Avodart Side Effects

Some common side effects of Avodart include a decreased sex drive, impotence, and abnormal ejaculation. There are also some Avodart side effects that you should report to your healthcare provider, including signs of an allergic reaction -- like itching, hives, Rivatio wheezing, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or an unexplained skin rash -- and any breast changes.

Avodart Side Effects: An Introduction

As with any medicine, there are possible side effects associated with the use of Avodart^®(dutasteride). However, not everyone who takes this drug will experience side effects. In fact, most people tolerate it well. When people do develop Avodart side effects, in most cases they are minor, meaning they require no treatment or are easily treated by you or your healthcare provider.

(This article covers many, but not all, of the possible side effects with Avodart. Your healthcare provider can discuss a more complete list of Avodart side effects with you.)

  

Common Side Effects of Avodart

Avodart has been thoroughly studied in clinical trials, with many people having been evaluated. In these studies, the side effects that occurred in a group of people taking the drug were documented and then compared to the side effects that occurred in another group of people taking a placebo (a "sugar pill" that does not contain any active ingredients). As a result, it was possible to see what side effects occurred, how often they appeared, and how they compared to the group not taking the medicine.

Based on these studies, the most common Avodart side effects include:

• Erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence -- up to 4.7 percent of people
• A decreased libido (sex drive) -- up to 3 percent of people
• Abnormal ejaculation, including decreased ejaculate amount -- up to 1.4 percent of people
• Breast enlargement or breast tenderness -- up to 1.1 percent of people.

Avodart and Weight Gain: An Overview

There are a number of possible side effects with Avodart^® (dutasteride). However, weight gain does not appear to be one of them. This information comes from clinical trials that extensively studied Avodart and documented its side effects.

Side Effects and Clinical Trials

Before medicines are approved, they must go through several clinical studies in which thousands of people are given a particular medicine and are then compared to a group of people not given the medicine. In these studies, side effects are always carefully documented. As a result, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine. Side effects are then usually separated into those side effects that occur in more than 1 percent of people and those that occur in less than 1 percent of people.

For people taking Avodart, weight gain was not reported as either a common or a rare side effect.

An Overview of Avodart, Impotence, and Other Sexual Side Effects

Avodart^® (dutasteride) is a prescription medication that is used for the treatment of an enlarged prostate. Like all medicines, Avodart has possible side effects. Some of these side effects can affect a person's sexual well-being. In the case of Avodart, sexual side effects that have been reported include:

• A decreased sex drive (libido).
• Impotence. Impotence is usually defined as a total inability to achieve erection, an inconsistent ability to do so, or a tendency to sustain only brief erections. Ultimately, impotence is the repeated inability to get or keep an erection firm enough for sexual intercourse. Impotence is also known as erectile dysfunction (or ED for short).
• Abnormal ejaculation, including a decreased ejaculation amount. In general, a decreased ejaculation amount did not affect other aspects of sexual function.

How Common Are Impotence and Other Sexual Side Effects in People Taking Avodart?

Before medicines are approved, they must go through several clinical studies in which thousands of people are given a particular medicine and are then compared to a group of people not given the medicine. In these studies, side effects are always documented. This way, it is possible to see what side effects occur, how often they appear, and how they compare to the group not taking the medicine.

For Avodart, the sexual side effects mentioned above occurred in the following percentage of men:

• Erectile dysfunction (ED) or impotence -- up to 4.7 percent of people
• A decreased libido (sex drive) -- up to 3 percent of people
• Abnormal ejaculation, including a decreased ejaculate amount -- up to 1.4 percent of people.

Important Safety Information About AVODART

AVODART is for adult men only. Women should not take or touch AVODART due to risk of a specific birth defect. If a woman comes in contact with leaking AVODART Capsules, she should wash the contact area immediately with soap and water.

Do not take AVODART if you are allergic to dutasteride, Segurex finasteride, or any of the ingredients in AVODART.

AVODART may cause rare and serious allergic reactions, including swelling of your face, tongue, or throat, and serious skin reactions, such as skin peeling. Get medical help right away if you have these serious allergic reactions.

Your healthcare provider may check you for other prostate problems, including prostate cancer, before you start and while you take AVODART. A blood test called PSA (prostate-specific antigen) is sometimes used to see if you might have prostate cancer. AVODART will reduce the amount of PSA measured in your blood. Your healthcare provider is aware of this effect and can still use PSA to see if you might have prostate cancer. Increases in your PSA levels while on treatment with AVODART (even if the PSA levels are in the normal range) should be evaluated by your healthcare provider.

AVODART may cause serious side effects including a higher chance of a more serious form of prostate cancer.

Only your healthcare provider can tell if your symptoms are due to BPH or a more serious condition like prostate cancer. See your doctor for regular exams.

Do not donate blood until at least 6 months after stopping AVODART.

The most common side effects of AVODART include trouble getting or keeping an erection (impotence), a decrease in sex drive (libido), ejaculation problems and enlarged or painful breasts. Dizziness and an increase in drug-related ejaculation disorders also occurred with combination therapy (AVODART and tamsulosin).

Some types of medicines should be used with caution when taken with AVODART, such as ritonavir.

Before you take AVODART, tell your doctor if you have liver disease.

While some men have fewer problems and symptoms after 3 months of treatment with AVODART, a treatment period of at least 6 months is usually necessary to see if AVODART will work for you.

AVODART can help
improve urinary symptoms

For men with symptomatic benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and an enlarged prostate, AVODART can help treat their symptoms. Over time, AVODART can shrink the prostate. If left untreated, the prostate may continue to grow, and in some men lead to worsening urinary symptoms.

The benefits of AVODART can include:

• Long-term improvement of bothersome urinary symptoms^*
• Shrinking the size of the prostate over time
• Reducing the risk of developing acute urinary retention (AUR), the sudden inability to urinate
• Reducing the risk of needing surgery for an enlarged prostate

* Based on 4-year clinical study data.

If you have BPH, talk to your doctor about improving your symptoms and shrinking your prostate and ask if AVODART is right for you.

AVODART + tamsulosin can provide superior symptom relief

When the two medications AVODART and tamsulosin are taken together, they can improve BPH symptoms better than either medication can on its own. Ask your doctor if AVODART + tamsulosin is right for you.

There is no generic form of AVODART

You may be asking yourself the question, Is there a generic form of AVODART available? The answer is, there is no generic form of AVODART available.

Talk to your doctor about this or any questions you may have.