
Precautions
Patients typically take medications such as Zytiga for as long as they are effective for or as long as they can tolerate them. Adverse effects including hepatotoxicity (liver toxicity) or cardiac disorders, for example, can result in patients needing to stop treatment.
How long should I take Zytiga?
Medically reviewed by N. France, BPharm. Last updated on June 15, 2021. Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) is a hormone therapy taken in combination with prednisone to treat prostate cancer that has already spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body.
What is Zytiga used to treat?
Those who took Zytiga had a three-year survival rate of 83%. This means that they lived for three years after they started taking the drug. Those who received standard therapy had a three-year survival rate of 76%. Also in this study, Zytiga lowered the risk of death within three years of starting treatment by 37%.
What is the life expectancy of someone on Zytiga?
The median amount of time patients with metastatic prostate cancer remained on Zytiga ranged from 8 to 24 months, according to the results from clinical trials used to gain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Zytiga in the US.
How long do patients with metastatic prostate cancer stay on Zytiga?

How long does Zytiga treatment last?
The length of time patients remain on Zytiga varies. The median amount of time patients with metastatic prostate cancer remained on Zytiga ranged from 8 to 24 months, according to the results from clinical trials used to gain Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for Zytiga in the US.
Does Zytiga extend life?
May 25, 2011 -- The newly approved prostate cancer pill Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) may extend life by up to four months in men with spreading cancer who have already been treated with chemotherapy, a study shows.
How long can you be on abiraterone?
Life expectancy: The studies show that abiraterone acetate can prolong life. In the larger study, about 50 out of 100 men who had the standard treatment were still alive after 3 years, while after the same period of time 70 out of 100 men who had treatment with abiraterone acetate were still alive.
When should I stop taking Zytiga?
Stop taking Zytiga® and see a doctor immediately if you notice signs of low blood potassium: muscle weakness. muscle twitches. heart palpitations.
How long does it take for Zytiga to lower PSA?
The Zytiga started to work quickly. “Within two weeks, 100 percent of the pain was gone,” says Jeff. “Here we are, two months later; I haven't so much as taken an aspirin in six weeks. I had my PSA checked last week: it had dropped to .
Can abiraterone stop working?
After some months or years the hormone treatment usually stops working and the cancer starts to grow again. Your doctor might recommend stopping or changing hormone treatment at this stage. If you're having anti androgens and your PSA level has started to rise again your doctor might get you to stop taking them.
Can you stop taking Zytiga?
Take your prescribed dose of ZYTIGA® 1 time a day. Your healthcare provider may change your dose if needed. Do not change or stop taking your prescribed dose of ZYTIGA® or prednisone without talking to your healthcare provider first.
Why do you have to take prednisone with Zytiga?
Zytiga blocks the production of cortisol from your adrenal glands. Prednisone helps to replace the lost cortisol that can cause side effects such as low blood potassium levels, fluid build up (edema), high blood pressure or irregular heartbeats.
Is abiraterone considered chemotherapy?
Zytiga (abiraterone acetate) is a type of hormone therapy that is used along with prednisone to treat men with prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body (metastasized). Despite being used to treat cancer, Zytiga is not a form of chemotherapy.
What can you not take with Zytiga?
Do not take ZYTIGA® with food. Taking ZYTIGA® with food may cause more of the medicine to be absorbed by the body than is needed and this may cause side effects. Your healthcare provider may change your dose, if needed. Also, take your prednisone exactly how your healthcare provider tells you to.
Can you drink beer while taking Zytiga?
The drinking of alcohol (in small amounts) does not appear to affect the safety or usefulness of abiraterone.
Can I use Zytiga after using Xtandi?
Yes. You can take Zytiga after taking Xtandi. According to current treatment guidelines, Zytiga is a treatment option for people whose cancer got w...
Can I take Zytiga without prednisone?
It’s recommended that you take Zytiga with the corticosteroid prednisone to reduce some of the side effects that happen because of low hormone leve...
Is Zytiga a form of chemotherapy?
No. Zytiga isn’t a form of chemotherapy. Zytiga is a type of hormone therapy that helps fight prostate cancer. It works by reducing the amount of m...
How long will I need to be treated with Zytiga?
You and your doctor will discuss how effective and safe Zytiga is for you. You will likely take Zytiga for as long as it helps prevent cancer from...
Does Zytiga affect my testosterone levels?
Yes. Zytiga helps slow or stop the growth of prostate cancer by decreasing the amount of testosterone and other male hormones in your body. Zytiga...
What is the life expectancy for someone taking Zytiga?
Life expectancy (the number of years you will likely live) is based on several factors. These include your age, overall health status, the stage (h...
How often should I take Zytiga and Xtandi?
Zytiga and Xtandi are both given as pills. You take them once a day.
How does Zytiga work?
Zytiga contains the drug abiraterone acetate, which is used to treat two types of metastatic prostate cancer: Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer .*. This is prostate cancer that has metastasized (spread) from the prostate to another area in the body.
Is Zytiga a form of chemotherapy?
No. Zytiga isn’t a form of chemotherapy. Zytiga is a type of hormone therapy that helps fight prostate cancer. It works by reducing the amount of male hormones in the body.
Does Zytiga affect my testosterone levels?
Yes. Zytiga helps slow or stop the growth of prostate cancer by decreasing the amount of testosterone and other male hormones in your body. Zytiga lowers testosterone levels by blocking the production of other steroids that help create testosterone. It also lowers the levels of another important male hormone called dihydrotestosterone.
