Please share any information on Zoladex side effects you may have had.
I was on Firmagon which reduced the PSA from 19 to 0.4 then 6 months vacation from drugs.
NOW the PSA has gone up to 2.4 & the MO has put me on Zoladex because it is a 3 monthly injection when Firmagon was one month, something to do with the hospital overloaded I guess.
Hello,
My oncologist did the same when I added Xtandi (enzalutamide) to the mix several years ago. I much preferred Zoladex (goserelin) to Firmagon (degarelix). The obvious reason was an injection every three months vs an injection every month. Another reason was less pain and swelling at the injection site. It did eventually go away but it was uncomfortable for several days. People on this site will tell you a skilled medical professional will help mitigate the pain and discomfort. I am sure there are some tricks to giving Firmagon. Nevertheless, my family doctor gave me the injection every month and I always seemed to come away with redness and swelling. No serious side effects other than loss of libido, probably accelerated by Xtandi and some fatigue. Hope that helps.
Oh well, i sometimes fill superior thet I am an electrical engineer. Healthcare workers don't have a clue and don't want to do anything properly.
On the box it says that it is a subcutaneous injection.
They are missing a point that it should be administered deep into the fat tissue they sometimes not even insert a needle fully. Lol
No wonder that it is painful and red. They don't have a clue. After or they are the oncology nurses. Can you say you as a patient to them what to do? I did but they don't care.
They just hope that you will dye. Pain? Who cares? This is my personal experience after getting Firmagon injections for more than 4 years.
Thankyou, sharing information here is a big help.
Here are the instructiond how to inject Firmagon injections:
firmagon.com/hcp/dosing-and...
Hello,
I have seen this before. When I was on Firmagon (unfortunate name) my family doctor administered the monthly injection. I still got some redness and swelling.
i believe it is very important to change injection site and to insert the needle fully and to inject it very slowly. I agree that is normal to have some rednes but not for very long time if they know what they are doing. I have to make suggestions to the nurse as you can imagine she doesn't feel the pain unlike us.
you can always inject Firmagon yourself or even better find a gp to do it or even better a registered nurse. It is not a rocket science.
my recollection is that its better to take more of the 1 month shots then fewer 3 month or 6 month shots.
I picked that up here on this forum. I think this is so because the resulting active ingredient blood levels are more stable.
Ask your doc about this. If he says its true, but not that important... that means its both true & important.
If you ask him, please report back what he tells you.
A monthly injections are the best. I could not sleep well after a 3 monthly injection.
Well the Firmagon cost me a big 6.99 aud here & that must be the issue. The MO tried to push me to a pill that cost 2.5K every month & I promptly bought him back to earth.
The firmagon tablet is not available in this great country & that would solve the injection issue.
Hi Aries. I’ve been on Zoladex for a year. Main side effects are fatigue, hot flushes including sweating. Zytiga may also contribute. To overcome fatigue I find playing something competitive like golf works well.
As for injections, I recommend an experienced, qualified nurse. That may sound simplistic but I discovered that this is more intricate than giving a vaccination.
Good luck.
The doctor switched my husband from monthly Firmagon shots to a six month Lupron shot. Now after reading comments here I'm a little nervous. His doctor said he did it so my husband didn't have to deal with monthly shots. My husband gets the shot and is on Darolutimide pills and then he starts chemo on Tuesday with Docetaxel. So far he hasn't had any bad side effects and no pain. Praying things stay that way.
Stay with Firmagon if it is feasible for you. Lupron is only more convenient for some, otherwise Firmagon is superior.
I was going to say Lupron is only more convenient & personally I could not tolerate Lupron. I could not stat awake.
here are the instructions how to inject Firmagon injections:
I am in Zoladex for seven months now, after a major alergic reaction to first Firmagon dose.
No SEs from the Zoladex itself, just the expected from low T. The 3 montly injection is a great advantage, if you think each one is a chance for infection, due to the application or the hospital visit.
MO says Zoladex is been prescribed for a long time now, and reliable. I have a great result with it. I hope you have the same.
Thankyou Carlos, I am back on Firmagon for now but will keep your advice in mind as the monthly injections grind on. The pain at the injection site stays there for a week come to think of it.
here are the instructions and the video how to inject Firmagon injections:
I'm an Aussie on Zolodex for two years. My GP gives me the shot. First he gives me a needle to numb the injection site then gives me the injection implant. Every 3mths goes to the other side, alternates, left side then right side in the belly fat. I have never had swelling, only bruising. Side effects are the usual, hot flashes, belly fat, breast enlargement, reduction in testicle size, no libido, no erection, etc. But, the good news is I am still breathing and enjoying life to the max. Positive attitude is a plus in this fight for survival.
Interesting comparison thanks Seasid. I can not tolerate Lupron anyway & it has more SE than Firmagon.
I will try Zoladex soon to reduce the discomfort of monthly injections.
My husband has been on Firmagon for most of the time since diagnosis in Feb 2018. Was switched to an agonist (not Zoladex) for about 9 months but we switched him back to Firmagon despite the monthly injections . Reason: it's an antagonist which means 1) it also lowers FSH and is therefore more effective long term than an agonist 2) it has fewer CV complications than an agonist.
To counteract injection site discomfort, it is really important to not only inject slowly but to extract the needle slowly as well. That gives time for the liquid to become a gel and decreases the possibility of residual liquid coming in contact with the dermal layer of the skin which is what causes the inflammation. An ice pack afterwards also helps a lot.
One other thing, while it seems you aren't paying much for Firmagon, maybe consider getting it at a public hospital. My husband does and it's free. We're also in OZ.
Thankyou so much for this valued information. I was receiving the injection at a hospital but the MO switched me to my local doctor, so will simply do the sums shortly.
Like the old saying goes. If your on a good thing stick to it!
i would like to know where are you treated as similar heppend where I am treated.
I am receiving treatments in Sydney, Darlinghurst at the Kinghorn Cancer Centre.
I am in country NSW & travel to North West cancer centre in Tamworth.
thanks, they all copy each other, so they are more efficient
I was going to the mater in Newcastle, they were good but so crowded. It really is an epidemic when you see so many people there for the same reason.
I tried to think out of the box & managed to have two treatments of LU-177 but when they found out I had not served my time on ADT I was chucked out so now just go with the flow...
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