What Are the Dangers of Megace Medication?

Megace or megestrol acetate is a prescription medication used to treat severe loss of appetite and weight loss in patients with HIV or AIDS. Megace poses a risk for harmful side effects in some patients.

Significant Dangers

• The most significant or common danger of Megace is hyperglycemia or increased blood sugar, which affects approximately 3 to 6 percent of patients, according to FDA trials published on RxList.

Effects

• Because it causes hyperglycemia, Megace causes some patients to develop Type 2 diabetes, a condition where the cells in your body do not respond to insulin. Patients who develop Type 2 diabetes from Megace usually face a lifetime of taking insulin injections or oral diabetic medications to control the condition.

Time Frame

• After Megace is used for longer than 12 weeks, it has the potential to cause other serious complications, according to RxList. These complications include the formation of blood clots and pulmonary embolism, or a blood clot that travels to the lungs and causes bleeding.

Withdrawal

• Patients who suddenly stop taking Megace are at risk for developing adrenal insufficiency, a life-threatening condition where your body produces too much cortisol and aldosterone. Signs of adrenal insufficiency include fatigue, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, sudden weight loss, muscle weakness, dizziness when standing, dehydration, anxiety and depression, reports Penn State University.

Considerations

• In FDA studies performed on laboratory animals, Megace impaired the production of sperm, causing male infertility, but it is unknown whether this phenomenon occurs in humans, warns RxList. Because it also has the potential to cause fetal harm, doctors restrict use of Megace in pregnant women to instances when there is no safe alternative to treatment.