How does danazol work

The therapy should commence with the onset of the menstrual period and should be continued for three to six months or longer depending on the initial extent of the disease and a clinical response. Pseudomenopause alone has a limited value in the treatment of infertility in patients with extensive endometriosis combined with severe pelvic adhesive disease.

In such patients a combined medical and surgical treatment offers advantages over each of these two approaches when applied individually. In this article About danazol Before taking danazol How to take danazol Getting the most from your treatment Can danazol cause problems? How to store danazol Important information about all medicines. Danazol Danol In this article About danazol Before taking danazol How to take danazol Getting the most from your treatment Can danazol cause problems?

Danazol side-effects What can I do if I experience this? Feeling sick nausea , stomach pain Stick to simple foods avoid rich or spicy meals Feeling dizzy or tired, eyesight changes If this happens, do not drive and do not use tools or machines while affected. Let your doctor know about any eyesight changes Headache, other aches and pains Ask your pharmacist to recommend a suitable painkiller. If the headache is severe or continues, speak with your doctor Increased growth of hair particularly on your body or face , voice changes, hair loss similar to male baldness Speak with your doctor about this as soon as possible.

An alternative treatment may be more suitable for you Acne, skin rash, muscle cramps, mood changes, changes in your desire for sex, increased appetite and weight changes, irregular menstrual periods, vaginal dryness and irritation, hot flushes, reduced breast size, a feeling that your heart is racing If any of these become troublesome, speak with your doctor. If you have any questions about this medicine ask your pharmacist. Are you protected against flu? Further reading and references. Join the discussion on the forums.

Health Tools Feeling unwell? Assess your symptoms online with our free symptom checker. If you have fibrocystic breast disease, breast pain and tenderness usually improve during the first month that you take danazol and go away after 2 to 3 months of treatment; breast lumps should improve after 4 to 6 months of treatment.

Danazol is also sometimes used to treat idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura ITP; an ongoing condition that may cause easy bruising or bleeding due to an abnormally low number of platelets in the blood. Talk to your doctor about the risks of using this medication for your condition.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses; ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information. Take the missed dose as soon as you remember it.

However, if it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and continue your regular dosing schedule. Do not take a double dose to make up for a missed one. Keep this medication in the container it came in, tightly closed, and out of reach of children. Store it at room temperature and away from light and excess heat and moisture not in the bathroom. Unneeded medications should be disposed of in special ways to ensure that pets, children, and other people cannot consume them.

However, you should not flush this medication down the toilet. Instead, the best way to dispose of your medication is through a medicine take-back program. It is important to keep all medication out of sight and reach of children as many containers such as weekly pill minders and those for eye drops, creams, patches, and inhalers are not child-resistant and young children can open them easily. To protect young children from poisoning, always lock safety caps and immediately place the medication in a safe location — one that is up and away and out of their sight and reach.

In case of overdose, call the poison control helpline at If the victim has collapsed, had a seizure, has trouble breathing, or can't be awakened, immediately call emergency services at Before having any laboratory test, tell your doctor and the laboratory personnel that you are taking danazol. Do not let anyone else take your medication.

Ask your pharmacist any questions you have about refilling your prescription. Nevertheless, most women will experience many side effects [2], and many will stop taking it as a result of these [6]. The number and severity of side effects experienced is sometimes related to the dosage being used. Reducing your dosage to the minimum needed to stop your periods may reduce the side effects experienced.

Many of the side effects are due to the fact that it is an androgen [2,4,5]. These include:. Most women experience weight gain, usually 1—5 kilograms but occasionally more [2]. When treatment finishes most women lose much of the weight gain within 1—2 months. Some of the side effects are due to the low levels of oestrogen in the body [4,5].

Most of the side effects disappear soon after completing treatment. However, some of the androgenic side effects are sometimes irreversible [4,5], such as:. Long-term use is associated with a small risk of developing liver tumours and a theoretical risk of developing heart disease [2].

If your treatment is lasts longer than 6 months, your liver function should be monitored [2]. Clinical trials have shown that danazol is as effective as the other hormonal treatments in relieving the pain symptoms of endometriosis [5,6]. However, it does not always relieve symptoms completely [6]. Symptoms often recur following hormonal treatment [5].

The recurrence of symptoms may occur months or years after treatment ceases. Use before surgery There is no evidence to justify using a course of hormonal treatment as a preparation for surgery [5]. Use after surgery There is some evidence to justify using hormonal treatment following surgery to suppress the growth and development of any remaining or new endometrial implants [5]. Use in recurrent endometriosis If the drug was effective and well tolerated previously, repeat courses of danazol may be used for women with recurrent endometriosis.

Danazol — like all the hormonal treatments for endometriosis — will not improve your chance of conceiving, so it should not be used as a treatment for infertility [9]. You should visit your gynaecologist about six to eight weeks after beginning treatment with danazol to discuss how the treatment is progressing. Contact your gynaecologist if you have any problems between scheduled visits.

Danazol should not be used during pregnancy as it can cause masculinisation development of male-like features of a female foetus [4].