I've been on Erleada (Apalutimide) + ... - Advanced Prostate...

Advanced Prostate Cancer

21,018 members26,196 posts

I've been on Erleada (Apalutimide) + ADT for 16 months...Still works, but waiting for the other shoe to drop.

30 Replies

Hi Everyone,

As the title indicates, I've been taking Erleada + ADT for 16 months now with no end in sight. I've been battling cancer since 2001, not only Prostate Cancer, but Colon Cancer, Melanoma and Renal as well...(I've beaten all of them except PC) I have been tolerating the side effects relatively well, and I'm doing well. But as most of you know, PC is a disease that drains you (and your spouse). It's the "gift" that keeps on giving. I'm told that Erleada is not a cure, rather just a life extender, and I take it till it stops working. I know that there's a lot more bullets in the gun after Erleada, but I'm tired, no, I think the word exhausted is more appropriate...I guess I just need a good vacation or something. I've been taking drugs for so long that, although I'm happy, I'm definitely not the same man I used to be. I exercise daily, weigh the same amount I did when I graduated high school so long ago, and I eat fish, veggies, fruit and chicken if I have to...no sugar, boring. Surgery, radiation, ADT, Chemo, Drugs, have led to ED that is just as bad, so that's a "bonus" side effect from battling prostate cancer, there seems to be no cure for that, just injections, or more surgery. I'm still 55 years young, have a great spouse and kids...but I'm numb inside and I know it's the drugs talking here.

Enough of spilling out my grievances...I'm not looking for a pity party...but I am searching for the cure to PC, I guess like all of us are on this site. My question is, have any of you beaten Metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer been cured? Or do any of you know someone who has beaten it? If so, how? I have great doctors, and go to Johns Hopkins, so I think I have a great team, but there's got to be a way to beat this and get off the drugs.

Read more about...
30 Replies
NPfisherman profile image
NPfisherman

Message Gourd Dancer...he has beaten this beast....as for the ED, someone posted of a nerve implant surgery in Australia that has had, as I recall about a 70% cure for ED....

eurekalert.org/pub_releases...

Someone I know is going to Skype with the surgeon and find out prices....hopefully, he will post...

You're tired brother...and a real warrior....beating the other cancers....While exercising, get out into nature for several hours a week...it is good for overall health... see below:

sciencedaily.com/releases/2...

Hope some of this helps... Best of luck to you...

Don Pescado

in reply to NPfisherman

Hi Don,

Sorry for my late reply, and thank you for your input. I'm printing out the information from the link you provided on the ED Cure and taking it to my Urologist next week. He's really progressive on these things, and I'm interested in his input. Hopefully, the person you know that's going to Skype lets us all know what the cost is. I'd fly anywhere to fix the ED problem.

in reply to NPfisherman

Hi...did your friend make the call? If so, can you fill us in?

Tall_Allen profile image
Tall_Allen

I think you have to look at it as a disease you manage (like HIV), rather than a disease you cure. There is no known cure yet for metastatic (M1) PC. Unfortunately, the most prevalent side effect of all advanced hormonal agents is fatigue. I talked to a doctor just yesterday about his experience with modafinil for daytime sleepiness.

in reply to Tall_Allen

Hi, sorry for my late reply, and thank you for your input. Can you expand on the Modafinil experience? Does it really ease the fatigue?

Tall_Allen profile image
Tall_Allen in reply to

Prevents daytime sleepiness

RayF profile image
RayF in reply to Tall_Allen

Hey there, just reading this thread. Have you tried modafinil yet? If so, could you share your experience with it?

Thanks for all of your informed posts.

Tall_Allen profile image
Tall_Allen in reply to RayF

It was for another patient - I was just there as an advocate. He decided against it. Another patient I know tried it, but found it prevented napping, but he still felt fatigued. He preferred to take a nap.

RayF profile image
RayF in reply to Tall_Allen

Thanks.

