Medroxyprogesterone acetate (Provera®)
Medroxyprogesterone acetate is also known as Provera®. It is used to treat breast, kidney and womb cancer.
What is medroxyprogesterone acetate (Provera®)?
Medroxyprogesterone acetate is also called Provera®. It is a hormonal therapy drug used to treat:
- breast cancer (after menopause)
- kidney cancer
- womb cancers.
It can be used for cancers that have started to spread to other parts of the body, or that have come back after treatment.
Medroxyprogesterone might also be used to treat symptoms such as:
- poor appetite, causing you to lose weight
- hot flushes caused by some prostate cancer treatments.
It is best to read this information with our general information about hormonal therapies and the type of cancer you have. Your doctor or nurse will explain why you are having medroxyprogesterone and how long you will take it for.
Your doctor will talk to you about this treatment and its possible side effects before you agree (consent) to have treatment.
More information about this treatment
This information is correct at time of publishing. But sometimes the types of cancer this treatment is used for, or treatment side effects, may change between revision dates.
You can talk to your cancer team if you want more detailed information about this treatment. Or visit the electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) website, which has patient information leaflets (PIL) for individual drugs.
How medroxyprogesterone works
Hormones are chemicals that our bodies make. Hormones act as messengers and help to control how cells and organs work. Hormonal therapies are drugs that change the way hormones are made or how they work in the body.
Many cancers need hormones to grow. Medroxyprogesterone is a man-made drug that is similar to the female hormone progesterone. Doctors think it may work by interfering with the hormone balance in the body. This may stop the cancer growing.
Taking medroxyprogesterone tablets
Medroxyprogesterone comes as tablets you can take at home. Your nurse or doctor will talk to you about your treatment plan.
Always take the tablets exactly as explained. This is important to make sure they work as well as possible for you. Make sure you:
- swallow them whole with a glass of water
- take them at the same time every day.
If you forget to take the tablets, you should take the missed dose as soon as possible within the same day. If a full day has passed, let your doctor or nurse know. Do not take a double dose unless your doctor tells you to.
Other things to remember about your tablets:
- Keep them in the original package and at room temperature, away from heat and direct sunlight.
- Keep them safe and out of sight and reach of children.
- If you are sick just after taking the tablets, contact your healthcare team. Do not take another dose.
- Get a new prescription before you run out of tablets, and make sure you have plenty for holidays.
- If your treatment is stopped, return any unused tablets to the pharmacist.
Your nurse or pharmacist may also give you other medicines to take home. Take all your medicines exactly as they have been explained to you. Do not stop taking any of your medicines unless your doctor tells you to.
About side effects
About side effects
We explain the most common side effects of this treatment here. We also include some that are less common.
You may get some of the side effects we mention, but you are unlikely to get all of them. And you may have some side effects, including rarer ones, that we have not listed here.
Other cancer treatments may cause different side effects. If you are also having other cancer treatment, you may have other side effects.
Always tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist about any side effects you have. They can give you:
- drugs to help control some side effects
- advice about managing side effects.
It is important to take any drugs exactly as explained. This means they will be more likely to work for you.
Serious and life-threatening side effects
Some cancer treatments can cause serious side effects. Sometimes, these may be life-threatening. Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist can explain the risk of these side effects to you.
Contact the hospital
Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will give you 24-hour contact numbers for the hospital. If you feel unwell or need advice, you can call at any time of the day or night. Save these numbers in your phone or keep them somewhere safe.
Common side effects
Increased appetite and weight gain
This treatment can make you feel more hungry than usual. This can cause you to gain weight. This effect on your appetite will go away when you stop taking the drug. If you are worried about gaining weight, talk to your doctor or nurse.
Because of this side effect, this treatment is sometimes used to treat people who have lost interest in food and are losing weight.
Feeling sick
Some people feel sick, especially during the first few weeks of taking this treatment. Tell your doctor if you feel sick. They can prescribe anti-sickness drugs to help.
Fluid build-up
This treatment can cause a build-up of fluid in the body. This will slowly get better after treatment ends. Contact the hospital on the 24-hour number if you:
- are gaining weight
- have swelling in your face, legs or ankles.
They can give you advice and treatment to help.
Feeling tired (fatigue)
Feeling tired is a common side effect. Try to pace yourself and plan your day so you have time to rest between activities.
Being physically active can help to manage tiredness and give you more energy. It also:
- helps you sleep better
- reduces stress
- improves your bone health.
If you feel sleepy, do not drive or operate machinery.
Headaches
Dizziness
You should tell your doctor if you feel dizzy while taking this treatment.
Constipation
This treatment can cause constipation. Constipation means that you are not able to pass stools (poo) as often as you normally do. It can become difficult or painful. Here are some tips that may help:
- Drink at least 2 litres (3½ pints) of fluids each day.
- Eat high-fibre foods, such as fruit, vegetables and wholemeal bread.
- Do regular gentle exercise, like going for short walks.
If you have constipation, contact the hospital on the 24-hour number for advice. They can give you drugs called laxatives to help.
If you have not been able to pass stools for over 2 days and are being sick, contact the 24-hour number straight away.
Difficulty sleeping
Sometimes this treatment can cause sleeplessness (insomnia). Tell your doctor if you find it difficult to sleep.
Sexual effects
It is common to lose your sex drive and have erection difficulties with hormonal therapy. Hormonal therapy may also make your penis shorter and your testicles smaller.
Your doctor can prescribe drugs and treatments to help with erection difficulties. These will not increase your sex drive. But they might work, even with a low sex drive.
Things can improve a few months after you stop taking the drug. But it depends on how long you take hormonal therapy, and what other treatments you have had. Some people continue to have problems after treatment ends.
