How long do the side effects of Lupron/Eligard last?

Posted by northshorepaul @northshorepaul, Jun 19, 2023

This Monday I am getting my number 3 and last injection of 6 month duration Eligard/Lupron. This is after 39 Proton Beam sessions which began 3 months after I was started on the 18 month protocol of ADT treatment.
My question is for those who have gone this route, how long after this last injection will I begin to get some relief from the medication? The hot flashes and perspiration seem to be the most obvious and prevalent side effect. Weight gain around the waistline and shrinkage of other body parts is noticeable but does not affect comfort as the perspiration accompanied by the hot flashes. I am really bothering my wife with the roller coaster movement of the air conditioning thermostat, up and down throughout the day...and night. lol
As I write this I get my last injection tomorrow and six months since the 2nd injection the hot flashes feel as bad as they did 6 months ago.

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@mtarchangel

I am 73 and was diagnosed last November with stage 4 prostate cancer which had metastasized to my bones from thigh to skull. The meandering pain throughout my body was unbearable. I received my first Lupron shot in early November and the pain disappeared within days. Side effects included night sweats, fatigue and insomnia (strange combination). The pain started to return in late May but disappeared again after my second injection in early June. I should mention that my PSA count was 567 when diagnosed. It’s now 57 - still alarmingly high but headed in the right direction. I am also on Enzalutamide - 4 capsules a day. All meds are at no cost to me through the British Columbia Cancer Agency for which I am extremely grateful especially because the facility is located right here in my hometown of Kelowna. Great connecting with you all. Good luck on your journey.

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Xtandi started failing after 10 months PSA up to 8.9 New plan is Radium 233 injection takes one minute every 4 weeks for bone cancer only mets Google it

79 feel great Had first shot Tuesday No effects no hair lass Look into it as Enz will fail eventually

Ontario covered Enz and Xgeva you need to take with it as well Zolodex 12 weeks google them Take 600mg calcium daily

Mel

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@proftom2

Hi Jaykwik. At the beginning of treatment, my PSA was 120+. During radiation therapy (30 sessions), Chemo-therapy (6 weeks), and Lupron/Eligard (2 years), it began a steady, continuous decline. My quality of life has improved dramatically.

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Hear you. It sounds familiar I am not quite two years into it, I started out with a high Psa same as yours. Three months on lupron and it became undetectable . But where to go next. I cannot take lupron much longer . You made an interesting comment ' my quality of life has improved dramatically '..
My quality of life was great and has dropped through the floor it is the medications ,esp lupron and casodex which they started me on followed by 30 sessions of radiation. . Right now it is just lupron and I am lookin for a more aggressive treatment, Maybe chemo or one of the more modern approaches. I'd like to hear anyone comments !

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I understand your concern. It will be a year since I received my last shot and finished treatment in May ‘23. Just after, I did a webinar on the side effects of treatment from The Prostate Cancer Foundation and they stated, that the shots are longer lasting than told and that it could take 12 to 18 months to clear. I’m coming up on a year in May, and while my side effects were mild, I’m still dealing with them. I’m glad that I’m done with them. The worst was the tiredness and I’m slowly getting over it. I know what you’re going thru and wish you the best.

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I am a stage 4 guy, 3 years in on ADT/Eligard still have a host of side effects. They appear milder across the board. My hunch is I am getting used to them.

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@slick64

I understand your concern. It will be a year since I received my last shot and finished treatment in May ‘23. Just after, I did a webinar on the side effects of treatment from The Prostate Cancer Foundation and they stated, that the shots are longer lasting than told and that it could take 12 to 18 months to clear. I’m coming up on a year in May, and while my side effects were mild, I’m still dealing with them. I’m glad that I’m done with them. The worst was the tiredness and I’m slowly getting over it. I know what you’re going thru and wish you the best.

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thanks I can honestly say that I am coming up on two years of lupron,,casodex Have had 30 visits of radiation . I tried one of the new powerful adt called apalutimide ,,,,, still cant spell it ,. I had a lot of problems with it, it felt like I was losing my mind ..Lost all ability regarding mental confusion and ability to conceptualize. So had to come off that .I am aware of the blood brain barrier and that was what my doc say to stay away from. The next decision is to give lupron a third year. Things are still undetectable . I am listening to every one here .At 77 I am doing daily gym workouts , they do help to take my mind off of side effects , esp the weight issue , Over all I am not going to torpedo any thing that keeps working. even if it does have some bummer side effects . And honestly at 74 the diagnosis was very surprising to say the least, I was not paying attention. Had full blown BPH , quite extensive and the PC mixed up with made up the perfect storm . . Any one have any comments about anything I would be glad to hear .