LearnAll profile image
LearnAll

My definition of "cure' is to manage prostate cancer so well that we can reach an average life span with best possible QAL. An average life span of American male is approx. 78 years .You are an inspiration to people like me who are having difficulty dealing with just one cancer...still trying to embrace fatigue as part of life. BTW, exercise does reduce fatigue.

in reply to LearnAll

Hi, thank you for your input. I agree with your comments; I know there are people on this site that are younger than me (I'm 55), but it's a long time till 78. Just a few years ago, I was chasing my wife around the house for all the love I could get, but the surgeries, drugs and fatigue have created chaos in my psyche. My brain sends signals all the time, but there's no one home down south. It's a bummer; and the tri-mix injections work (sometimes), but I still struggle with the routine...it's like hey babe, hold that thought...I got to go to the fridge, grab a needle...etc. Why did the disease have to take that away from us!!!

LearnAll profile image
LearnAll in reply to

CRK...we have to liberate ourselves one by one from all longings once we have got metastatic prostate cancer....in fact we have no choice. Acceptance is the key...

sooner or later, we have to accept the reality of our new life and seek happiness in other areas..This disease transforms us greatly. Accept and Adapt is my mantra.

Haniff profile image
Haniff in reply to

Yes CRK2

That’s been my biggest regret, not having the ability to make love to my loving wife. I am 58+ diagnosed on 9 October 2017.

It sucks big time especially when we now have all the time in the world as my sons are all grown up and chasing their own dreams and accomplishing their goals. Grandchildren help us to stay young at heart, but the yearning for love down south is more stinging than all the needles in the world.

Take good care and my very best to you

Haniff

cesanon profile image
cesanon

Your goal needs to be to die from something else. It seems like most people succeed in doing this.

It's actually not a good way to go. I posted a Quora answer by a urologist about a year ago here. It caused a lot of controversy at the time. If you have an interest you may want to search for it.

j-o-h-n profile image
j-o-h-n in reply to cesanon

To cesanon,

As per your request: "stop reading my posts please. Thanks" I did not read your post.

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Thursday 07/11/2019 8:24 PM DST

Power to you! If you can get any "downhill" feeling that makes you feel better. This disease cripples the head as much as the body.

My Onco said there was a company (about 10 years ago) that took T-cells and "taught" them to target Pca cells. It worked, but the company went bankrupt. Too few buyers at $1m a pop. And the need to follow up with another million to deal with mutations. Apparently another lot in the pipeline, but they also will be in the million dollar market. This is a huge problem - if someone does find a cure, only millionaires could afford it. The sorry truth is that most of us will never get to use any real cures because they are all going to be super-expensive.

There do seem to be many success cases where they caught the problem early, and used all natural fixes - raw food diet, turmeric, selenium, Vit D, shiitake mushrooms, Vit C IV's etc. In other words they removed the causes and boosted their immune systems enough to get the natural killing up to scratch again. I don't think these guys use this forum. A pity, we can learn from them. Westerners tend to ignore these cheap fixes because of the health care systems that pay. But they also miss their one chance to escape.

Alas, once we start on medications, the immune system gets greatly weakened by all these poisons. It never gets strong enough again to kill the last of the cells. Raw foods etc. can help to increase the natural kills (and thus reduce medications and extend life), but we really are trapped in the "big machine" and need the medications offered for our survival. If we can afford them. We all wish it were otherwise.

And we wait, wait, wait, hope , hope, hope, for the magic bullet that costs less than $1m.

RonnyBaby profile image
RonnyBaby in reply to

I agree with the idea that there are other ways to fight back our PCa.

Although there is no formal protocol for 'supplementation', there are avenues to find certain groups or families of plants / natural sources to boost the immune system.

I would state that there are cases that have progressed too far to hope that supplements might make a difference.

I believe in SOME cases, if you are 'early' enough in the state of disease, that supplements can make a difference.

The supplementation I refer to is about our own immune system - specifically the 'white T' killer cells and the overall gut health we need to maintain for optimum health.

I'm referring to mushrooms, curcummin, pre/pro-biotics, quercetin, vitamins, super greens and varied compounds found in specific food / beverage groups that work together to provide a better 'recovery' environment.

Anti-inflammation is a key concept to finding tools to fight back.

I've also had to find ways to improve my sleep - which has been a HUGE problem for me.

I have created a cocktail at night that works well - even for the insomniacs.

