ZOMETA can reduce the chance of having bone complications‚ such as:
- Bone fracture
- Need for radiation and/or surgery to bone
- Spinal cord compression
ZOMETA may delay the complications that occur when cancer spreads to the bone. Even patients who have already experienced bone complications from the spread of cancer to the bones can be helped by treatment with ZOMETA.
If you take ZOMETA regularly‚ here are some things you should know.
- In the two-year prostate cancer clinical trial‚ ZOMETA significantly delayed bone complications by over five months compared with placebo treatment. In other clinical studies‚ ZOMETA was shown to significantly delay bone complications from lung and other solid tumors.
- If you have been prescribed ZOMETA‚ it will most likely be given every 3 to 4 weeks. Your healthcare provider will determine how often you should receive ZOMETA based on your needs. ZOMETA infusions should take no less than fifteen minutes.
- Prior to each infusion‚ your doctor will routinely do blood tests or monitor your kidney function. If you have kidney problems‚ your doctor may determine that ZOMETA should be administered at a reduced dose or should not be given. Patients with severe kidney problems should not take ZOMETA.
- It is important to keep up your fluid intake and stay well hydrated while on ZOMETA therapy. Signs and symptoms of low fluid intake include thirst‚ sagging skin‚ low urine output‚ and dry mouth. Be sure to drink plenty of water or other fluids.
Your doctor should closely watch your response to ZOMETA therapy.
While taking ZOMETA‚ you may experience fatigue‚ nausea‚ vomiting‚ bone pain‚ headache‚ shortness of breath‚ or lack of appetite. When these adverse events were seen in patients taking ZOMETA‚ they were usually mild and transient. Your doctor can recommend a mild pain reliever to make you more comfortable.
ZOMETA should be used with caution in patients with aspirin-sensitive asthma. ZOMETA should not be given to women who are pregnant‚ because there is the potential that it might harm the fetus. Women given ZOMETA should not become pregnant during therapy.
Oral hygiene is very important for patients living with cancer. Some patients have reported problems with their jaw bones while being treated with ZOMETA―please talk to your doctor before undergoing invasive dental procedures such as tooth extractions or if you experience pain in your jaw or poor wound healing in your mouth.
Simply click on one of the following types of cancer to find questions that you may wish to ask your doctor about ZOMETA.
Breast Cancer
Lung Cancer and Other Solid Tumors
Prostate Cancer
Multiple Myeloma
As Your Therapy with ZOMETA Continues
As your therapy with ZOMETA continues‚ please be sure to follow your doctor’s instructions and advice carefully. Throughout your therapy‚ it is important to take the recommended vitamin and mineral supplements and drink plenty of fluids.
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