Trelstar

WHAT IS TRELSTAR (TRIPTORELIN PAMOATE) ?
TRELSTAR is a type of prescription drug known as an LHRH agonist, used for the management of advanced prostate cancer. The goal of treating advanced prostate cancer is to slow down its growth and decrease the symptoms of the disease. Testosterone allows for the growth of prostate cancer cells, so decreasing the amount of testosterone in the blood is an effective way to slow down the growth of the cancer cells. Lowering Your Testosterone Level Most prostate cancer cells need male hormones, such as testosterone, to grow. An effective way reduce this growth and reduce the symptoms of prostate cancer is to reduce or remove testosterone available to these cells. The testicles normally make testosterone in response to hormone signals from the pituitary, which is a small gland at the base of the brain. One way of lowering testosterone is to remove the testicles ? otherwise known as orchiectomy. Most men prefer to take a drug that lowers testosterone rather than have this type of surgery. What role does TRELSTAR play in this process? TRELSTAR is a type of prescription drug known as an LHRH agonist. TRELSTAR works by telling the pituitary to stop making a hormone called luteinizing hormone, or LH. The role of LH in the body is to tell the testes to make testosterone. When you take TRELSTAR, the amount of LH in your bloodstream goes down. This causes your testes to stop making testosterone, and the amount of testosterone in your blood falls to a low level.

How is TRELSTAR Given?
Like many other medicines, TRELSTAR can not be taken by mouth. TRELSTAR is given as an injection (a shot) in your doctor?s office by a doctor or nurse. TRELSTAR is injected into the muscle of your buttocks. You may feel some discomfort at the injection site.

How You May Feel When You?re Taking TRELSTAR
If this is your first time using TRELSTAR, after your first injection you might feel a temporary increase in your cancer symptoms, such as pain in your bones. This is because the amount of testosterone in your bloodstream actually goes up for a short period after the injection. After a few days, it goes down as your body adjusts to the medicine. If your symptoms worsen please speak to your doctor.

Side Effects
The most common side effects that patients taking TRELSTAR have may be due to the effect of lowering testosterone levels. The most common effect of lowering testosterone is hot flushes. Sexual side effects can also occur. Your doctor may be able to help with this problem.

Choosing the TRELSTAR Formulation That Is Right For You
TRELSTAR comes in 2 different formulations. Your doctor will help you choose the one that is right for you. TRELSTAR Depot (3.75 mg) is given as an injection once every 4 weeks. The medication is released slowly into your bloodstream and is designed to keep your testosterone levels low for the whole month. The other formulation is TRELSTAR LA (11.25 mg). The LA stands for ?long-acting.? TRELSTAR LA is given as a shot once every 12 weeks. It is also released slowly and is designed to keep testosterone levels low until your next injection.

Treatment Regimen
How Long You Will Take TRELSTAR?
Because TRELSTAR does not cure prostate cancer, your doctor will probably want you to keep taking it as long as it keeps working. Your doctor may be able to tell if it is working by doing laboratory tests such as testing your blood level of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) or testosterone. Your doctor may also want to order imaging studies such as a bone scan while you?re taking TRELSTAR.

What Should You Do If You Miss An Injection?
In order to get the full benefit of taking TRELSTAR, you should be sure to get your injection on time when it is due. If you are going to be away from home and have to miss an injection, check with your doctor. If you miss an injection, contact your doctor as soon as you can.