IF you can't sleep, try something like the following

- ashwangandha ( 1 gram cap + extract)

- passion flower ( 350 gm extract)

- melatonin - 2 types ( timed release 10 mg and quick dissolve - 10 mg)

- calming tea like chamomile

- Indica / THC tincture - 1 mil @ 25 mg. (could include some CBD ratio much lower than the THC value).

ALL the above are taken about an hour (or more) before lights out time.

If you need more, take an extra capsule or play with the variables a bit.

I awake in the morning, reasonably well rested, without a hangover. Just need a coffee and about an hour to fully wake up and start my day with energy, after a hearty breakfast.

in reply to RonnyBaby

Thank you, I’m going to give your sleep cocktail a try :)

Hi Nalakrats, thank you for your reply, and thank you for your input. I'm keeping up the fight as we all are. This is a helpful forum.

Boywonder56 profile image
Boywonder56

P.s.....just read more of your posts....and i ..like you am numb inside....hats off to ya and you courage to battle on with what youve been dealt. I for one think the mental dealings...are as bad or worse than the p.c....i was told if i did nothing in the beg. Maybe 2yrs....they said to think in 5yr increments on meds....so im 3 yrs into that....i like you seem to be lucky to have a fir me caring gf.....but man do i miss that feeling.....what i dont want is to waste one day fighting this shit when i couldve been having a better life...only brothers in arms understand...peace ..b.w.

in reply to Boywonder56

...man do I miss that feeling also...now that the PC is knocked back, I've been concentrating on getting my mojo back...I do the Tri-mix, but it's not the same :/. btw; all things in the mojo area are not covered by insurance...makes no sense because the lack of mojo comes with its own set of problems. And, I have been fighting the BIG C for quite some time...my body looks like I've been through a knife fight, and unfortunately, there's so many internal parts that don't quite work the way they once did...but I'm alive :)

Olivia007 profile image
Olivia007

How long have you been on Erleada I just heard it was approved? Also were you on zytiga or xtandi? Then you were on Erleada? Thank you Olivia

in reply to Olivia007

Hi Olivia...I started on Erleada right out of the gate; March 2018...as soon as it was approved, somehow my doc got it approved through insurance (I have Metastatic Castration-Resistant PC). My oncologist is Dr. Antonarokus out of Hopkins and he’s been closely involved with the studies...so that helps. So far, it works great, but I worry about insurance on a daily basis, the drug is so expensive. As for Zytiga and Xanti, I have not taken them.

Olivia007 profile image
Olivia007 in reply to

I know zytiga was expensive too it was over $90,000 but luckily my dad has insurance so he only had to pay $10 co-pay

Olivia007 profile image
Olivia007 in reply to Olivia007

Again that amount was for a year of monthly meds

in reply to Olivia007

Yep...the stuff is expensive!!!

Olivia007 profile image
Olivia007

I had one more question is it like Zytiga and or xtandi? I’m wondering to ask for my 82 year old dad or is it different?

in reply to Olivia007

Olivia, I’m not qualified to answer that question. But a totally unqualified answer is that they all work basically the same way, but are different at the molecular level. One may be better than the other, but I don’t think there are any studies that compare them. My Oncoligist chose it for me because he thought it would provide the best response in my case. So far, it works for me :). But I can also tell you that the side effects are many, but tolerable for the most part

Olivia007 profile image
Olivia007 in reply to

Thank you

elkmt profile image
elkmt

i am 4 yr into stage 4 pc. rp,rt &adt erleada got me to <.06.the PROpel trial is looking good to inhbit pc dna resulting in cell death. hang in their .advances in treatments are coming soon

You may also like...

Rising PSA after being off ADT for 16 months

months later PSA climbs again and that’s when ADT was begun. ADT was stopped at 6 months as...

What is the effect of having sex on advanced prostate cancer?

friends, I have recently started ADT (Lupron + Erleada) and I am wondering while on ADT, Does...

Newly diagnosed for high grade Prostate Cancer

anything more than treating you. The more you know the better and harder you can fight for a cure...

Diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer 2016.

me surgery no longer an option because it had spread and put me on ADT Zoladex. I elected to have...

Question about OS statistics for stage 4 prostate cancer

more like 7, I'm guessing that the patients in those statistics did not have second line ADT...