There's life after Lupron!

[Scorpio99]

My doctor explained to me 2 years ago when I started on Lupron that my choice was "no more sex or death from prostate cancer". At age 69, with a PSA score of 21, I was far more open to no more sex than I would have been in my 20's and so, along with the surgery and radiation treatments, I began 24 months of Lupron injections every 90 days, which I finished 2 weeks ago. In addition to no sex drive and a little weight gain I had a hazy mind and forgot a lot of things, as well as some soreness in my joints. I've been at .01 in my PSA tests for the past year, however, and look forward to life after Lupron and maybe even having sex again! Hang in there, guys, being able to keep on living is everything!

[NPfisherman]

Welcome to the forum that no one wanted to join....

Sounds like you are doing ok.... I take it you are on ADT vacation....Good luck

Fish

[PGDuan]

Hi Scorpio - great to hear. Keep us posted on your progress. At 52 it still was an easy decision to go on ADT+Zytiga, but we sure miss the sex life. I’ve been prescribed 18 months and so far so good. Undetectable pretty much since I started. I’m really interested to hear how long it takes to get “back to normal” after you’re off the ADT.

[Scorpio99]

Thanks, I was just hoping that my story might show guys on Lupron that its just part of life's journey and, hopefully, the side effects are temporary.

[Healthaki in reply to Scorpio99]

Hi Scorpio99. So how are you now two years on. Ken Ridgeway. Lincoln

[Wassersug]

The claim from your MD that with Lupron your choice is "no more sex or death from prostate cancer" deservers some qualification. Did you ask for a clarification on how s/he defined sex?

I've review some data which suggests that drugs, like Lupron, do not necessarily or absolutely lead to asexuality. Below are the references. Folks know how to reach me, if they want pdfs:

Aucoin M & RJ Wassersug 2006 The sexuality and social performance of androgen-deprived (castrated) men throughout history: Implications for modern day cancer patients. Soc. Sci. & Med., 63:3162-3173.

Wassersug RJ 2016 Maintaining intimacy for prostate cancer patients on androgen deprivation therapy. Current Opin. Support. & Palliative Care, 10:55-65.

[Scorpio99 in reply to Wassersug]

The answer to your 2 questions is that after my prostate was surgically removed my PSA score went from a ridiculous high of 21 down to 4.2, which is still not good. It meant, in fact, that the cancer cells had spread dangerously beyond the prostate. That meant I needed 38 radiation treatments, which must be accompanied by Lupron injections to be effective, I was told by the specialist. Lupron suppresses the male hormones that cancer cells feed off of and that's why any guy getting the injections will absolutely lose his sex drive. Your hardons don't just physically stop, you won't even feel sexual DESIRES anymore until you are off the Lupron. So, yes, its an existential choice between sex & death by cancer. I hope this helps......

[tallguy2 in reply to Scorpio99]

I suggest you ask for annual or even biannual scans while on the Lupron holiday. I was almost 2 years into my “holiday” with gradually rising PSA when a chance MRI revealed abnormal lymph nodes.

[Wassersug]

Dear Scorpio99,

Thank you for your reply.

I'm not sure though what 2 questions you are referring to, as I only asked one question. You reply didn't doesn't seem to address the one I asked.

I remained concerned that you have been influences by negative sentiment from your healthcare providers. So, for example, you say that "any guy getting the [Lupron] injections will absolutely lose his sex drive. Your hardons don't just physically stop, you won't even feel sexual DESIRES anymore until you are off the Lupron."

I agree that that is a common occurrence. However there are a lot of data in the two cited papers showing that the situation is not always as absolutely negative as you claim. Men are diverse. The published data suggest that something like 10 to 20% of men on ADT claim to remain sexually active on ADT (although the type of sexual activity is not specified. About 4% claim to retain orgasm a year after starting ADT. Again, the sources for those data are in the 2016 paper that I cite.

That said, I am sorry that you have had such a hard time with Lupron.

[Scorpio99]

Your unintended pun of my having "a hard time with Lurpon" made me chuckle, as I've unfortunately had NO "hard times" the past couple of years, but hope that as the last of the Lupron in my system dissipates in the coming months now that I'm done with the injections that I may start up (my unintended pun!) again having a sex life. Anyone about to start the injection process needs to come to terms with this, as the whole point of Lupron injections is to depress your male hormones, which is where your hardons and desire for sex comes from. The upside of my cancer treatment is that it was successful, my PSA has been almost zero for the past year, making me for now cancer free. Lastly, I recommend taking the daily mild mood elevator drug, Lexapro 10 MG, once a day, as it helps greatly to fight off depression and memory loss.

[j-o-h-n]

I don't miss my Hardons cause I now have two lovely Tits to look at....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Sunday 04/07/2019 6:05 PM DST