Has anyone switched from Lupron to Orgovyx? Glad you did?

I switched from Firmagon (a different injectable) to Orgovyx a couple of years ago, and have been extremely happy with the change.

I switched from Lupron to Orgovyx about three years ago. My hot flashes have almost stopped. I’ve been undetectable for the last 28 months while on Nubeqa. I also switched from abiraterone to Nubeqa which has been a major improvement.

No other changes from Lupron noticed.

The punchline (??) is that here in Canada, Orgovyx is priced *exactly* the same as Firmagon (about US $215/month retail), so there's no excuse for governments or private insurers to push back against prescribing it, like they sometimes do in the U.S.

However, patients are still often getting prescribed Lupron or Firmagon first. That makes sense for a patient with dementia, who might not remember to take a daily pill, but otherwise a small pill is *always* preferable to big needle stuck into your abdomen. 😕

I suspect Orgovyx is just not on many Canadian oncologists' radar yet (it didn't become widely available here until 2024, and provinces and private insurers didn't start covering it until 2025).

@northoftheborder
I always had my Lupron and Eligard shots in the hip,

@jeffmarc

I also had mine in the hip, and I can still feel the pain 10 months later. My Lupron side effects lasted for about 9 months and were very bad.

@northoftheborder @stephenz
Hubby was prescribed the injectable first, but the pill they put you on to prepare for that (sorry, the name of it isn’t coming to me right now) gave him the side effects of a pounding heart pretty much right away. They took him off that and he’s now on Orgovyx (Relugalux) and it’s been great for him.
The oncologist said that Relugalux wasn’t the first ‘go to’ medication here yet, but didn’t hesitate to prescribe it.

@pesquallie
It’s interesting that some people have pain from getting the shot. The reason I say that is, I never even noticed that shot unless I pressed my finger right into the spot they gave it to me. I had it for six years, every six months, I must’ve been at least three different nurses over that time that gave it to me. I just wonder if it’s where they give it. Maybe the exact location makes a difference.

I researched Lupron and found that technically it is a poison, but it is supposed to primarily attack the testicles. I am very sensitive to a lot of medicines as is my wife. I am surprised that urologists do not test people's sensitivity since such a large long-term dose is given at the very beginning. Some people I have talked to now believe that the daily pill route is much better in that it can be stopped or reduced if there are sensitivities.

@pesquallie It's misleading to call Lupron a poison that "attacks" the testicles. A little more research will show that it simply blocks the pituitary gland from releasing a hormone that in turn stimulates the testicles to produce testosterone. It's still a good drug. It is true that some (by no means all) people experience severe side effects, and a pill like Orgovyx is often associated with fewer and less intense side effects.

@jeffmarc Agree. I had it every six months for two years and never noticed the shot. I was also lucky that the hot flashes and random muscle pains were annoying but not debilitating.