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Can Lupron dosage be lowered to cut down on side effects?
Prostate Cancer | Last Active: May 28, 2022 | Replies (20)Comment receiving replies
Not a medical person so just my thoughts and perspective.
The objective behind taking Lupron is to shut down the production of testosterone from your testicles, getting your T level below 50, ideally 20. That shuts off the "fuel" which feeds prostate cancer.
It is this level of testosterone that results in the side affects we know so well - hot flashes, fatigue, genitalia shrinkage, loss of libido (80% of men do, I was in the 20% group, sigh...), muscle and joint stiffness, CV, metabolic and for some, cognitive and emotional issues.
So, not sure that adjusting the dosage changes the root cause of the side affects, castrate level of testosterone!
I did 18 months of Lupron, experienced all the side affects except the emotional. I did mitigate those side affects though through diet and exercise. The latter was not easy given the fatigue and muscle and joint stiffness.
There are other options which may to a degree have "lesser" side affects but they still zero out the testosterone which...
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12686820/
https://www.fda.gov/news-events/press-announcements/fda-approves-first-oral-hormone-therapy-treating-advanced-prostate-cancer
Kevin
Replies to "Not a medical person so just my thoughts and perspective. The objective behind taking Lupron is..."
Hi Kevin,
just read this post, wish I had seen this earlier. I do believe you have answered my query on Lupron and pain. It appears to me the more physically active you are the less effects you will experience from Lupron. I simple observation and probably obvious to most. But it means that from the getgo if you are not physically active you might not want to consider Lupron. Most of us do not spontaneously "get" active. I tried it on a stationary bike and Lupron raised it's ugly head.
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Thanks Kevin. I have always had a low tolerance for medicine. And thru the years i found that cutting the prescription back gave me more of a desired effect rather than overkill with meds. Although this is my first with this kinda medicine. Dr prescribed me colestipol for diarhea years ago. He said take 1 pill 2 times a day. i couldnt go for a week. i started cutting pill in half. i got it down to 1/8 pill which stopped diarhea without constipation. however now i have constipation. i was told to take 1 teaspoon of this laxative. I take 1/8 teaspoon. works good for me. Just saying to me not one pill or treatment fits all. These were just a few examples, I have many more. I have learned something here . Appears to me this treatment is not a cure just a temporary set back for the cancer cells.
Thing thats gets me I was taking testosterone shots for low testosterone when i got cancer. Thats another story.
Thanks for your reply