From my background checks, EVERYONE gets side effects. Therefore, I decided to assume the risk of not getting Lupron shots. Instead, I manage my testosterone; it’s the fertilizer for Androgen - the fuel for prostate cancer.
I switched to a Mediterranean Diet. My PSA hasn’t risen (in the past two years) and remains in the undetectable range. Good luck with your decision. It’s not an easy one.
I was on Goserelin (Zoladex) since October 2022, but 3 months ago was switched to Leuprolide (probably because my hospital ran out of Goserelin). These two drugs do basically the same job, that is to lower the PSA level. However, I found more reactions/side effects with Leuprolide. I’ve just had my Leuprolide shot (3-monthly) this morning and have already started to have some side effects like lethargy. Going by my previous experience with Leuprolide I feel that the side effects (lethargy, fatigue, dry mouth, hot flashes) will keep increasing for 10-15 days and then will subside. Really nothing to worry about, it’s part of the game! I would advise all to just ignore the side effects because we stand to gain a lot more.
Taking Firmagon ADT (I think it’s regolix) 1x per month. Had 6 months so far. Suggestion was 6 mo to 1 year. BLoodwork just came back and RBC and WBC are too low below normal values? Anyone have issues with shots Messing with blood levels? Could explain a big part of fatigue. Considering ending shots. Anyone know how long it takes your body to rid effects of shots? Had regional PC with mild seminal vessel and 1 lymph node mildly involved. Gleason 8. Completed radiation.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or experiences! God Bless.
Mild fatigue
Mind muscle and joint stiffness
Mild to moderate hot flashes
Weight gain -10 pounds
Genitalia shrinkage
I did not experience depression or loss of libido (much to my wife's dismay...)
Think of statistics, Bell Curve...
The manufacturer's web site lists all the possible side effects, question us, which one will you experience?
You can mitigate the side affects through diet and exercise,
There are also metabolic and cardio vascular side effects so have a cardiologist on your medical team and check cholesterol, blood pressure....
Finally, if you are going to be on Lupron for an extended time have a baseline bone density test and talk with your medical team about supplements such a Vitamin D, Calcium, Magnesium.
Kevin, you summed it up perfectly for what I have experienced. My last Eligard injection was June 19, 2023 and the duration of its effects is supposed to last for 6 months which will be the 18 months of treatment the urologist wanted. I began 3 months before starting 39 sessions of Proton Beam therapy at MD Anderson. My question to you is when did you first notice the lessening of the hot flashes and night sweats of the 18 months of Lupron? I am assuming you had 3 injections spaced 6 months apart? The weight gain, (about 15 lbs.) and the day and night sweats have been the most bothersome of the side effects. Shrinkage and loss of libido, while on ADT is an effect, but I have not been bothered by it psychologically.
Kevin, you summed it up perfectly for what I have experienced. My last Eligard injection was June 19, 2023 and the duration of its effects is supposed to last for 6 months which will be the 18 months of treatment the urologist wanted. I began 3 months before starting 39 sessions of Proton Beam therapy at MD Anderson. My question to you is when did you first notice the lessening of the hot flashes and night sweats of the 18 months of Lupron? I am assuming you had 3 injections spaced 6 months apart? The weight gain, (about 15 lbs.) and the day and night sweats have been the most bothersome of the side effects. Shrinkage and loss of libido, while on ADT is an effect, but I have not been bothered by it psychologically.
I did the three month shots, so six of them. My last shot was at the beginning of May 2018 so "coverage" until 1st part of August.
My T was 135 in October 2018 which may be outside the Bell curve but with the return of T, the side affects of weight gain, hot flashes, fatigue, muscle and joint stiffness were fading as was the genitalia shrinkage. I never lost my libido, much to my wife's dismay...
By February 2019 my T was in the 400s (again, Bell Curve...!) and the side affects were gone.
Why did my T return and quickly, I don't know but I have seen articles about exercise and its role in T recovery, maybe?
