Can Lupron dosage be lowered to cut down on side effects?

Gregory, good question. Deciding which treatment is best is a very individual choice. Hormone therapy may also be called androgen suppression therapy. "Lowering androgen levels or stopping them from getting into prostate cancer cells often makes prostate cancers shrink or grow more slowly for a time. But hormone therapy alone does not cure prostate cancer.

Hormone therapy may be used:
- If the cancer has spread too far to be cured by surgery or radiation, or if you can’t have these treatments for some other reason
- If the cancer remains or comes back after treatment with surgery or radiation therapy
- Along with radiation therapy as the initial treatment, if you are at higher risk of the cancer coming back after treatment (based on a high Gleason score, high PSA level, and/or growth of the cancer outside the prostate)
- Before radiation to try to shrink the cancer to make treatment more effective"

Read more: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/prostate-cancer/treating/hormone-therapy.html

If I recall correctly, your first treatment was radiation and more recently you received the news that the cancer has returned. Often surgery alone is not possible with metastatic cancer because it is not localized to one specific tumor or area, like the prostate. What treatments are you getting?

I just finished my PET scan and the good news is that there is only 1 spot of cancer, in my scapula. I also started hormone therapy. I trust my doctors and Mayo. I feel they are the best at what they do. And I appreciate the whole team. When I was referred to Mayo by my home doctor, I met with an orthopedic surgeon. I recall a comment he made about the possibility of replacing the scapula or cutting out the cancerous growth and filling the void with bone cement. So, that is where my question comes from. When reading the other posts, it just keeps coming to mind. Radiation treatments start next month. It has only been about 5 days, but already I am having discomfort. A good thing for me is that with each passing day, I am not as emotional as when I first got the news. Now I feel like I am ready to fight no matter what it takes.

I did the radical surgery because we thought it would get all the cancer. It did not. It had already jumped to the lymph nodes. Then I did 44 proton radiation treatments and two years of Lupron injections. I stopped the injections. My PSA is next to zero and testosterone is coming back. I have libido now but cannot get an erection. I am still tired and fatigued.

Have you already had prostate removed? Mine was done as first treatment 8 years ago. I start radiation next week with hormone treatment. Best to you!

Tired and fatigued, achey, lost libido seem to be common side effects for all of us. Sometimes the pain in my arms just kills me, it hurts a lot. I'm tired a lot also. We're not marines, we don't just "push by the pain". That's not in our paygrade. Perhaps we should be looking at alternatives to assist with our ailments. I know that Mayo has done some research on TCH and CBD. Those, and similar, chemicals appear to have promise in many, many areas and not just the old uses of getting you high. We need to open our eyes and think out of the box. It may be possible to take Lupron AND avoid it's nasty side effects. If not avoid them perhaps alleviate some of them. Quality of life is important. To have life with misery and pain is not really having a life. At least not in my line of thinking. There are alternatives, we just need to find them. Does anyone in this forum have information on pain management beyond aspirin? I'm tired of hearing take one and call me in the morning.

I have been taking Lupron for 4 years and I have substituted any other prescribed drugs for marajuana oil. I followed the Rick Simpson Oil protocol now also going on 4 yrs. Although I only take the oil at night. It enables me to sleep a good 7 hrs without waking or pee breaks. I am happy with that.

I am also switching to a 30 day dose of Lupron to see if that eleviates side effects.

Semeon, not taking lupron should be thoroughly investigated before one makes that decision. It's a complicated issue, there is no one takes all solution. I am going to look into your recommendation - thank you for that input.

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.

The general feeling among my medical team, my "research," well, Google...and the forums I am part of lean towards exercise as a way of mitigating the side affects. I say mitigating because in no way do I infer it eliminates. Throughout the 18 months there were times I felt like I was 90+ years old, particularly in the evening when I settled down for a glass of wine and some television watching. Getting up to grab a a refresher, snack, use the facilities or go to bed was a lot of stiffness though I wouldn't say pain.

True, I went in to the 18 months with an active exercise program. For those who do not, it may be challenging to start. Though I do think if one can get through the initial phase of exercising, there can be benefits. A body in motion,,,

Excellent points. Thanks for the input.