My dad's got metastatic prostrate cancer (79yo) and is on zytiga (has been for 18+ months). He’s currently in hospital and has the doctors baffled as he took a fall (has lots of these) but over the last three weeks or so he’s had horrible headaches and has become confused, delirious and is having problems with his speech or finding the right words to communicate.
Does this sound familiar to anyone? I just want to establish if this is related to his cancer, the drug or whether we now have a fast form of dementia setting in.
Any invites are appreciated, Nikki
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The confusion sounds like possibly a UTI - which can be very serious in older people or immune compromised people, leading to confusion, etc. Generally clears up right away with antibiotics.
As far as the headaches, I agree with Gregg57 - doesn't sound like Zytiga. Sounds like a brain scan of some sort may be in order.
Like others have opined, I very much doubt that Zytiga has any connection with your dad's unfortunate symptoms. If this isn't already happening, I suggest that you do all that you can to ensure that a competent neurologist examines and perhaps runs a few tests on your father.
My 80 year old husband with metastatic prostate cancer also fell. He didn’t hit his head however two months later he collapsed and a scan revealed bleeding on both sides of his brain. Doctors said it can be caused by acceleration/deceleration. He had two craniotomies.
The side effects of zytiga and lupron both are lose of memory as well as dementia problems. My father is 87 and has these problems except for the headache. I’m 68 and I’m fighting the side effects as well . I’m on Xtandi as well as lupron shots monthly.
It doesn't sound like Zytiga, but it could be some sort of hydrocephalus, excess pressure on the brain.
I know people who developed Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus, NPH. It happens when the normal drain for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) becomes blocked or no longer functional.
The ventricles of the brain enlarge to accommodate the extra fluid and then press on different parts of the brain, causing a number of different symptoms. Frequent falls, sudden confusion, headaches, and speech difficulties are common symptoms.
NPH is often overlooked. Your father has almost certainly had some imaging of his brain, get those results in front of a radiologist who knows about NPH.
It's by no means certain your father has NPH, but the pattern of symptoms is so close that it has to be investigated. The good news is that NPH can be treated with surgery, where they install a modern valve to drain the CSF. The neurologist can adjust this vale to return the pressure to correct levels.
The signs and symptoms are all typical of head injury or stroke and not at all of anything Zytiga-related, with one unlikely exception: If he is not taking a potassium supplement, is taking a diuretic (perhaps to combat edema), and has experienced dehydration (heat, alcohol, or just not drinking enough water), he could be hypokalemic or in early renal failure, which can be associated with symptoms of confusion, vertigo, and nausea.
But that's a long shot. It's far, far more likely that his problem is something more conventional that most 79-year-old men are at risk of.
This sounds exactly like my wife who died 6/28/2019. My wife had over 6 falls within 2 months. She had a brain bleed. She never could explain why she fell. In April the quick mental decline started. She ended up becoming angry & accusatory over money and my friends. Her last 5 days were in comfort care.
The neurologists at Stanford could not give any definitive answers, which told me that neurology is beta test science.
My suggestion, make sure they are doing brain scans.
to Ldtyson. I wish to offer my condolences for the passing of your wife. She is at peace and in God's hands now. God Bless you, your family and your friends.
I have been on Zytiga 18 months. No significant side affects. Sounds like stroke like symptoms to me. I would have gone to emergency at first signs of slurred speech.
My dad had similar things happening. Especially confusion and speech. They kept writing it off as medication side effects or chemo side effects. He had a torn aorta with thoracic aneurysm. Ask for a scan!
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