What happens when you stop taking Casodex?
When you stop taking Casodex (bicalutamide) it takes approximately 30 days for most of the Casodex to be removed from your body. If you have severe liver impairment it will take longer (up to 50 days).
What happens when you stop Casodex will depend on the reason why you are stopping it.
- If you are stopping Casodex due to excessive or problematic side effects you may find that your side effects reduce over the first 30 to 50 days depending on your liver function. Once you stop taking Casodex the antiandrogen effect will also stop.
- If you are stopping Casodex as your doctor has decided it is no longer beneficial for you, your health care professional will be able to discuss what further options may be available to you.
A subset of patients who stop Casodex treatment develop antiandrogen withdrawal syndrome, this is when after stopping Casodex the patient has a decrease in prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and they may benefit from a clinical improvement. At this stage antiandrogen withdrawal syndrome is not fully understood and it is not possible to identify which patients will respond in this positive way to Casodex withdrawal.
- In a small study of advanced prostate cancer patients, who had an antiandrogen stopped, 13 out of 44 patients (29%) had a decrease in the PSA and 11 out of 44 (25%) the decrease was greater than 50%.
References
- Antiandrogen withdrawal in the treatment of hormone-relapsed prostate cancer: single institutional experience: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11223689/
- Antiandrogen Withdrawal in Castrate-refractory Prostate Cancer: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3359896/
- Drug Half-life Explained: https://www.drugclasses.com/article/drug-half-life.html
- Bicalutamide Professional Information: https://www.drugclasses.com/ppa/bicalutamide.html
- Casodex Professional Information: https://www.drugclasses.com/pro/casodex.html
Read next
Why has Xtandi stopped working and what do I take next?
Prostate cancer cells, like bacteria, can evolve over time and become resistant to treatments, including the hormone therapy and androgen receptor inhibitor Xtandi (enzalutamide). The cancer cells work to reprogram their environment and develop strategies that enable them to transform and survive.
If treatment with Xtandi stops working then other treatments may be offered, such as:
- Chemotherapy
- Immunotherapy
- Targeted therapy
- Radiotherapy
Stopping treatment with Xtandi may also result in an antiandrogen withdrawal response (AAWR), which can cause the cancer to stop growing or shrink for the period of time. Continue reading
How long does Xtandi work?
Xtandi is typically taken until prostate cancer starts to progress or spread (metastasize), or until the patient can no longer tolerate therapy because of the side effects or adverse events it causes.
In clinical trials, Xtandi was effective at delaying the time to disease progression in men with advanced prostate cancer. In men who had not received prior treatment with chemotherapy, Xtandi was also effective at delaying the need for treatment with a cytotoxic chemotherapy agent.
In the AFFIRM trial, treatment with Xtandi extended life by almost 5 months in men with metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer. Continue reading
Why is prednisone prescribed with Zytiga?
Zytiga is taken with prednisone to help manage side effects that might occur with this prostate cancer treatment. 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), or high blood pressure. Continue reading
Related medical questions
- How long should you take Casodex for?
- How effective is Casodex for prostate cancer?
- Is Casodex a form of Chemotherapy?
- What type of prostate cancer is Erleada used to treat?
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- Is Firmagon (degarelix) the same as Lupron?
- How long does it take Lynparza (olaparib) to work?
- How do you inject Lupron Depot for prostate cancer?
- Is Eligard a chemotherapy drug?
- How is Eligard injected / administered for prostate cancer?
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- What is Xtandi (enzalutamide) used for?
- Why is triptorelin used for prostate cancer?
- How does flutamide work in prostate cancer?
Drug information
- Casodex Information for Consumers
- Casodex prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side Effects of Casodex (detailed)
Related support groups
- Casodex (6 questions, 19 members)
- Prostate Cancer (55 questions, 155 members)