Lupron Therapy a week away

Welcome to HW, sorry you need to be here.

You're going to be fine. Yes, it's scary and things will change, but you learn to cope. RT and HT can hit some guys bad, but others not so much. Maintaining an exercise program, eating right can go a long way. I'll let the HT guys talk about that side of it. How long will you be on HT?

For the IGRT, you can expect to be bored out of your mind. SE's aren't that bad, mostly some fatigue, urinary urgency, and bowel issues - don't trust a fart. I did get some random inflammations but nothing a meds couldn't deal with. The most annoying part of the RT was having to drink a bottle of water before each treatment.

Hang in there and keep us updated on your progress.
Andrew

schoolteacherbob said...
I'm starting Lupron the week of the 7th of September. I will be taking it for three months prior to Image Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT), and also for the nine weeks of the radiation therapy.

Just wondering what I can anticipate? How to control weight. Will the combination of Lupron and radiation be the so called "double-whammy"? Will I have enough energy to exercise and work a normal schedule? How long until Testosterone returns to a somewhat normal level when therapy is concluded? Will I lose much muscle mass? Can anything be done to mitigate these "extra added attractions" during therapy?

A lot of questions...I know. Glad for any help. Thank you.

Hey Schoolteacherbob,
Many of us can provide all kinds of weird and possible side effects, but the bottom line is that everyone's body reacts differently to the process of testosterone deprivation. Personally, my biggest challenges were the hot flashes and it's affect on my ability to sleep(which I took a mild sleeping dosage to resolve). Two things I wish I had done differently were to get a good T level reading before I started my ADT(to know what your level should return to)and ask about bone density loss.




Reduced or absent libido (sexual desire)
Impotence (erectile dysfunction)
Shrinkage of testicles and penis
Hot flashes, which may get better or even go away with time
Breast tenderness and growth of breast tissue
Osteoporosis (bone thinning), which can lead to broken bones
Anemia (low red blood cell counts)
Decreased mental sharpness
Loss of muscle mass
Weight gain
Fatigue
Increased cholesterol
Depression

I went the Lupron-plus-IMRT route (see signature below) and I can confirm what the others have already said above about possible side effects, their timing, etc.

The link below may shed a little more light on this. It's to a table that provides the percentage likelihood of occurrence of the various Lupron-related side effects. Note that hot flashes lead the pack, most everybody on Lupron gets those, and they can indeed get to be disarming, speaking from personal experience of course.

But, also to confirm what has been noted, the Lupron-plus-RT experience is largely an endurance race kind of thing, just be patient and you'll make it through just fine.

www.rxlist.com/lupron-depot-1125-drug/side-effects-interactions.htm

Pleased to meet you, Bob.

My stats are in my sig below. I finished ~80 Gy of external beam radiation treatments at the end of July 2013 so it has been 2 years for me since I finished. I started ADT 2 weeks after my Da Vinci radical prostatectomy Dec 27 2012. Firmagon for 3 months (1 injection a month) then Lupron for 6 months, then Eligard. The last 6 month Eligard injection was Oct 3 2014. It was scheduled to wear off at the end of this past April, however my April blood test came back with T= undetectable and PSA= undetectable. Next blood test is this coming October.

I got pretty much all of the listed side effects from both the radiation and the ADT chemo. I have gained a total of 14 pounds over the last 2 & 1/2 years, all of that belly fat. I have visibly lost muscle mass despite continuing my serious physical regimen and super - healthy diet. I broke my hand a while back when I fell during my daily 7+ mile run so the doc put me on Prolia too. It also has side effects that are sorta unpleasant.

My personal opinion is that most of the side affects can be dealt with and compensated for and some just have to be tolerated for the duration of the treatments. Better to have to put up with them than to die a slow painful death from metastasized prostate cancer.

Rich

I don't have a large enough sample size, as I have only been on Lupron for 2 1/2 weeks now (with no side effects)....

But, any drug/pill you take has a chance for side effects. While I think some are merited, I also believe that if you stay focused on the side effects, you are more likely to develop them.

I plan on continuing to eat a healthy diet, plenty of fruits and veggies, low fat, etc....and maintain an active lifestyle with exercise, even when I'm feeling sluggish. Just maintain a positive attitude, you are on Lupron for a short period, any side effects should be minimal and go away quickly.

Hello SchoolTeacherBob,

A six month sentence on HT is fairly easy time. Most of the side effects you seem to be worrying about are the cumulative ones that take a while to develop. You can probably expect some hot flashes but you've chosen a sensible time of year for your hormones (assuming you live in the northern hemisphere) and you should have cooler weather for most of your treatments.

The radiation will tend to make you fatigued and the hormones will make you less energetic but most guys can continue to work and can keep up their exercise regimen during treatment. Vigorous exercise actually helps with the fatigue. The more you make yourself do the more you will feel like doing it. It's a bit like priming a pump -- you have to put the effort in first to get the energy back.

Your testosterone levels should recover to the "normal" range three to six months after your last shot wears off. (If you are getting three-month shots you have to remember those three months; you would expect to recover six to nine months after your last jab.) It may take a few more months after that to recover to near your "baseline" (where you were when you started).

If you work hard at the gym you should be able to mostly hold your own with muscle mass during the HT. Progress is hard to come by but a man can fight a successful delaying action. With only six months of HT your testes will shrink a bit but your member won't.

You'll do fine.

Bob,

You might ask your RO to prescribe a daily 20mg sildenafil citrate (generic Viagra), costs under $1/day, and might prevent permanent "shrinkage". My RO gave me that prescription for the 9 month duration of my HT.

Thanks to all. Really helpful. Nothing like going in armed. Please keep it coming.

Thanks. Umm. All I'm sure of is a PSA of 6+, a Gleason score of 7, and 8 cores out of 12 that were positive.

Thank you. I do have the records and the results. I will check that tonight when I get home.

Sticky?

Thanks for the link. Figured it out...LOL

Thank you. OJT..