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@solidwater

thanks I can honestly say that I am coming up on two years of lupron,,casodex Have had 30 visits of radiation . I tried one of the new powerful adt called apalutimide ,,,,, still cant spell it ,. I had a lot of problems with it, it felt like I was losing my mind ..Lost all ability regarding mental confusion and ability to conceptualize. So had to come off that .I am aware of the blood brain barrier and that was what my doc say to stay away from. The next decision is to give lupron a third year. Things are still undetectable . I am listening to every one here .At 77 I am doing daily gym workouts , they do help to take my mind off of side effects , esp the weight issue , Over all I am not going to torpedo any thing that keeps working. even if it does have some bummer side effects . And honestly at 74 the diagnosis was very surprising to say the least, I was not paying attention. Had full blown BPH , quite extensive and the PC mixed up with made up the perfect storm . . Any one have any comments about anything I would be glad to hear .

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I am concerned about the Lupron shoots - have been thru 20 proton beam therapy session- had been active monitoring for 4 years & then my PSA went up to 23.4 & Doc said time to do a biopsy & had Gleason score of 7 etc., so got my first Lupron shot in September & due for my second in March. I am not real excited about getting a second Lupron shot. Just looking for what other have experienced with the second Lupron shot and if some of you stopped at one Lupron shot . Thanks

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the lupron is a continuous affair I have done it for about one and 3/4 years. it really depends on what kind of cancer ( specificly) but the 6 month shot which you had likely does not bother you ? It did not me either except for some of the side affects ( SA ). look over the list, I get the hot flashes ( a pain but not terrible ), a little fatigue ( taken care of just become aware when the fatigue hits you can deal with it. Just being continually active will overwhelm any amount of fatigue lupron . The only SE I found to be heinous is the inevitable weight gain . Well it results when a male body is depleted of testoserone. If you have any junk food habits get over them , it is the worst thing you can do about that SE. Basiclly your body is going through menopause just like a woman. That does suck , the good news is if you are any way athletic you can keep it at bay. However anything you add is belly fat and hard to reconcile. If you are disciplined you can control that as well , Eat healthy and not much of it . Protein is the favored food, no fat at all, muscle reinforcing. Just forget the simple carbs , they are useless anyway.

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I want to thank everyone for the comments. It seems there are core side effects we all experience and the severity is different for each one of us. My two that have been the most aggravating are the hot flashes accompanied by the profuse perspiration and the belly fat. The libido packed its bags and left, for how long I don't know but definitely fled the scene. My last six month lupron/eligard injection was on June 19, 2023 and any lessening of side effects now (Feb 4th, 2024) has not been noticed. I only wished I had elected to go with the pill because I understand its actions cease immediately when you stop taking it but I don't know how long it takes for the testosterone to make a comeback. Perhaps someone who has taken the pill (I forget the name of the medication, thus the "pill") can comment on how long it took before cessation of side effects was noticed. At the end of this month I will have my first PSA and testosterone level done since stopping the ADT.
Best of luck to all on this journey.

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@northshorepaul

I want to thank everyone for the comments. It seems there are core side effects we all experience and the severity is different for each one of us. My two that have been the most aggravating are the hot flashes accompanied by the profuse perspiration and the belly fat. The libido packed its bags and left, for how long I don't know but definitely fled the scene. My last six month lupron/eligard injection was on June 19, 2023 and any lessening of side effects now (Feb 4th, 2024) has not been noticed. I only wished I had elected to go with the pill because I understand its actions cease immediately when you stop taking it but I don't know how long it takes for the testosterone to make a comeback. Perhaps someone who has taken the pill (I forget the name of the medication, thus the "pill") can comment on how long it took before cessation of side effects was noticed. At the end of this month I will have my first PSA and testosterone level done since stopping the ADT.
Best of luck to all on this journey.

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Orgovyx

I had a 4 mos course of Orgovyx.

Took a good 4 mos to substantially wear off (95%)

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@proftom2

Hi Jaykwik. At the beginning of treatment, my PSA was 120+. During radiation therapy (30 sessions), Chemo-therapy (6 weeks), and Lupron/Eligard (2 years), it began a steady, continuous decline. My quality of life has improved dramatically.

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The beginning of my treatment was May 5, 2023, PSA around 120 the cancer completely surprised me. Anyhow it is now Feb 18 2024 , after 40 radiology treatments etc. They started me with Casodex ( which is so outdated ) and it was terrible . But I kept at it until the radiology was completed. It took two months for the PSA to drop to undetectable it was down very soon in the process . The clinic staff were definitely happy with that
So at this point still undetectable about the 21st month. The last shot is supposed to happen March 6 and then what next..

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