Lupron and Eligard contain the same active ingredient - leuprolide, and are used to lower testosterone levels, and are a primary component of Androgen Deprivation Therapy (ADT). Side effects may vary from drug to drug, but in general the side effects of ADT are wide ranging from mild to severe and impact patients differently at different times. | As for me, hot flashes, weight gain, depression, fatigue, loss of muscle mass, slow recovery time from injury, need for extra sleep are all side effects of these drugs, however they all can be overcome or managed. While I can complain about it (because it does suck), the other option is to wing it and assume the cancer won't grow. That option is a no-go for me, so onward to overcoming and managing. Keep The Faith.
Hello,
Like most patients with Prostate Cancer, their experiences in both treatment and recovery can vary dramatically. The surgical versus the radiation treatments are as different in scope and utilization as they can be along with everything else associated with the aftermath of each.
First and foremost, there are absolutely NO GUARANTEES when it comes to treating PC and or continuing to be in remission. Anybody or physician who tells you differently is simply misinformed!
As for LUPRON and other similar therapies etc, there are NO GUARANTEES that your cancer won’t come back. This is a fact backed up by the evidence from patients who utilized “ADT,” ANDROGEN DEPRAVATION THERAPY with radiation and their cancer returned. Logically, it makes sense to lessen the possibility of your cancer returning if you can reduce the amount of Testosterone in your body. Pretty much everybody is in agreement that once you have PC, increasing the Testosterone in your body through “TRT,” TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY will feed your cancer cells and promote the growth of your cancer. Hence, any patient on “TRT” who contracts PC will almost universally discontinue his “TRT” immediately. However, once he is successfully treated with no more detectable cancer and his PSA levels are also undetectable there are no more cancer cells to feed. Of course, nobody can guarantee that every cancer cell in your body has been removed even though no more cancer cells are detectable resulting from the surgical or radiological treatment options.
The thinking regarding TESTOSTERONE and PC has changed dramatically in recent years. Physicians are now prescribing Testosterone to PC patients after their initial recovery to assist them with a better and more full recovery by utilizing the appropriate amounts of Testosterone.
FACT: Every man needs to have a certain level of “T” in their bodies to maintain overall good health and well-being, maintain muscle mass and bone density, reduce depression and maintain their libido.
Of course LUPRON, does the opposite of everything discussed above.
Like most things regarding PC, patients make their personal choices on treatment and recovery options based upon a number of factors in their current life when considering their overall health and wellbeing in addition to assessing their risk attitudes and personal preferences.
Without going into great detail, I had been on “TRT” for 11 years before contracting PC. Due to prior health challenges, discontinuing “TRT” and pursuing radiation with LUPRON was never going to be a viable option for me.
I had my Radical Prostatectomy 13 months ago and started my “TRT” again 5 months after my surgery. My PSA continues to be undetectable at < 0.014, (taken the day of my surgery) and has not changed as of today.
Personally, my overall health and wellbeing would absolutely plummet if I were participating in “ADT!”
and be a total disaster.
Of course, I monitor my PSA on a monthly basis and continue to do so along with my other blood tests every 2-3 months. The other reason I chose the surgery first option is that it provides me the radiation option later should my cancer ever return which is not available the other way around. They just don’t perform surgery after radiation treatments in PC patients. (It’s done but very rarely and reluctantly)!
So, in the end, every patient must do what they need to do if their cancer returns. If this happens to me, I will assess my options at that time and go forward with treatment.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to utilizing LUPRON or not! However, there is always your own best, personal choice.
Best wishes and good luck to all of my fellow PC Patients,
GODSPEED
Hello,
Like most patients with Prostate Cancer, their experiences in both treatment and recovery can vary dramatically. The surgical versus the radiation treatments are as different in scope and utilization as they can be along with everything else associated with the aftermath of each.
First and foremost, there are absolutely NO GUARANTEES when it comes to treating PC and or continuing to be in remission. Anybody or physician who tells you differently is simply misinformed!
