Has anyone gone off hormone therapy (ADT) after radiation?

The iron that I take is “Gentle Iron” (Iron Bisglycinate” which is “non-constipating” and “gentle on your stomach” It was advised by my primary care physician. The 1200mg Calcium Carbonate (taken as two doses daily) was specifically prescribed by my oncologist. I know about the Harvard study that you have referenced and Calcium Citrate is more readily absorbed by some people, but we all have different metabolisms and should probably do what our doctors tell us to do, not listen to random strangers on the internet. If we do not trust our doctors, we really need to find ones that we can trust.

As of last week’s blood tests my Calcium was 9.3 mg/dL and my Vitamin D was 70 ng/mL. Both are in the upper range of “normal”, so what I am currently doing is working well for me.

After a prostectomy in March and radiation in July, my PSA went down to .006. I received the 6 month Eligard injection in June and the urologist thinks I need another one in November... the radio-oncologist doesn't think I need one. If it were up to me, I wouldn't take it again because of all of the side effects. Any comments as to getting another one? How long should it go? My gleason was 7.

I slowly ramped up weight training over the last 6 years for health reasons. Now that my BCR PSA rise leads me to assume that it won't be long before I'm on ADT, I hope to continue & even increase weight training.

Besides the important effects on muscle & bone, I've been reading preliminary studies that say resistance training & HIIT helps to release mytokines (cytokines from the muscle) that can show the progression of cancer. If so this increases hope & motivation--and we need all we can get. Has this been discussed here?
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41585-021-00476-y

If you haven’t had metastasis and your PSA remains < .1, I would suggest taking a holiday from ADT. But first, I would suggest you ask your doctors to talk to each other, come up with a plan together and explain their reasoning to you. My medical oncologist is more enthusiastic about ADT than my radiation oncologist. I am currently off ADT for one year after three and a half on. So far, all is good. I had a single metastasis on my sacrum that was radiated.

NCCN recommend six months of ADT for a Gleason seven, but you had a reoccurrence that required salvage radiation. That means you have an aggressive prostate cancer and more than six months is recommended.

Were more issues found in your biopsy of the prostate? Does that explain why it came back?

12 years ago when my PSA rose to .2 3.5 years after a prostatectomy, I was only given an ADT shot before the 7+ weeks of radiation. It took 2 1/2 more years before my PSA started rising again and I had to go on Lupron.

You may be able to stop, but after a reoccurrence, it is very likely that the cancer will come back. If your PSA has stayed the same since radiation you could try stopping ADT, But I would get monthly PSA tests since you are very likely to have something reoccurred again. 10 years after I was diagnosed and had to prostatectomy I had a genetic test and found out I was BRCA2 And that’s why my cancer keeps coming back.

Getting an hereditary genetic test is a good idea. If you have certain genetic issues, there are new drugs to treat them. You can get one free here If you live in the United States.

Prostatecancerpromise.org

They will send you a spit tube and in about three weeks a genetic counselor will call you to discuss the results. Don’t check the box to have your doctor involved. In that case they won’t send anything until they speak to your doctor.

Hey Jim,
I have also been on Orgovyx for 9 months. For a few months the side effects were mild. However, they have become severe especially the hot flashes. I’m 76 years old and don’t drink alcohol, smoke or eat poorly. I exercise for at least an hour every day…walking, biking and resistance training. Lately it has become a struggle to get through a workout. On my daily walk I find it difficult to complete a mile without getting severe hot flashes. I actually have short blackouts when I sit to try and recover. The hot flashes drain my energy and I end up sleeping a lot. I rarely get a solid night’s sleep without multiple hot flashes. Yes. I have tried most every recommended solution but nothing seems to work. I refuse to add another drug to fight the side effects of Orgovyx. I realize every one is different and reacts differently. I stopped taking Orgovyx six days ago and feel better already. On Monday I’m telling my Urologist I’m done taking it. I’m sure he will not be happy. I will monitor my PSA and testosterone levels and see what happens. After looking at the research on ADT and prostate cancer I’m not convinced that two years of testosterone lowering drugs is the answer. Quality of life is my concern. At 76 I would rather have a few good years than go through this process without any guarantees of reoccurring prostate cancel. Thanks for your comment.

Unfortunately, he had metastases, about 5 of them in lymph nodes close to the prostate. His Gleason number was 4 +3.

I have read several articles and watched videos which indicate that physical exercise is vital. There is a Dr. Newton from Australia who has studied this in depth. He said walking isn't good enough. Serious exercise is vital... especially strengthening the larger muscles of the body.

Otherwise you lose both bone and muscle mass. Exercise is also good for the depression that often accompanies ADT