Joint pain from Zytiga - how are you managing?

[HOPEFULSPOUSE]

My husband has joint pain from Zytiga - his current regimen is not 100% helpful.

He does #1 and 2 every day and the rest as needed.

Would love to know how you are coping.

Currently:

1) Medical Marijuana (Oil) - he won't take too much though as he doesn't like to be passed out.

2) Biomat

3) CBD cream topical

4) Infrared Sauna

5) "Oxygen Bath" with epsom salt + food grade H202

[JamesAtlanta]

I have never had joint pain from Zytiga. And I’ve never read anyone else complain about that as a symptom on. Mostly just some fatigue. Exercise is all that helps that. Perhaps others have had a different experience.

I had a lot of joint pain when going through chemo. Especially right after a Nulasta shot (for white blood cell boosting). You take Zyrtec for that - no idea why that helps, but it’s what the doctor ordered.

Hope someone can suggest some strategies to help.

Best,

James

[HOPEFULSPOUSE in reply to JamesAtlanta]

Thanks James - maybe you're right that it's from the Lupron and not the Zytiga. He also has fatigue so he doesn't always have the strength to exercise or even go for a walk. He does an infrared sauna most days which gets the heart rate up.

[JamesAtlanta in reply to HOPEFULSPOUSE]

Fatigue is tricky. You have to force yourself to exercise to help reduce the fatigue. You just have to push through it. You can’t wait until you have more energy to exercise.

Good luck! We are all here for you and your husband!

James

[AlanMeyer]

I never had Zytiga but I did have joint pain starting about six months or so after starting Lupron. Checking the FDA label on the Internet, I saw that it was pretty common with Lupron and presumably other ADT drugs.

For me, the pain and stiffness was primarily in the small joints - fingers and toes. The solution was exercise but I also got relief from the pain and stiffness either from cold or from heat, or best of all, from alternating cold and heat. I would run my hands under cold water, then switch to hot, then back to cold. After a few alternations everything moved freely and the pain was gone. But what cured it was the exercise - large amounts of both strength and flexibility exercises. Other things helped too, like sleeping with my hands balled into fists. That kept them from stiffening.

If your husband is experiencing pain in big joints (hips, knees, shoulders, etc.) then his problem might be totally different from mine.

Best of luck with it.

Alan

[HOPEFULSPOUSE in reply to AlanMeyer]

Thanks Alan - I like the idea of hot and cold in sequence - will see if that helps. He also goes in a floatation tank - which helps a lot but it also requires him feeling well enough to get out. Must be the magnesium / Epsom Salt.

[AlanMeyer in reply to HOPEFULSPOUSE]

Perhaps alternating heating pad and ice pack will help. It feels good too. When you've had an ice pack on for five minutes or so the heating pad feels wonderful, and vice versa. If he's got pain say in both hips, he could put the heating pad on one and the ice pack on the other, then periodically switch. Treatments like this are free, easy to apply at home, can be used while reading a book, watching TV or doing anything that can be done while sitting in an easy chair or lying on a sofa, and they're very unlikely to do any harm.

I wish him the best.

[HOPEFULSPOUSE in reply to AlanMeyer]

Thank you so much!

[Mathes72]

Walk,join a gym

[HOPEFULSPOUSE in reply to Mathes72]

Yes thanks - that's ideal - when he can! That's the Catch 22.

[Dalph87]

Zytiga just causes fatigue, my father is on his 6th month with it and that's all he's experiencing.

Sadly there is no alternative to exercising (going to the gym) or at least walking a lot everyday, it helps more than people think, even managing the weight gain caused by the Lupron and Prednisone.

Best wishes.