Increased sweating
This treatment can cause increased sweating in some people. Wearing natural fabrics, such as cotton, may be more comfortable if you are affected.
Less common side effects
Mood changes
You may feel low or depressed, or have mood swings, during this treatment. Talking to family and friends about how you feel might help. If mood changes last for more than a few weeks, tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist. They can talk to you about different ways to manage low mood or depression.
Blood clot risk
Cancer and some cancer treatments can increase the risk of a blood clot. Contact the hospital straight away on the 24-hour number if you have any of these symptoms during or after treatment:
- throbbing pain or swelling in a leg or arm
- reddening of the skin in the area – if you have black or brown skin, this can be harder to notice, but the skin might become darker
- suddenly feeling breathless or coughing.
Always call 999 if you have:
- chest pain
- difficulty breathing.
A blood clot is serious, but it can be treated with drugs called anticoagulants. These thin the blood. Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist can give you more information about preventing and treating blood clots.
Skin rashes
You may get a skin rash that looks like acne.
Always tell your doctor or nurse about any skin changes. They can give you advice and may prescribe creams or medicines to help. Any changes to your skin are usually temporary and improve when treatment finishes.
Hair thinning
While you are having this treatment, your hair may become thinner, drier and more brittle. This is usually mild. If you are worried about this, ask your nurse for advice on hair care.
Raised blood sugar levels
This treatment can raise your blood sugar levels and increase the risk of diabetes.
Signs of raised blood sugar include:
- feeling thirsty
- needing to pass urine (pee) more often than usual
- feeling more tired than usual.
Tell your doctor or nurse if you have these symptoms. They can do tests to check your blood sugar level and give you advice.
If you already have diabetes, your blood sugars may be higher than usual. You may need to check them more often, or make changes to your diabetic treatment. Your diabetic doctor or nurse will talk to you about how to manage this.
Breast changes
Your breasts may feel sore or painful. This is not harmful, but let your doctor know if it happens. They can prescribe painkillers if needed.
Changes to periods
Your periods will usually stop while you are having this treatment. Sometimes, women may have light vaginal bleeding (spotting). Let your doctor know if this happens. When you stop taking the drug you may have some bleeding from the vagina. This is usually like a period.
Diarrhoea
This treatment may cause diarrhoea. Diarrhoea means passing more stools (poo) than is normal for you, or having watery or loose stools. You may also have stomach cramps. If you have a stoma, it may be more active than usual.
If you are passing loose stools 3 or more times a day and this is not normal for you, contact the hospital as soon as possible on the 24-hour number. Follow the advice they give you about:
- taking anti-diarrhoea medicines
- drinking enough fluids to keep you hydrated and to replace lost salts and minerals
- any changes to your diet that might help.
They might also ask you for a specimen of your stool to check for infection.
Effects on the liver
This treatment may affect how your liver works. This is usually mild. You will have blood tests to check how well your liver is working.
Allergic reaction
- a skin rash or itching
- feeling breathless or wheezy
- swelling of your face, mouth or throat.
If you feel unwell or have any of these signs, contact the hospital straight away on the 24-hour number. Do not take any more of this treatment until you have checked with them.
Always call 999 if swelling happens suddenly or you are struggling to breathe.
Effects on the heart
This treatment can affect the heart. Symptoms of heart problems can include:
- feeling very tired
- breathlessness
- dizziness
- swollen ankles and legs.
Other conditions can cause these symptoms, but it is important to get them checked by a doctor.
Other information
Other medicines
Some medicines can affect how this treatment works or be harmful while you are having it. Always tell your cancer doctor, nurse or pharmacist about any drugs you are taking or planning to take, such as:
- medicines you have been prescribed
- medicines you buy in a shop, pharmacy or online
- vitamins or supplements
- herbal drugs and complementary or homeopathic therapies
- recreational drugs – for example, cannabis.
Breastfeeding
You are advised not to breastfeed while having this treatment, or for some time after treatment ends. This is because the drugs could be passed to the baby through breast milk.
Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist can give you more information.
Contraception
Your doctor, nurse or pharmacist will advise you not to get pregnant or make someone pregnant while having this treatment and for some time afterwards. The drugs may harm a developing baby. It is important to use contraception to prevent pregnancy. Follow their advice about:
- what types of contraception to use
- how long after treatment you should continue to use contraception.
Medical and dental treatment
If you need medical treatment for any reason other than cancer, always tell the healthcare professional that you are having cancer treatment. Give them the contact details for your cancer doctor or cancer team so they can ask for advice.
If you have appointments with a dentist, always tell them you are having cancer treatment. Talk to your cancer team before you have any dental treatment.
About our information
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References
Visit the electronic Medicines Compendium (eMC) to download a Patient Information Leaflet (PIL) for more detailed information. The leaflet lists all known side effects.
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Reviewers
This information has been written, revised and edited by Macmillan Cancer Support’s Cancer Information Development team. It has been reviewed by expert health professionals and people living with cancer.
Our cancer information has been awarded the PIF TICK. Created by the Patient Information Forum, this quality mark shows we meet PIF’s 10 criteria for trustworthy health information.
The language we use
We want everyone affected by cancer to feel our information is written for them.
We want our information to be as clear as possible. To do this, we try to:
- use plain English
- explain medical words
- use short sentences
- use illustrations to explain text
- structure the information clearly
- make sure important points are clear.
We use gender-inclusive language and talk to our readers as ‘you’ so that everyone feels included. Where clinically necessary we use the terms ‘men’ and ‘women’ or ‘male’ and ‘female’. For example, we do so when talking about parts of the body or mentioning statistics or research about who is affected.
You can read more about how we produce our information here.
Date reviewed
Our cancer information meets the PIF TICK quality mark.
This means it is easy to use, up-to-date and based on the latest evidence. Learn more about how we produce our information.