What is the drug flutamide used for?

What is the drug flutamide used for?

USES: This medication is used to treat men with prostate cancer. Flutamide belongs to a class of drugs known as anti-androgens (anti-testosterone). Testosterone, a natural hormone, helps prostate cancer to grow and spread.

Is flutamide FDA approved?

In 1989, flutamide received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration. Flutamide was the first nonsteroidal antiandrogen drug on the market.

Is flutamide still available?

The Eulexin brand name has been discontinued in the U.S. If generic versions of this product have been approved by the FDA, there may be generic equivalents available.

How does flutamide help with PCOS?

The present results show that besides blocking androgen receptors, flutamide also induces a significant reduction in plasma androgen levels by inhibiting the atretic effect of LH on thecal and granulosa cells. They imply that high intraovarian levels of androgens are a major pathogenetic factor in PCOS.

Does flutamide block testosterone?

Flutamide is a type of hormone drug called an anti androgen. It stops testosterone from reaching the cancer cells.

What are the side effects of flutamide?

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

• diarrhea.
• nausea.
• vomiting.
• loss of appetite.
• hot flashes.
• decrease in sexual ability or desire.
• breast enlargement in men.
• drowsiness.

Does flutamide increase testosterone?

Flutamide is a nonsteroidal antiandrogen that blocks androgen receptors, with a consequent increase in serum immunoreactive LH (I-LH) in the presence of high testosterone concentrations.

Is flutamide a chemotherapy?

Phase II study of flutamide as second line chemotherapy in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Invest New Drugs. 1997;15(4):361-4.

What are the side effects of the drug flutamide?

Hot flashes, loss of sexual interest/ability, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and enlargement of male breasts may occur. Less common side effects include drowsiness. If any of these effects persist or worsen, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly. Diarrhea is a common side effect.

Does flutamide cause hirsutism?

Incidences were slightly but not significantly increased with higher doses of flutamide (17.3% with the 250 mg dose; 21.2% with the 375 mg dose). In a small prospective observational study, 83 women with androgenic-related hirsutism received flutamide (250 mg) either alone or in combination with oral contraceptives.

Does flutamide cause hair loss?

Results: Both groups showed a marked decrease in alopecia scores after 12 months of flutamide therapy, compared with baseline values. The maximum drug effect occurred after 2 years and was maintained during the following 2 years of treatment. Androgens were strongly suppressed.

What is flutamide?

Flutamide was first synthesized in 1967 by Neri and colleagues at Schering Plough Corporation. It was originally synthesized as a bacteriostatic agent, but was subsequently, and serendipitously found to possess antiandrogen activity. The code name of flutamide during development was SCH-13521.

Is flutamide effective for advanced breast cancer?

Flutamide was studied for the treatment of advanced breast cancer in two phase II clinical trials but was found to be ineffective. Out of a total of 47 patients, only three short-term responses occurred. However, the patients in the studies were selected irrespective of AR, ER, PR, or HER2 status, which were all unknown.

Are there any risks in taking flutamide?

Although it is rare, some men taking flutamide have developed breast cancer. Talk to your doctor about the risks of taking this medication. Flutamide may cause other side effects. Call your doctor if you have any unusual problems while taking this medication.

How effective is flutamide for bulimia?

Flutamide has been studied in the treatment of bulimia nervosa in women. Flutamide was found to be effective in the treatment of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) in men with comorbid Tourette’s syndrome in one small randomized controlled trial. Conversely, it was ineffective in patients with OCD in another study.