractures.
- Discuss fertility options early: Because Enzalutamide can significantly impair sperm production and male fertility, speak with your oncologist before starting therapy if family planning is important to you, and consider options like sperm banking.
- Stay active safely: Regular, low-impact exercise like daily walking can help reduce treatment-related fatigue and maintain your muscle strength.
- Manage hot flashes: Wear loose, layered clothing made from natural fibres like cotton, and limit triggers like hot beverages, spicy foods, alcohol, and caffeine.
- Monitor your blood pressure: Keep a regular home log of your blood pressure readings, as this medicine can cause your numbers to rise. Share these readings with your healthcare team.
Special Advise
- Enzalutamide should be taken under strict medical supervision. The doctor will regularly monitor your condition while taking Enzalutamide.
- Your doctor may get routine blood tests done to monitor your liver function, electrolyte levels, and blood cell count in your blood.
- Peripheral blood counts should be frequently monitored during Enzalutamide treatment and, when appropriate, until recovery is achieved.
- Do not donate sperm during treatment with Enzalutamide for three months after your last dose.
Patients Concern
Disease/Condition Glossary
Cancer: Cancer is a condition where cells in a specific body part grow and reproduce uncontrollably. The cancerous cells can invade and destroy surrounding healthy tissue, including organs. Cancer sometimes begins in one body part before spreading to other areas.
Prostate cancer: Prostate cancer is a type of cancer that only occurs in men and affects the prostate gland, a tiny gland under the bladder that produces semen. Inability to urinate easily, pain, numbness, or sexual issues are among the symptoms. For men, it is the most typical type of cancer. Although the exact cause of prostate cancer is unknown, it may be brought on by family history, chemical exposure, or both. Prostate cancer risk factors include a family history of the disease, advanced age, obesity, and genetic changes.
FAQs
Enzalutamide is used to treat prostate cancer in men.
Most prostate cancers require testosterone to grow. Enzalutamide contains Enzalutamide, which blocks testosterone, a hormone, from reaching prostate cancer cells. Thus, Enzalutamide can slow the cancer's growth and cause it to shrink.
Enzalutamide is only for use in men. Women should not take this medication, especially if they are or may become pregnant or are breast-feeding.
In some cases, Enzalutamide may cause decreased fertility in men. However, you should not assume that your female partner cannot become pregnant. Please discuss with your doctor if you have any concerns.
Seizures may occur in patients receiving Enzalutamide. So, patients who have had a seizure, please inform your doctor about your condition. Your doctor may monitor your condition closely.
Yes, you can take Enzalutamide with or without food. Taking it at the same time every morning or evening is the best way to help you remember your dose. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you need help planning your schedule.
Enzalutamide does not cure prostate cancer, but it is highly effective at slowing down the growth and spread of the disease. This helps control your symptoms and prolongs survival. Talk to your doctor to understand your specific treatment goals.
Dizziness is a known side effect of this medicine. If you feel dizzy, sit or lie down immediately, and avoid driving or operating tools until you feel completely clear-headed. Talk to your doctor if the dizziness does not go away.
If your partner is pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or breastfeeding, they must not handle or touch Enzalutamide tablets, especially if they are broken or damaged, as the medicine can be absorbed through the skin. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have concerns about safe handling.
Your doctor will keep you on Enzalutamide as long as it continues to effectively control your cancer and you tolerate the medicine well. Your progress will be tracked through regular blood tests (including PSA and liver function checks), blood pressure monitoring, and periodic imaging. If the cancer eventually progresses, your doctor will guide you through subsequent options—such as chemotherapy or other targeted therapies—noting that cross-resistance can occur with similar hormone therapies like abiraterone. Talk to your doctor about what to expect during your follow-up visits.
This medicine works by lowering the effects of male hormones, which can naturally lead to weaker bones and joint pain. Talk to your doctor about safe over-the-counter pain relievers or if you need calcium and vitamin D supplements to protect your bones.
Yes, if your partner can become pregnant, you must use highly effective birth control, such as condoms, during your treatment and for 3 months after you take your final dose. Talk to your doctor if you have questions about family planning.
It is highly recommended to limit or avoid alcohol while taking Enzalutamide, as alcohol can worsen side effects like dizziness, hot flashes, and liver strain. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist for personalised guidance regarding alcohol use.
Author Details
