Apalutamide experience

[easeytiger]

Hi all. After finishing docetaxel in November I had the benefit of a treatment break until last week. Although the chemo had worked there has been some recent progression in one hip and spots on my ribs. There were a few options available but all slipped away due to coronavirus. I started last week on this drug expecting something similar to abiraterone in side effects, fatigue and bone pain, seems i was right. What are other's experiences on this drug? Hopefully some positive!

[Hidden]

Mama Mia! This APC is a brutal foe.. keep plugging along .. go easy tiger ... I’m pulling for you !🙏

[PeakClimber]

I've been on apalutamide for a month. Initially I was on abiratarone but had liver enzyme issues. At this point I'm not experiencing apalutamide-induced side effects that I know of. Sign up for the Janssen co-pay program if you can, it pays for my Erleada 100%.

My every-3-month Lupron injection was yesterday and I can't sleep tonight at all...

[easeytiger in reply to PeakClimber]

I was on Abi two years ago, only managed 7 months before it failed, I've got insurance cover which pays for 100% so luckily ok here too.

[Pmann]

I have been on Erleada now for eighteen months

Managing pretty well, had to take more BP meds to manage that side effect

Otherwise for me not near the issues of casodex

[Hidden]

I started today with my first four pills. We'll see how it works out. I'm crossing my fingers that the side effects are mild or at least tolerable. With the pandemic about to peak, I decided to nix the planned four months of immediate docetaxel (due to the resultant lowered white blood cell counts) and implement the Erleada/apalutamide instead. Even though the Erleada drops white blood cell counts as well, I'm assuming it's less than the docetaxel by a wide margin. The Titan trial nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NE... demonstrated its effectiveness and the follow-up QOL study looks good: thelancet.com/journals/lano... .

Possible side effects: oncolink.org/print/pdf/2376... + bccancer.bc.ca/drug-databas... + mayoclinic.org/drugs-supple... + rxlist.com/erleada-side-eff... .

Good luck to you!

Let's see how it goes...

[ncisc001]

My dad has been on Erleada for about 19 months and so far so good! He hasn’t had any additional side effects than the mild ones he’s experienced with Lupron.

[Hidden in reply to ncisc001]

How old is your Dad and does he have mets? I'm wondering if the side effects get worse with age. I noticed that Ron Scolamiero, the 72 yr old fellow featured in the NY Times article ( nytimes.com/2018/02/08/heal... with non-metastatic disease), had been on apalutamide continuously for SIX years and was doing fine. According to that article, the early version of the drug was reformulated to cut down on the side effects -- although it seems that a good many are still listed and hit various patients.

[ncisc001 in reply to Hidden]

He will be 65 in August and he’s non-metastatic according to a bone/CT scan done in 9/2018.