abiraterone vs desmopressin
Side-by-side comparison of abiraterone and desmopressin Data from FDA drug databases (Orange Book, NDC Directory, recalls, shortages) covering 20,000+ approved drugs, plus CMS pricing; see our methodology.
Zytiga
DDAVP
Abiraterone (Zytiga) is a medicine used with prednisone to treat prostate cancer that has spread. It works by lowering the amount of androgen your body makes.
Desmopressin is a medicine that helps your body control how much urine it makes. It is a synthetic form of a natural hormone.
Abiraterone is used to treat prostate cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. It is for cancers that are castration-resistant, meaning they no longer respond to hormone therapy alone. It is also used for high-risk castration-sensitive prostate cancer. You will take this medicine with prednisone.
This medicine treats central diabetes insipidus, a condition where your body doesn't make enough of a certain hormone, causing you to urinate too much. It also helps manage temporary excessive urination and thirst after head trauma or surgery near the pituitary gland. Desmopressin also treats primary nocturnal enuresis, also known as bedwetting, in children.
Abiraterone blocks an enzyme called CYP17, which your body needs to make androgens. Androgens can help prostate cancer grow. By blocking this enzyme, abiraterone lowers androgen levels and slows cancer growth.
Desmopressin works by acting like a natural hormone in your body. This hormone helps your kidneys reduce the amount of urine you produce. This helps to decrease urination and thirst.
- • Feeling tired
- • Joint pain
- • High blood pressure
- • Feeling sick to your stomach
- • Swelling
- • Headache
- Death 1,390
- Feeling tired 1,022
- Hot flash 678
- Weakness 562
- Worsening of disease 561
- Low sodium levels in the blood 333
- Medicine not working 215
- Headache 182
- Feeling sick to your stomach 169
- Feeling tired 142
Abiraterone can cause problems with mineralocorticoid excess, like high blood pressure, low potassium, and fluid retention. If you have heart problems, your doctor will monitor you closely. This medicine can also cause liver problems, which can be severe. Your doctor will check your liver function regularly. Do not take abiraterone with radium Ra 223 dichloride. Abiraterone can harm an unborn baby, so men should use effective birth control if their partner can get pregnant.
This medicine can cause water intoxication and low sodium levels in your blood (hyponatremia). To prevent this, follow your doctor's instructions about limiting fluid intake. Be especially careful to limit fluids from 1 hour before taking desmopressin until at least 8 hours after.
Abiraterone can cause harm to an unborn baby. Men who are taking abiraterone should use effective birth control during treatment and for 3 weeks after the last dose if their partner is able to get pregnant. It is not known if abiraterone passes into breast milk.
Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant. It is not known if desmopressin can harm an unborn baby. Talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking this medicine while breastfeeding.
How to Read This abiraterone vs desmopressin Comparison
abiraterone is classified in the CYP17 Inhibitor drug class, while desmopressin sits within the Vasopressin Analog class. Drugs from different classes work through distinct mechanisms, so a head-to-head comparison illustrates trade-offs rather than equivalence. Both drugs are prescription-only, so a licensed provider must authorize use.
Adverse event totals above are pulled from the FDA's Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). For these top-ranked reactions alone, abiraterone has 4,213 submissions while desmopressin has 1,041. Those figures reflect cumulative reporting volume — not per-patient risk — so older, widely dispensed drugs typically look worse on count alone. No direct interaction between these two drugs is listed in our FDA-derived dataset, though co-prescription still warrants pharmacist review. Serious warnings, pregnancy guidance, and contraindications can differ even when indications overlap.
A table cannot substitute for clinical judgment. Effectiveness, tolerability, drug-drug interactions with your other medications, kidney and liver function, pregnancy status, insurance formulary, and price all feed into a decision that only a licensed prescriber can make responsibly. Data here is sourced from FDA Structured Product Labels (SPL) and FAERS, both of which update as manufacturers and clinicians submit new information. This page is for educational purposes only, is not medical advice, and should not be used to self-switch between abiraterone and desmopressin — always consult your physician or pharmacist first.
Important: This comparison is for informational purposes only. Drug effects vary between individuals. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist for personalized medical advice.