Talking to Your Doctor About TORISEL
Questions to ask your doctor:
- Is TORISEL a treatment option for me?
- How many prognostic risk factors do I have?
- How is TORISEL different from other advanced RCC therapies?
- What side effects have you seen in patients taking TORISEL?
- Are there any health issues or allergies that could make it too risky for me to take TORISEL?
- Does TORISEL interact with medications I am currently taking?
- How will you monitor my progress while I am getting treatment with TORISEL?
- How long will I have to stay on TORISEL?
- Is there a way to get help paying for TORISEL treatment?
What to tell the doctor
Tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions.
Tell your doctor about all of the medicines you take. Read about Safety Considerations, including information on medications that can interfere with TORISEL treatment.
Keep a list of your medicines and show it to your doctor or pharmacist. Also, talk with your doctor before starting any new medications.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant, could be pregnant, or plan to get pregnant. TORISEL may harm an unborn baby.
Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding. Do not breastfeed while you are being treated with TORISEL.
TORISEL Clinical Trial
TORISEL has been proven to extend survival longer than interferon-alpha (another therapy) in patients with advanced RCC.1 [1A -- PI, p. 20]
Learn more about the effectiveness shown in the TORISEL Clinical Trial.
Learn more about TORISEL Side Effects.
Important Safety Information
- Before you begin treatment with TORISEL, your doctor may give you an antihistamine. It is possible to have a serious allergic reaction even after you receive an antihistamine. Tell your doctor or nurse if you are allergic to antihistamines or are unable to take antihistamines for any other medical reasons. Tell your doctor or nurse if you have any swelling around your face or difficulty breathing during or after treatment.
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TORISEL can cause serious side effects. The most common side effects are
- Rash
- Weakness/fatigue
- Mouth sores
- Nausea
- Swelling/fluid retention
- Loss of appetite
- Patients are likely to experience increased blood sugar levels. This may require treatment with or an increase in the dose of a medicine that lowers blood sugar levels. Tell your doctor or nurse if you are thirstier than usual or urinate more often than usual.
- Patients are likely to experience an increase in cholesterol and/or triglycerides. This may require treatment with or an increase in the dose of a medicine that lowers cholesterol and/or triglycerides.
- If you experience side effects that are too severe to tolerate, your health care professional may choose to delay your treatment, give you a lower dose of TORISEL, or discontinue treatment.
- Before you begin treatment with TORISEL, tell your doctor or nurse about ALL MEDICINES you are taking, including
- Prescription medications, including but not limited to antibiotics, anticonvulsants, antidepressants, antifungals, antivirals, blood pressure medications, blood thinners, dexamethasone, vaccines
- Nonprescription (over the counter) medications
- Vitamins
- Herbal supplements, including but not limited to St. John’s Wort
- Avoid eating grapefruit or drinking grapefruit juice during the course of your treatment with TORISEL, including the time between treatments.
Please see Important Safety Information continued on the next page.
- Treatment with TORISEL may affect your immune system. You may be at greater risk of getting an infection while receiving TORISEL.
Please see Important Safety Information continued on the next page.
Please see accompanying full Prescribing Information.
- Patients may get chronic inflammation of the lungs during treatment with TORISEL. Rare fatal cases have been reported. Tell your doctor or nurse right away if you have any trouble breathing, get a cough, or develop a fever.
- TORISEL may cause bowel perforation. Rare fatal cases have been reported. Tell your doctor or nurse right away if you have any new or worsening stomach pain or blood in your stool.
- Treatment with TORISEL may be associated with a risk of kidney failure, sometimes fatal.
- During treatment with TORISEL, wounds may not heal properly. Tell your doctor or nurse if you are recovering or still have an unhealed wound from surgery. Tell your doctor or nurse if you plan to have surgery during treatment with TORISEL.
- TORISEL may increase the risk of bleeding in the brain, which has, in rare cases, been fatal. You are at increased risk if
- You have a central nervous system tumor, such as a brain tumor
- You are taking medicine to keep your blood from clotting
- Some vaccines may be less effective when given during the course of treatment with TORISEL. You should avoid the use of live vaccines and close contact with people who have recently received live vaccines. Ask your doctor or nurse if you are eligible to receive a flu shot.
- Both men and women should use a reliable form of birth control during treatment and for 3 months after the last dose of TORISEL. TORISEL can harm an unborn baby. Tell your doctor or nurse before beginning treatment if you are pregnant or thinking of becoming pregnant.
Please see the full Prescribing Information for TORISEL.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the FDA. Visit www.fda.gov/medwatch, or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
Reference:
- TORISEL® Kit (temsirolimus) Prescribing Information, Wyeth Pharmaceuticals Inc.