Is this common for men on Lupron?

[dac500]

A month and half ago, I had an attack of flu which was treated with Tamiflu. After that my mental anxiety has increased significantly. I did think it to be interaction between Tamiflu and Lupron. I have been on Lupron for 4 years with two nine-month breaks. But the anxiety level is not subsiding a month and half later. My hot flushes have gone up significantly. During an episode of anxiety my hot flushes go up. I just wonder how common is this?

[Hidden]

On Lupron at 82? God bless you! Nothing surprises me once we are treated .Our chemistry is permanently awry ! I disliked Lupron so much I chose to chop the boys and drop the lupron . We got a bad local flu a few weeks ago . It was terrible .. I’ve basically stayed away from the public since dx . Im not vaccinated nor will I be . Im looking at the drug they give you if you catch the covid . But with your experience with tamaflu all of these drugs seam sketchy to me now . Good luck sir! 🙏

[Kaliber]

I too started having strong intermittent spats of anxiety, restless legs, etc. ….after starting Lupron. My only gave me Xanax for it and it works excellent for me, especially the anxious legs stuff.

[Healthynurse]

You have no Testosterone, of course, and your anxiety is through the roof. It is very difficult for your body to balance your endorphins out when the stabilizers are removed. Anything is bound to go wacky. All you can do is the best of what you feel like to have a happy daily life. Stay balanced, and keep breathing.

[SteveTheJ]

I probably had the flu but didn't get tested so no tamiflu. Yes to Lupron, no to additional anxiety. For at least two weeks I had no energy and was pretty severely depressed. I wouldn't put the anxiety on the Lupron but a qualified physician can advise you better.

[maggiedrum]

I've documented my disastrous experience with Lupron but I believe it wasn't Lupron but the lack of testosterone. I suffer from anxiety off and on but mostly depression. After my first and only 3-month time release injection of Lupron I went in to unrelenting unbearable depression. Low T is definitely a factor in emotional health but everyone is different. I never got another Lupron nor any other ADT therapy. I was definitely hormone sensitive. It did lower my PSA dramatically and it stayed low. My depression lasted 11 months despite the alleged durations of testosterone suppression of three months. I was suicidal the entire time and am not really sure why I did not do it to end my depression. This was several orders of magnitude over any depression I had ever experienced in my lifetime of depression.

Your increase in anxiety could be related to the ADT via Lupron or it may not. Just being diagnosed with PCa is enough to give many increased anxiety. I would say that the Lupron is something that might have caused it. It would be difficult to pin it on Lupron though. There is no known causal link to it medically but I think it would be on the known possible side effects though. If you are hormone sensitive (i.e. ADT did lower your PSA) then the standard of care for PCa is ADT other than chemo, radiation, and/or surgery. In the US at least per the FDA. I am now not getting any treatment for my PCa because I am hormone sensitive and no other meds are authorized.

There may be someone on here who has found that one of the other first line ADT meds don't produce any anxiety or other emotional problems but I don't have any experience to share on that. I suspect they wouldn't since all of them have the same goal - reduce testosterone, which I believe, caused my problem.

[dac500 in reply to maggiedrum]

I have been on Lupron for 4 years. Until now my depression and anxiety level were tolerable. The flu attack and taking Tamiflu might have made the situation worse. I believe I have started to cope with the situation better. I hope I would get back to my normal self in the next few weeks. Next month I get a CT scan to find out whether the progression seen in the scan six months ago has be halted. If so, I will get a holiday from the Lupron. If not, it would mean more aggressive treatment.

[maggiedrum]

Good luck with your scan. I have a bone scan and a CT scan next week. I am a bit anxious about that since my PSA has been trending up fairly quickly. Flu can be very bad for your body in general. I got my flu shot and definitely hope it doesn't add more problems for me.

[samuelachglue1952]

I only received two Lupron injections. The side effects were bearable and expected. I just completed receiving six Xofigo infusions these past six months. My treatments seem to have been successful. A scan will reveal my status in Jan., 2023. Not much help re: your inquiry.