is Farmagon better than Lupron ?

[Raminagrobis]

i have been on Farmagon for 3 months and feels much better and supposed to take Erleada Apalutamide 60 mg also. My PSA is 2.9 and my testosterone is low.

Now another doctor wants me to switch me to Lupron.

Which one would be better .?

In my hospital I see a different doctor everytime.

another doc there said I should get radiation on my spine.

What should I do ?

[JohnInTheMiddle]

I'm assuming you are metastatic, based on spinal involvement. And good question on Firmagon and why doctors always seem to want to move people off it. (There may be good reasons and there may also be reasons not to do it.)

(SIDE NOTE TO MODS: Having read a number of self-profiles by newly diagnosed PCa respondents, sometimes which are missing things and sometimes where there is too much information that is not very structured, I'm beginning to believe that we should have a template to guide people introducing themselves in their situation. The profile bio does this but it's not really front and center - and it also doesn't have much of a structural guideline.)

OK, back to my reply concerning Firmagon: there are quite a few discussions here in this forum on the advantages of that med versus ostensibly "more convenient" Lupron or Eligard. Worth searching up here. (I'm not up to finding and posting the links right now 🙂. Maybe I should make a little file of references so that it would be easy to post common answers 🙄.)

[Raminagrobis in reply to JohnInTheMiddle]

Thank you

[Tall_Allen]

They both do the same thing - reduce your testosterone production.

[Raminagrobis in reply to Tall_Allen]

Thanks

[GP24]

Firmagon is a monthly injection while you get Lupron every three months. This is the reason doctors want to move to Lupron. The side effects are almost the same, they are caused by the low testosterone and estrogen.

[Raminagrobis in reply to GP24]

Thank you

[GP24 in reply to GP24]

"another doc there said I should get radiation on my spine"

This can help to extend the ADT according to this trial: jamanetwork.com/journals/ja... It says: " In men with oligometastatic prostate cancer wishing to prolong hormone therapy cessation, a strategy incorporating metastasis-directed therapy and intermittent hormones may be warranted." It will work for non-intermittent ADT too.

[j-o-h-n]

You say "Firmagon" I say "Lupron".................. let's call the whole thing off.....

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Friday 09/15/2023 1:51 PM DST

[ARIES29]

For me the SE on Firmagon were far less than Luprin but the monthly injection on Firmagon can be painful & time consuming.