Avodart Capsule: Uses, Dosage, Side Effects, Precautions and Alternates

Quick overview

Avodart Capsule contains dutasteride, a medicine from the 5 alpha-reductase inhibitor class. It is a prescription capsule used by men to treat symptoms of an enlarged prostate (benign prostatic hyperplasia, or BPH). It works by lowering levels of a hormone called DHT, which allows the enlarged prostate to shrink over time. It is for use by men only and is not suitable for women or children.

What is Avodart Capsule

Avodart is a prescription capsule medicine that contains dutasteride. It is used by men to treat symptoms of an enlarged prostate, a condition called benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH).

Avodart Capsule uses

• Treating symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), a non-cancerous enlarged prostate gland
• Reducing the risk of acute urinary retention (sudden inability to pass urine)
• Reducing the risk of needing surgery related to BPH
• Used together with the medicine tamsulosin to treat BPH symptoms

Benefits of Avodart Capsule

• Improves urinary symptoms such as difficulty starting to urinate, weak stream, frequent urination, and feeling of incomplete emptying
• Shrinks the enlarged prostate gland over time
• Lowers the chance of sudden urine blockage
• Lowers the chance of needing BPH-related surgery

How Avodart Capsule works

Prostate growth is caused by a hormone called DHT. Avodart lowers the amount of DHT the body makes, which causes the enlarged prostate to shrink in most men. This effect builds up gradually, so it may take several months to see full improvement in symptoms.

Avodart Capsule dosage

Take one capsule once a day, with or without food. Swallow the capsule whole with water; do not crush, chew, or open it, because the contents can irritate the mouth or throat. Take the medicine regularly at the same time each day.

If you forget a dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the usual time; do not take two doses together to make up for a missed one. Keep taking this medicine as directed even if your symptoms improve; it may take several months of use to know if it is working for you. This medicine is for use by men only; women and children should not take it.

Available forms and strengths

Soft gelatin capsule.

Side effects of Avodart Capsule

Common

• Trouble getting or keeping an erection (impotence)
• Decreased sex drive (libido)
• Ejaculation problems, including less semen volume
• Enlarged or painful breasts
• Hair loss (usually from the body) or hair growth
• Changes in mood, feeling depressed
• Dizziness, especially when taken with an alpha blocker medicine

Serious

• Allergic reactions such as wheezing, difficulty breathing, swelling of the lips, mouth, face, tongue, or throat, itching, rash or hives, and fainting
• Serious skin reactions, such as skin peeling
• Breast lumps or nipple discharge
• Testicular pain or swelling
• Suicidal thoughts
• Signs of heart failure such as chest pain, swelling of the face, fingers, feet, or lower legs, irregular heartbeat, trouble breathing, extreme tiredness, or unexplained weight gain
• Higher chance of a more serious, high-grade form of prostate cancer

Warnings and precautions

• This medicine must not be used by women or children. Pregnant women should not handle the capsules because dutasteride can be absorbed through the skin and may harm a male baby's development.
• Men taking this medicine should not donate blood until 6 months after their last dose, because the drug can stay in the blood a long time and could be passed to a pregnant woman through a blood transfusion.
• This medicine may increase the risk of a more serious, high-grade form of prostate cancer.
• This medicine lowers PSA levels, a blood test used to check for prostate cancer, by about half. Tell all your doctors you are taking this medicine so they can interpret your PSA test correctly.
• Do not stop taking this medicine or change the dose without talking to your doctor.
• If you are having a blood test, cataract surgery, or seeing any doctor, dentist, or pharmacist, remind them you are taking this medicine.
• Women who are pregnant or may become pregnant must not take this medicine and must not handle the capsules, because dutasteride can be absorbed through the skin and may cause birth defects in a male baby. If skin contact happens, wash the area right away with soap and water.
• This medicine is not meant for use by women, so there is no information on its use while breastfeeding.
• No dose change is needed for people with kidney problems.
• People with severe liver disease should not take this medicine. Tell your doctor if you have liver problems, as the drug is broken down by the liver and levels in the body could be higher in people with liver impairment.
• Be careful before driving or using machines or tools until you know how this medicine affects you.

Storage

• Store your capsules in the pack until it is time to take them
• Store the capsules below 30°C, in a cool dry place away from moisture, heat, or sunlight
• Do not store in the bathroom, near a sink, in the car, or on window sills
• Keep out of reach of children
• Take unused or out-of-date medicine to a pharmacy for safe disposal
• Do not use after the expiry date
• Capsules may become deformed or discolored if kept at high temperatures; do not use if deformed, discolored, or leaking

When to see a doctor

• Get medical help right away if you have signs of a serious allergic reaction, such as swelling of the face, tongue, or throat, or serious skin reactions like skin peeling.
• Call your doctor straight away or go to the emergency department if you notice breast swelling, tenderness, lumps, or nipple discharge, testicular pain or swelling, or an allergic reaction such as wheezing, difficulty breathing, swelling of the lips or mouth, itching, rash, hives, or fainting.
• If you think you have taken too much of this medicine, get urgent medical attention right away, even if you feel fine.

Alternatives

• Finasteride 5 mg
• Tamsulosin 0.4 mg
• Doxazosin