Hello all, it’s been about 6 months since I’ve posted. So my sweet Dad has had 6 rounds of taxotere, did amazingly well. He’s now had 3 Lupron injections and will continue with those. He just started Zytiga 2 weeks ago. Says with the Zytiga he basically feels like shit. Cloudy, fatigued, in a funk basically. I’m not sure if a lot of it is mindset. Chemo seemed almost easier, you are checking in every 2 weeks like clockwork, interacting with others who are sharing your journey. Now he’s just out there alone, he gets his 15 minutes with the doc every 6 weeks, he has to remember to order the pills etc. So I don’t know if a lot of what he’s feeling is mental or what. I’m sure it’s a combination of many things. If he can’t tolerate this drug, what other options are there? Are there any other drugs to offset the side effect? We have encouraged him to start taking an antidepressant which he is resisting. He doesn’t want to add another pill to his box🙄
He’s also not sleeping for shit and the prednisone is making him puffy. His onc told him to take the Zytiga in the morning. I’m wondering if it would be helpful to take it at night instead? Sorry for the long rant..,any advice or words of encouragement would be much appreciated!
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Ali1980
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Sorry you dad is having such a hard time...You obviously love him very much ...he’s lucky to have you in his corner.
I have not had issues with Zytiga. I DO take it at night. I did not do well with prednisone (actually gave me blurred vision) so I switched to 5mg of dexamethasone, which I take in the morning. That helped a lot. I’m wondering if the lack of sleep and other issues is related to prednisone?
Also, is your dad exercising? Exercise is critical to help with the side effects of ADT, chemo, etc... It helps address the stiffness, fatigue and loss of muscle mass. It also helps with sleep. It doesn’t have to be too hard - walk 2-3 miles a day and do some light weight lifting if he can a few days a week. (No one wants to do this - you have to force yourself to do it. And you feel so much better when you do.) 😊
Many here take antidepressants- no shame in that. And many also take a sleep aid. Sleep is critical to feeling better and also helps with depression.
Anyway, I’m sure you will get lots of responses to your post. I hope this bit of advice is helpful!
My first two weeks of Zytiga were the worst, muscle fatigue and soreness especially, but after three months, very tolerable, mostly just night sweats now. I break up the Prednisone into halves, and spread the dose out over the day. Stay the course, it’s a very effective drug.
I have been on Zytiga for the last 7 months...I usually take them in the morning and do not have any sleep issue except for getting up intermittently to go to the washroom. I still went bck to sleep aftr that..Hope this helps. Zytiga had helped me to bring my PSA down from 100 plus to 0.41 ...
I wake up 3-4-5 times every night and I started taking Zytiga at night. I am fatigued, my mind is 30% of what it used to be, I have chills and headaches if I feel cold. I have the Buddha's belly, lost muscle. Exercise is very beneficial. It helps me feel less fatigued and I sleep really well. I have been on Zytiga+Prednisone for the last 10 months and I have been for the last 3-4 months in partial remission. God bless you(I have a daughter also) and good luck to your father! Not even once I read questions from a son regarding their father in this forum! There are more daughters with questions than wives. Maybe I am wrong. My brains just don't work(anymore).
You would not believe how may males I know who are illiterate. Composing and writing a post is a bridge to far. That is why they have wives and daughters.
Have any of the respondents to this post had their prostate removed? I was a G7 with 3 of 14 removed lymph nodes affected.. Gallium PSMA PET scan post op showed 3 more, all localized in pelvic area. 4th Firmagon shot under my belt(no pun intended) 6th week of 8 of IMRT and my PSA is <0.05, which, by definition is nil. LA docs say take the Zytiga/prednisolone in ADDITION, Dallas docs say no.
My dad is on zytiga as well has not affected him that way. The prednisone has made him want to eat ,which in his case is good. My doctor put me on Effexor for depression and hot flashes. It did help with the both. The weight of the world is cruel at this point so lots of love and understanding. Get him some Effexor and hold his hand, cry with him if he will. Fight the monster together 🙏🙏
My husband was on Zytiga and Prednisone for 18mos (also went 10brounds of chemo, then 6 rounds of Radium 223 as well as Lupron injections). At the beginning PSA was 118, QUICKLY dropped to 0.01and has remained there. He too experienced all of the same side effects your father is having. We did move his Zytiga dose to evening (after a good dinner) the fatigue lessened a bit. He also exercised (bike and weights) several times a week.. YES it was very hard for him but he felt a little better than no exercise. He has also gained the weight, which depressed the hell outa him so he agreed to try antidepressants. Started w/Efexor, but due to stomach upset he switched to 50mg of Zoloft...WOW WHAT A DIFFERENCE in the depression! My husbands treatment concluded 4 months ago and he is in remission, 3 month post treatment PSA remains at 0.01. We are now in the process of system detox and weight loss... which has also been very hard and frustrating for him, but atleast he is out of the darkness and standing in the light. This journey IS VERY DIFFICULT but your father CAN DO IT... keep fighting and stay strong ♡♡♡
when I completed initial treatment and received 3 good PSA readings in a row I tapered off Zoloft slooooly. Step 1) skip a pill every other day for two weeks. Step 2) Take one pill every third day for two weeks. Step 3) Stop taking Zoloft. Zoloft worked great for me then and now 23 years later I on back on Zoloft and still doing a very good job of making me a functioning person again.This time I waited too long to start taking it.
Is your dad eating on a regular schedule? I used to never worry about eating. now I hit a wall if I don't eat morning, noonish and night.
I take Zytiga in the middle of the day, and have no immediate side effects. I take prednisone in the morning with food, it sometimes makes me feel on edge and makes my hands shake a little.
When I get a Lupron shot, I feel crappy the following week or two. When I first got my Lupron shot I felt like shit for weeks, the result of my test being curb-stomped no doubt.
When I got my last Zumeta infusion, my teath hurt, my hips hurt more, I get headaches, I got dizzy, and I felt like shit for a week.
Hot flashes (I call em heat waves) have lessened, but still get them multiple times a day, and some nights sweat like a roofer.
You dad is lucky he has you! I've got a daughter too, she looks out for me
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