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Continuing Treatment with ZYTIGA®| ZYTIGA® (abiraterone acetate)

What Will My Doctor Consider

How Long Should You Continue Taking ZYTIGA® (abiraterone acetate)

There are many factors your doctor will consider in evaluating how ZYTIGA® is working and how long to continue your treatment.

These may include:

  • PSA Levels
    You and your doctor will most likely have conversations about your prostate-specific antigen (PSA) level. PSA is a protein produced exclusively by the prostate gland. Your doctor will use your PSA level, along with other tests, to determine if your therapy is effective. Changes in PSA levels may be seen but have not been shown to correlate with clinical benefit in individual patients.
  • Disease Progression
    Your doctor will periodically monitor your metastatic prostate cancer to see if it has progressed by reviewing imaging tests, including bone scans and CT scans.

Talk to your doctor about what this may mean for you.

Monitoring

Your healthcare provider will monitor how you’re doing with certain tests and check-ups. These moments are important opportunities talk with your doctor about how you are doing.

  • High blood pressure (hypertension), low blood potassium levels (hypokalemia), fluid retention (edema), and irregular heartbeats
    • Your healthcare provider will check your blood pressure, do blood tests to check your potassium levels, and check for signs and symptoms of fluid retention every month.
  • Tell your healthcare provider if you get any of the following symptoms:
    • Dizziness
    • Fast or irregular heartbeats
    • Feel faint or lightheaded
    • Headache
    • Confusion
    • Muscle weakness
    • Pain in your legs
    • Swelling in your legs or feet
  • Severe liver problems.
    You may develop changes in liver function blood tests. Your healthcare provider will do blood tests to check your liver before treatment with ZYTIGA® and during treatment with ZYTIGA®. Liver failure may occur, which can lead to death. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you notice any of the following changes:
    • Yellowing of the skin or eyes
    • Darkening of the urine
    • Severe nausea or vomiting
  • Severe low blood sugar (hypoglycemia). Severe low blood sugar with ZYTIGA® can happen in people who have diabetes and take certain antidiabetic medicines. You and your healthcare provider should check your blood sugar levels regularly during treatment with ZYTIGA® and after you stop treatment. Your healthcare provider may also need to change the dose of your antidiabetic medicines. Signs and symptoms of low blood sugar may include:
    • Headache
    • Drowsiness
    • Weakness
    • Dizziness
    • Confusion
    • Irritability
    • Hunger
    • Fast heartbeat
    • Sweating
    • Feeling jittery

Learn more about the potential side effects of ZYTIGA® (abiraterone acetate) here.

Talk to your doctor about these tests and what this may mean for you.