As for LUPRON and other similar therapies etc, there are NO GUARANTEES that your cancer won’t come back. This is a fact backed up by the evidence from patients who utilized “ADT,” ANDROGEN DEPRAVATION THERAPY with radiation and their cancer returned. Logically, it makes sense to lessen the possibility of your cancer returning if you can reduce the amount of Testosterone in your body. Pretty much everybody is in agreement that once you have PC, increasing the Testosterone in your body through “TRT,” TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY will feed your cancer cells and promote the growth of your cancer. Hence, any patient on “TRT” who contracts PC will almost universally discontinue his “TRT” immediately. However, once he is successfully treated with no more detectable cancer and his PSA levels are also undetectable there are no more cancer cells to feed. Of course, nobody can guarantee that every cancer cell in your body has been removed even though no more cancer cells are detectable resulting from the surgical or radiological treatment options.
The thinking regarding TESTOSTERONE and PC has changed dramatically in recent years. Physicians are now prescribing Testosterone to PC patients after their initial recovery to assist them with a better and more full recovery by utilizing the appropriate amounts of Testosterone.
FACT: Every man needs to have a certain level of “T” in their bodies to maintain overall good health and well-being, maintain muscle mass and bone density, reduce depression and maintain their libido.
Of course LUPRON, does the opposite of everything discussed above.
Like most things regarding PC, patients make their personal choices on treatment and recovery options based upon a number of factors in their current life when considering their overall health and wellbeing in addition to assessing their risk attitudes and personal preferences.
Without going into great detail, I had been on “TRT” for 11 years before contracting PC. Due to prior health challenges, discontinuing “TRT” and pursuing radiation with LUPRON was never going to be a viable option for me.
I had my Radical Prostatectomy 13 months ago and started my “TRT” again 5 months after my surgery. My PSA continues to be undetectable at < 0.014, (taken the day of my surgery) and has not changed as of today.
Personally, my overall health and wellbeing would absolutely plummet if I were participating in “ADT!”
and be a total disaster.
Of course, I monitor my PSA on a monthly basis and continue to do so along with my other blood tests every 2-3 months. The other reason I chose the surgery first option is that it provides me the radiation option later should my cancer ever return which is not available the other way around. They just don’t perform surgery after radiation treatments in PC patients. (It’s done but very rarely and reluctantly)!
So, in the end, every patient must do what they need to do if their cancer returns. If this happens to me, I will assess my options at that time and go forward with treatment.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to utilizing LUPRON or not! However, there is always your own best, personal choice.
Best wishes and good luck to all of my fellow PC Patients,
GODSPEED
Wow Brother! I don't think anyone is arguing with you about any ("Guarantees"), ("ADT"), ("TRT"), ("Testosterone "), your right there is not a right or a wrong answer Brother, we're all just on here to share and talk about the different variables of having prostate cancer. I guess I want to say thanks for to ("STRONG") Lesson you just gave all of us. But like you said ("However ") there is always your own best personal choice!! You even said yourself it your PC returns, you would assess your options and go forward with treatment. I don't think anyone said there is a right or wrong when utilizing Lupron or not. Philipstown, on this forum we're just a bunch of guys trying to share, feelings and ideas, facts, and experiences ect... so try sharing in talking (To) us and not (At) us we're all grown men here! Not children! But thanks for the education. I feel we're all greatful to learn more everyday. Best wishes and good luck to you as well. GODSPEED.
Wow Brother! I don't think anyone is arguing with you about any ("Guarantees"), ("ADT"), ("TRT"), ("Testosterone "), your right there is not a right or a wrong answer Brother, we're all just on here to share and talk about the different variables of having prostate cancer. I guess I want to say thanks for to ("STRONG") Lesson you just gave all of us. But like you said ("However ") there is always your own best personal choice!! You even said yourself it your PC returns, you would assess your options and go forward with treatment. I don't think anyone said there is a right or wrong when utilizing Lupron or not. Philipstown, on this forum we're just a bunch of guys trying to share, feelings and ideas, facts, and experiences ect... so try sharing in talking (To) us and not (At) us we're all grown men here! Not children! But thanks for the education. I feel we're all greatful to learn more everyday. Best wishes and good luck to you as well. GODSPEED.