What is Zytiga used for?
Zytiga is a brand-name prescription medication. It’s used to treat two types of prostate cancer: metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) metastatic high-risk castration-sensitive prostate cancer (CSPC) Metastatic means the cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Both of these cancers are considered advanced.
What is the drug used in Zytiga?
Zytiga contains the drug abiraterone acetate. It’s a type of medication used in hormone therapy, which is a treatment that lowers the level of male hormones in the body. Reduced levels of male hormones, such as testosterone, help slow or stop the growth of prostate cancer cells.
What is the active metabolite of Zytiga?
Zytiga contains the prodrug abiraterone acetate, which is an androgen biosynthesis inhibitor. It’s converted through hydrolysis to the active metabolite abiraterone.
What does it feel like to be on Zytiga?
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 ®.
Can you have low blood sugar with zytiga?
Severe low blood sugar with ZYTIGA ® can happen in people who have diabetes and take certain antidiabetic medicines. You and/or your healthcare provider should check your blood sugar levels regularly during treatment with ZYTIGA ® and after you stop treatment.
How long does Zytiga last?
Get it! The average period for zytiga to remain effective is 2 years. I’m tired of waiting for the next shoe to drop. I have no intention of doing chem for maybe an additional year.
How long did ADT work for you? How long did Xtandi/Zytiga work?
response from Xtandi but PSA has decreased from 136 to 96 after 6 weeks on Zytiga. Diagnosed 4/15.
Can I take prednisone after taking zytiga?
No, I take 5mg. Prednisone and the remainder of my morning medications one hour after I take Zytiga.
What is zytiga used for?
ZYTIGA ® is used to treat men with prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. ZYTIGA ® works by interrupting the androgen-making process at an important step.
How many men have been tested for Zytiga?
ZYTIGA ® was approved by the FDA based on 3 clinical studies including more than 3,000 men with metastatic prostate cancer—prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body—based on the following measures:
Does Zytiga affect fertility?
The most common side effects of ZYTIGA® include: ZYTIGA ® may cause fertility problems in male s, which may affect the ability to father children. Talk to your healthcare provider if you have concerns about fertility. (abiraterone acetate).
Does Zytiga affect the adrenal gland?
ZYTIGA® is different from some medicines that only decrease androgen production in the testes and do not affect the adrenal glands or prostate tumor tissue.
Can you have a bilateral orchiectomy with Zytiga?
Patients receiving ZYTIGA should also receive a gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analog concurrently or should have had bilateral orchiectomy.
Can you use zytiga in a child with hepatic impairment?
Do not use ZYTIGA in patients with baseline severe hepatic impairment (Child-Pugh Class C).
Can you discontinue Zytiga?
Permanently discontinue ZYTIGA for patients who develop a concurrent elevation of ALT greater than 3 × ULN and total bilirubin greater than 2 × ULN in the absence of biliary obstruction or other causes responsible for the concurrent elevation [see Warnings and Precautions (5.3)].
How long does luporn last?
When Lupron stops working, other hormonal agents such as Casodex or Nilandron may provide temporary control, but their duration of effect (keeping the PSA down) usually lasts for less than a year.
Can the FDA approve a new drug?
So these days, the FDA will only approve a new drug if the pharmaceutical manufacturer documents improved survival in a prospective, placebo-controlled trial. Proving improved survival is a much stiffer challenge than simply showing that medication causes a temporary decline in PSA levels.
Does Zytiga affect your liver?
Side effects of Zytiga can include changes in potassium levels in the blood, and in rare cases, liver dysfunction. Zytiga also enhances the action of cholesterol pills like Lipitor and Crestor so their dosage needs to be reduced to compensate.
Does Zytiga help with potassium?
To keep potassium levels in the normal range Zytiga is administered in conjunction with prednisone, a form of cortisone. Cortisone can have side effects too. It is occasionally associated with gastric irritation and stomach ulcers. Higher blood sugar levels can also occur in people who have diabetes.
Does Zytiga help with prostate cancer?
Zytiga (abiraterone), which was studied in men with metastatic disease that had become resistant to Lupron proved this thesis—volunteers with metastatic, Lupron-resistant prostate cancer who received abiraterone were shown to live 33% longer than men who received a placebo.
How long does Zytiga last?
If it is the first ADT drug you have taken you might expect up to several years. If it is the second or third drug, it may only be effective for 2 or 3 years. Each ADT drug is effective for a shorter duration.
Can you take Zytiga with PSA?
It can depend on when you are taking ZYtiga as an initial treatment or in response to PSA rising after other treatments. The stampede trial using the ZYtiga treatment as frontline has published some results but it is my understanding that many of the men are still having successful treatment without developing resistance. 👍
Does Zytia have testosterone?
There are no testosterone targets for Zytia. It operates by limiting the production of androgens from three sources, from the testes, adrenal gland and the tumor itself. Once the cancer has become castrate resistant it only takes a miniscule level of testosterone to feed the tumors.
Is Zytiga discontinued?
Zytiga was only discontinued when all threeof the criteria were experienced, not because of any one of the items. For men who have elected to use Zytiga prior to their use of chemotherapy (an increasingly common “off label” occurrence) there is no real road map to make this decision.
Does Zytiga stop working?
Zytiga goes after all three of the production points, but it does not work for all men and it will stop working at some point of the disease progression. I suspect that as you mentioned the zytiga has slowed down your disease progression, but it has not stopped it.
