SHOULD I or SHOULDN'T I

Steve, I am stage 4 with Mets to the spine and ribs. And I have ten + years of adt with some side effects that can ruin a day. The last four years I have been .oo on my psa tests, but I chose to stay on lupron to hopefully help me live longer. At some point I might pull the plug, but right now life is good and I can be helpful to my wife and kids, so I really want to stick around longer. And for you to have very limited side effects, that seems to be a great path to take. Just my humble opinion.
Michael

I started with 6 month lupron shots and stayed with that for convenience. Going to 3 month 4 times a year would change nothing. If you went to 3 month shots you aren't getting any less. The real question is can you just stop altogether. With lung nodules, maybe not. With bone metastisis, I said yes. Forgot how to highlight,

https://classic.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05241860

Post Edited (GoBucks) : 8/26/2023 12:30:16 PM (GMT-8)

Diagnosed ten years ago now, with a skyrocketing PSA over 100, both my lungs were peppered with countless cancerous lung nodules ... indicating the spread of prostate cancer.

I will give credit to those first ADT shots ... in a few months, those lung nodules "shriveled and starved" --- in the words of my doctor. I have remained on ADT, ever since.

From personal experience, it's IMPERATIVE for fellows on ADT to ask for testosterone level tests. For me, LUPRON and FIRMAGON didn't fully suppress my testosterone, and my PSA "spiked and flared."

I'm now on ZOLADEX, which flatlined my testosterone, helping me keep my PSA controlled. It's currently undetectable, a far cry from where I started.

So, that being said ... in my case, my oncologist feels the "once a month" ADT injection suits me better, as he feels longer-term shots lead to greater fatigue.

He knows I am a teacher, and my energy remains high.

I think it's reasonable to get a one-month shot or three-month shot, in case a change needs to be made.

If one "winters away" for months at a time, a six-month shot makes sense.

Does your oncologist have sage advice on this?

After a decade on ADT, receiving a shot every four weeks, my doctor and I very recently decided to change it to every five weeks, knowing each ADT shot has a residual effect.

No matter what dosage you choose, make sure your doctor is assessing testosterone along the way.

SteveO ~ you are a loyal member here, and I follow all your posts.

Sending you all my supportive thoughts and encouragement, my compadre!

Camaraderie & fellowship ~

CYCLONE