Hi there,
Firstly, thanks for your reply and comments. It was not my intention to speak down or be disagreeable in any kind of disrespectful manner to anybody through my statements and comments. I have discovered that there are highly knowledge patients all the way to patients who’ve just been diagnosed. I am certainly no expert nor hold myself out to be one. However, whenever I read or interpret any kind of statement that is or appears to be an assessment without exception or stated as such etc. I feel it’s appropriate to offer an alternative view that might be more inclusive and or offer a different interpretation for PC Patients to consider.
I’ve been amazed by how little knowledge or misinformation gets shared from time to time or patients that do very little research on their cancer diagnosis and or available treatment options. Of course, I am referring to patients who are not participating on this site or sharing their experience with others etc.
As you know, the written word doesn’t always express itself as it’s intended and would be better understood in an actual verbal conversation.
Like you and most everybody else who participates on the this website we’re all just trying to be of service to others and share whatever knowledge and experience we have that might be of benefit to others.
Hopefully, my comments won’t be taken out of context or out of my intended purpose to be of assistance.
As you know, not every oncologist agrees on whether surgery or radiation is the most proper course of action in any given case or particular situation.
The best any of us can hope for is to get as educated and well informed as possible before choosing our course of treatment and recovery. In that regard, I hope I have provided some kind of service and benefit to our readership.
Best wishes and good luck with your journey.
Kindest regards,
Phil
Hello Phil, I truly believe your intentions were not to speak down or be disagreeable, or disrespectful. Your also correct that none of us are experts, but you must realize that there going to be some assessments from a bunch of non-expert guys trying to navigate there way through our prostate cancer. So we aren't going to get it right all of the time. We all have different gifts and talents. Yours maybe stronger than others, and others stronger than yours, we're all in this together Phil. Your right that its appropriate to offer a more inclusive, and a different interpretation for PC patients to consider, I felt that your approach was a little aggressive, and in the vain of gloom and doom. I feel that some of us are already suffering mentally and emotionally enough. But to be fair we do need to hear the hard facts as you so eloquently expressed. Your right Phil the written word can be interpreted without expression or emotion as it was intended. Phil I think your well intended amazement of the lack of knowledge and misinformation of regular guys, that don't study, or do there homework on the subject of prostate cancer gets you fired up, and puts you into education mode! (smile). Yes Brother I love your passion for educating us. We need it. Just know this Phil you have done and are doing a great service to this community. Our readership is In good hands with your input. Best wishes and good luck on your journey as well Phil. Blessings. Al
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From my background checks, EVERYONE gets side effects. Therefore, I decided to assume the risk of not getting Lupron shots. Instead, I manage my testosterone; it’s the fertilizer for Androgen - the fuel for prostate cancer.
I switched to a Mediterranean Diet. My PSA hasn’t risen (in the past two years) and remains in the undetectable range. Good luck with your decision. It’s not an easy one.
I was on Goserelin (Zoladex) since October 2022, but 3 months ago was switched to Leuprolide (probably because my hospital ran out of Goserelin). These two drugs do basically the same job, that is to lower the PSA level. However, I found more reactions/side effects with Leuprolide. I’ve just had my Leuprolide shot (3-monthly) this morning and have already started to have some side effects like lethargy. Going by my previous experience with Leuprolide I feel that the side effects (lethargy, fatigue, dry mouth, hot flashes) will keep increasing for 10-15 days and then will subside. Really nothing to worry about, it’s part of the game! I would advise all to just ignore the side effects because we stand to gain a lot more.
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Hug
1 ReactionI took only two shots of Lupron.
Draining my testosterone meant losing my muscle mass. I am still (after a year since I took my last shot) unable to walk safely and securely.
I am 86. So I assume younger men will regain their testosterone faster once they stop taking Lupron.
