Being A Supportive Caregiver
Learning that someone you care about has locally advanced prostate cancer can be difficult. You may be worried, overwhelmed, and even feel a little helpless. These are all completely normal reactions, and the same feelings that patients have at many points of the diagnosis and treatment process. While every person and situation is different, you should remember:
- More than 2 million men in the United States who have learned they have prostate cancer are still alive today.
As the caregiver of a person with locally advanced prostate cancer, the most important thing you can do is remain as engaged and supportive as possible. Diagnosis and treatment of locally advanced prostate cancer can be a difficult journey, but there are several things you can do to help make it easier.
Understanding locally advanced prostate cancer—such as the kinds of tests performed and common treatment approaches—can help put you at ease. It can also give you the information you need to ask good questions and help the patient make the best choices possible about treatment.There are resources available to help you understand treatment options and information about locally advanced prostate cancer:
- www.firmagon.com
- FIRMAGON Patient Care Kit
You should encourage the patient to request these materials from their health care provider.
While locally advanced prostate cancer can be a very personal topic to discuss with friends and family, it’s important to keep relatives and close acquaintances involved in your journey.They can be a solid source of support for both you and the patient and provide reassurance and comfort.
When someone you care about is diagnosed with locally advanced prostate cancer, you may be asking yourself how you can be as supportive as possible. In fact, you may be going through a stressful time as well. One way to learn about providing emotional and physical support to your loved one is to get in touch with a local prostate cancer patient support group. Click below for a list of the organizations that offer education and support to help you deal with your family member’s locally advanced prostate cancer.
Here are just a few of the organizations (see reverse) that offer education and support to help you and your family deal with locally advanced prostate cancer.
WHAT IS FIRMAGON?
FIRMAGON® is a prescription medicine used in the treatment of advanced prostate cancer.
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
FIRMAGON® should not be given to people who are allergic to any of the ingredients in FIRMAGON®. It should not be given to women who are pregnant or may become pregnant. FIRMAGON® can harm an unborn baby when given to a pregnant woman.
Before receiving FIRMAGON®, tell your healthcare provider about all your medical conditions, including if you have any heart problems, problems with balance of your body salts or electrolytes (such as, sodium, potassium, calcium, and magnesium), or have kidney or liver problems.
The common side effects of FIRMAGON® include: hot flashes, injection site pain, redness and swelling (especially with the first dose), weight gain, increase in some liver enzymes, tiredness, hypertension, back and joint pain, chills, urinary tract infection, and decrease sex drive and trouble with erectile function (impotence).
The information on this Web site is provided for educational purposes only. While there may be information on this Web site related to certain medical conditions and their treatment, should a medical condition exist, promptly see your own physician or health care provider as the information on this Web site is not intended to take the place of advice from a physician or health care professional. Ferring does not offer personalized medical diagnosis or patient-specific treatment advice. The statements made by doctors on this Web site represent their own individual experiences and opinions and is not intended to be medical advice. Indeed, only your doctor or other health care professional, as a learned intermediary, can determine if a product described in this Web site is appropriate for you.
This Web site is intended for US residents only.
* With continued use, FIRMAGON has been shown to maintain testosterone at medically acceptable levels for up to 1 year.1
** In secondary endpoints of a 1-year, pivotal, phase 3 noninferiority-designed study; FIRMAGON: n=207; leuprolide: n=201.1
References:
1. Klotz L, Boccon-Gibod L, Shore ND, et al. The efficacy and safety of degarelix: a 12-month, comparative, randomized, open-label, parallel-group phase III study in patients with prostate cancer. BJU Int. 2008;102(11):1531-1538. 2. Van Poppel H, Nilsson S. Testosterone surge: rationale for gonadotropin-releasing hormone blockers? Urology. 2008;71(6):1001-1006. 3. Lupron Depot® [package insert]. North Chicago, IL: Abbott Laboratories; 2008. 4. Weckermann D, Harzmann R. Hormone therapy in prostate cancer: LHRH antagonists versus LHRH analogues. Eur Urol. 2004;46(3):279-284.