Lutéran and Lutényl are drugs indicated in the management of certain gynecological diseases such as endometriosis, very heavy, irregular and prolonged periods, whether or not they are related to a fibroid.
As the National Medicines Safety Agency (ANSM) indicates, the risk of meningioma – a tumor of the membranes that surround the brain – associated with taking these medicines or one of their generics increases with the dose used and the duration of treatment:
– it is multiplied by 12 following 5 years of treatment with Lutenyl (5 mg per day for 20 days per month);
– it is multiplied by 7 following 3.5 years of treatment with Lutéran (10 mg per day for 20 days per month).
Because of this risk of meningioma, the ANSM has decided to send information letters this month to treated patients and their prescribers (general practitioner, gynecologist, endocrinologist, etc.). The patients will be able to find there recommendations on the treatment and its follow-up.
What if you are concerned?
If you are currently being treated with these molecules, first consult your doctor or your gynecologist “in order to reassess the relevance of the treatment in relation to the benefit and the risk of the latter. Depending on the patient’s age, the doses taken and the duration of treatment, the latter may prescribe a brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) examination ”. In particular “in the event of symptoms or signs suggestive * of a meningioma following one year of treatment if the treatment needs to be continued, then 5 years following the first MRI, then every 2 years as long as the treatment is continued ”Or“ at the start of treatment if you have risk factors for meningioma ”.
If you have been in the past, a brain MRI should be ordered in case of clinical signs suggestive of a meningioma. And this even if the treatment was taken a long time ago. Consult your doctor if you are in doubt.
Note: the number of women with one or more meningiomas attributable to Lutényl, Lutéran or their generics is approximately 100 cases per year.
* frequent headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, weakness in arms or legs, paralysis, speech or hearing disturbances, odor disturbances, convulsions, memory impairment
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