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1 ReactionTaking Firmagon ADT (I think it’s regolix) 1x per month. Had 6 months so far. Suggestion was 6 mo to 1 year. BLoodwork just came back and RBC and WBC are too low below normal values? Anyone have issues with shots Messing with blood levels? Could explain a big part of fatigue. Considering ending shots. Anyone know how long it takes your body to rid effects of shots? Had regional PC with mild seminal vessel and 1 lymph node mildly involved. Gleason 8. Completed radiation.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or experiences! God Bless.
Kevin, you summed it up perfectly for what I have experienced. My last Eligard injection was June 19, 2023 and the duration of its effects is supposed to last for 6 months which will be the 18 months of treatment the urologist wanted. I began 3 months before starting 39 sessions of Proton Beam therapy at MD Anderson. My question to you is when did you first notice the lessening of the hot flashes and night sweats of the 18 months of Lupron? I am assuming you had 3 injections spaced 6 months apart? The weight gain, (about 15 lbs.) and the day and night sweats have been the most bothersome of the side effects. Shrinkage and loss of libido, while on ADT is an effect, but I have not been bothered by it psychologically.
I did the three month shots, so six of them. My last shot was at the beginning of May 2018 so "coverage" until 1st part of August.
My T was 135 in October 2018 which may be outside the Bell curve but with the return of T, the side affects of weight gain, hot flashes, fatigue, muscle and joint stiffness were fading as was the genitalia shrinkage. I never lost my libido, much to my wife's dismay...
By February 2019 my T was in the 400s (again, Bell Curve...!) and the side affects were gone.
Why did my T return and quickly, I don't know but I have seen articles about exercise and its role in T recovery, maybe?
Kevin, a study of one...
Hello,
Like most patients with Prostate Cancer, their experiences in both treatment and recovery can vary dramatically. The surgical versus the radiation treatments are as different in scope and utilization as they can be along with everything else associated with the aftermath of each.
First and foremost, there are absolutely NO GUARANTEES when it comes to treating PC and or continuing to be in remission. Anybody or physician who tells you differently is simply misinformed!
As for LUPRON and other similar therapies etc, there are NO GUARANTEES that your cancer won’t come back. This is a fact backed up by the evidence from patients who utilized “ADT,” ANDROGEN DEPRAVATION THERAPY with radiation and their cancer returned. Logically, it makes sense to lessen the possibility of your cancer returning if you can reduce the amount of Testosterone in your body. Pretty much everybody is in agreement that once you have PC, increasing the Testosterone in your body through “TRT,” TESTOSTERONE REPLACEMENT THERAPY will feed your cancer cells and promote the growth of your cancer. Hence, any patient on “TRT” who contracts PC will almost universally discontinue his “TRT” immediately. However, once he is successfully treated with no more detectable cancer and his PSA levels are also undetectable there are no more cancer cells to feed. Of course, nobody can guarantee that every cancer cell in your body has been removed even though no more cancer cells are detectable resulting from the surgical or radiological treatment options.
The thinking regarding TESTOSTERONE and PC has changed dramatically in recent years. Physicians are now prescribing Testosterone to PC patients after their initial recovery to assist them with a better and more full recovery by utilizing the appropriate amounts of Testosterone.
FACT: Every man needs to have a certain level of “T” in their bodies to maintain overall good health and well-being, maintain muscle mass and bone density, reduce depression and maintain their libido.
Of course LUPRON, does the opposite of everything discussed above.
Like most things regarding PC, patients make their personal choices on treatment and recovery options based upon a number of factors in their current life when considering their overall health and wellbeing in addition to assessing their risk attitudes and personal preferences.
Without going into great detail, I had been on “TRT” for 11 years before contracting PC. Due to prior health challenges, discontinuing “TRT” and pursuing radiation with LUPRON was never going to be a viable option for me.
I had my Radical Prostatectomy 13 months ago and started my “TRT” again 5 months after my surgery. My PSA continues to be undetectable at < 0.014, (taken the day of my surgery) and has not changed as of today.
Personally, my overall health and wellbeing would absolutely plummet if I were participating in “ADT!”
and be a total disaster.
