Jim, and Jim,
I've been on Lupron for 3 years and nine months, now.
(I started it in great pain with very metastatic prostate cancer at age 65.
It rapidly brought my PSA way down, and quickly helped the pain go away.)
I would offer this advice about
the early months after starting Lupron.
For most men, the side effects are not anything acute, or something to "fight".
They will start to happen, some slower than others, and you will learn to roll with them.
Hot flashes are pretty common. They don't happen all the time, but they can happen several times during a day, and, for some, several times during the night. (Millions of post menopausal women get them too.) They seldom last more than a few minutes. Cool, loose clothing during summer months can help. Sleeping with a small quiet fan at your bedside can help with the temporary evaporative cooling until one passes. Heavy exercise and heat can trigger them.
The loss of libido is common. It's going to happen. If you will only be on Lupron for a temporary basis, talk to your doctor about
options for keeping your erectile tissues in active, oxygenated use to prevent long term atrophy. If you are going onto "Lupron for Life", keep up good lines of communication with your spouse or sex partner, and talk about
the slow libido and body changes as they happen, and what's in your head and in your heart early and often. It's not the end of the world.
Erections with stimulation are sometimes still possible, and even some orgasms with stimulation, but you may not really care much with the loss of libido. What orgasms that may be had are often completely liquidless.
Some weight gain is common in the first year. Your appetite may change, and you will need to watch your portion sizes. See also:
/docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/be9e43_976f6b05dbfd48e89a148491cdc1e38a.pdfSome secondary sexual characteristics things that go with being an adult male will slowly try to revert to the way your body was as a teen or older child. Testicles will slowly get smaller. A penis that doesn't get erections for months or years at a time will have a somewhat shorter erect length than before. Armpit, pubic, and chest hair can slowly reduce. The oily glands in the skin that produce that "manly" (or sometimes "old billy goat" Ha. Ha.) scent can downregulate, and overall body odor may be reduced.
General energy and peak energy levels do decline with prolonged low Testosterone levels.
When I was first diagnosed at age 65 I was not a big exercise person, but I would easily walk 3-5 miles at a good pace, mow lawns at a good clip, work hard, and be out in the heat for hours at a time.
A couple of years later, I ran out of gas on a 6 mile hike in Yellowstone National Park at 7,000 ft. elevation. Almost 4 years later (and with added Xtandi) at age 69 I am more comfortable with 2 mile walks at slower paces, mowing my lawns with slower deliberation, taking breaks for heat or tiredness before overdoing it, etc. But, getting some exercise still does help me feel better, overall, fatigue-wise.
Overdoing it, though, can make things feel worse.
But, these impressions are just mine. "Your mileage may vary."
Charles