ZOLADEX® 3.6mg (Goserelin acetate)
Information in this fact sheet is meant to assist you in making decisions about your treatment. Always make medication decisions in consultation with your healthcare team.
What is Zoladex® 3.6mg used for?
Zoladex® 3.6mg lowers the amount of sex hormones in the body. In women it reduces the level of oestrogen. In men it reduces the level of testosterone.
Zoladex® 3.6mg can treat prostate cancer in some men. It is not a cure for prostate cancer.
Your doctor will have explained why you are being treated with Zoladex® 3.6mg and told you what dose you will be given.
Carefully follow all directions given to you by your doctor. They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet. Zoladex® 3.6mg is only available with a doctor’s prescription and can only be administered by a nurse or doctor.
Your doctor may prescribe this medicine for another use. Ask your doctor if you require more information.
Zoladex® 3.6mg is not addictive.
What does Zoladex® 3.6mg look like?
Zoladex® 3.6mg comes in a special syringe, called the SafeSystem™ and a siliconised needle.
The small pellet containing Zoladex® 3.6mg is about the size of a grain of rice. It can be seen in the ‘window’ half way up the syringe and is white or cream coloured.
How is Zoladex® 3.6mg given?
A Zoladex® 3.6mg implant will be injected under the skin (subcutaneous) of your stomach every 28 days.
The implant is a very small pellet given by a special needle and syringe known as SafeSystemTM. The injection will not hurt very much.
The pellet is designed to slowly release the medicine into your body over four weeks.
What are the common side effects?
Tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are using Zoladex® 3.6mg.
Zoladex® 3.6mg helps most people with the illnesses it treats, but it may have unwanted side effects in a few people.
It can be hard to work out whether side effects are caused by Zoladex® 3.6mg or the disease that is being treated.
All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious but most of the time they are not. You may need medical treatment if you get some of the side effects.
Ask your doctor, nurse or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have. Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following and they worry you:
- skin rashes
- painful joints
- hot flushes, sweating or feeling faint
- chills
- tingling in fingers or toes
- swelling, soreness or itchiness of the breasts
- headache
- mood changes
- trouble passing urine or lower back pain
- your testicles getting smaller.
These are all mild side effects of Zoladex® 3.6mg.
Zoladex® 3.6mg lowers the amount of sex hormones in your body so your sex drive will probably be reduced. It is unlikely that you can father a child while using Zoladex® 3.6mg, unless it is for infertility treatment. Use a barrier contraceptive method as a precaution.
In men and women who have not gone through the 'change of life', Zoladex® 3.6mg is likely to reduce the amount of calcium in their bones, leading to a loss in bone mineral density. It is known that bone mineral density loss partially recovers in the next several months following cessation of therapy. However, doctors do not know if bone mineral density loss will recover completely in every person. Discuss this with your doctor or pharmacist if you are concerned.
What are the less common side effects?
If you have a tumour in your pituitary gland, Zoladex® 3.6mg may make the tumour bleed or collapse. This is very rare but causes severe headaches, sickness, loss of eyesight and unconsciousness.
Your doctor will be happy to discuss these side effects with you if you seek further information. Tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist if you notice anything else that is making you feel unwell.
Some people may get other side effects while being treated with Zoladex® 3.6mg.
References
Disclaimer
Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia develops materials based on best available evidence and takes advice from recognised experts in the field in developing such resource; however it cannot guarantee and assumes no legal responsibility for the currency or completeness of the information.