Of course, I monitor my PSA on a monthly basis and continue to do so along with my other blood tests every 2-3 months. The other reason I chose the surgery first option is that it provides me the radiation option later should my cancer ever return which is not available the other way around. They just don’t perform surgery after radiation treatments in PC patients. (It’s done but very rarely and reluctantly)!
So, in the end, every patient must do what they need to do if their cancer returns. If this happens to me, I will assess my options at that time and go forward with treatment.
There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to utilizing LUPRON or not! However, there is always your own best, personal choice.
Best wishes and good luck to all of my fellow PC Patients,
GODSPEED
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Helpful -
Hug
2 ReactionsWow Brother! I don't think anyone is arguing with you about any ("Guarantees"), ("ADT"), ("TRT"), ("Testosterone "), your right there is not a right or a wrong answer Brother, we're all just on here to share and talk about the different variables of having prostate cancer. I guess I want to say thanks for to ("STRONG") Lesson you just gave all of us. But like you said ("However ") there is always your own best personal choice!! You even said yourself it your PC returns, you would assess your options and go forward with treatment. I don't think anyone said there is a right or wrong when utilizing Lupron or not. Philipstown, on this forum we're just a bunch of guys trying to share, feelings and ideas, facts, and experiences ect... so try sharing in talking (To) us and not (At) us we're all grown men here! Not children! But thanks for the education. I feel we're all greatful to learn more everyday. Best wishes and good luck to you as well. GODSPEED.
Hi there,
Firstly, thanks for your reply and comments. It was not my intention to speak down or be disagreeable in any kind of disrespectful manner to anybody through my statements and comments. I have discovered that there are highly knowledge patients all the way to patients who’ve just been diagnosed. I am certainly no expert nor hold myself out to be one. However, whenever I read or interpret any kind of statement that is or appears to be an assessment without exception or stated as such etc. I feel it’s appropriate to offer an alternative view that might be more inclusive and or offer a different interpretation for PC Patients to consider.
I’ve been amazed by how little knowledge or misinformation gets shared from time to time or patients that do very little research on their cancer diagnosis and or available treatment options. Of course, I am referring to patients who are not participating on this site or sharing their experience with others etc.
As you know, the written word doesn’t always express itself as it’s intended and would be better understood in an actual verbal conversation.
Like you and most everybody else who participates on the this website we’re all just trying to be of service to others and share whatever knowledge and experience we have that might be of benefit to others.
Hopefully, my comments won’t be taken out of context or out of my intended purpose to be of assistance.
As you know, not every oncologist agrees on whether surgery or radiation is the most proper course of action in any given case or particular situation.
The best any of us can hope for is to get as educated and well informed as possible before choosing our course of treatment and recovery. In that regard, I hope I have provided some kind of service and benefit to our readership.
Best wishes and good luck with your journey.
Kindest regards,
Phil
Hello Phil, I truly believe your intentions were not to speak down or be disagreeable, or disrespectful. Your also correct that none of us are experts, but you must realize that there going to be some assessments from a bunch of non-expert guys trying to navigate there way through our prostate cancer. So we aren't going to get it right all of the time. We all have different gifts and talents. Yours maybe stronger than others, and others stronger than yours, we're all in this together Phil. Your right that its appropriate to offer a more inclusive, and a different interpretation for PC patients to consider, I felt that your approach was a little aggressive, and in the vain of gloom and doom. I feel that some of us are already suffering mentally and emotionally enough. But to be fair we do need to hear the hard facts as you so eloquently expressed. Your right Phil the written word can be interpreted without expression or emotion as it was intended. Phil I think your well intended amazement of the lack of knowledge and misinformation of regular guys, that don't study, or do there homework on the subject of prostate cancer gets you fired up, and puts you into education mode! (smile). Yes Brother I love your passion for educating us. We need it. Just know this Phil you have done and are doing a great service to this community. Our readership is In good hands with your input. Best wishes and good luck on your journey as well Phil. Blessings. Al