Lupron injection not working

[woppaginny]

Started one injection a month for lupron, October 2023.

First psa test came back 26 in November,

November got 2nd lupron injection,

The second psa was 22 on December 11, 2023,

Just got the third injection today, December 11, 2023.

Lupron not reducing psa like the doc thought it would. doc said going to try it this month (December) to see what the psa reads the third month in, in January 2024.

What should the next step be if psa does not reduce further in January

Doc says I should get radiation but I do not want to get radiated just yet if at all

Pet scan in July came back negative

Doc wants a second Pet scan next month in January 2024

Last prostate MRI showed cancer still contained in prostate in April 2023

Been fighting this crap since January 2015

No, I do not want to get the prostate removed, cancer still returns anyway so whats the use.

Had two friends get their prostate removed, year later cancer was back in one friend, other friend still waiting to see if it returns, his psa is 9

I'm open to solutions and recomendations

[Tall_Allen]

Is the Lupron controlling your testosterone? For non-metastatic CRPC your choices are to add Xtandi, Erleada, or Nubeqa.

[woppaginny in reply to Tall_Allen]

thanks for the information, yes it is suppose to lower my testosterone to zero or close to it

[dhccpa in reply to woppaginny]

Has it lowered T at all yet? Before and after each shot?

[woppaho in reply to dhccpa]

first month after lupron injection psa was 26

second month after injection psa is 21, so it lowered the psa 5 points

just got the 3rd injection 12/11/23

[dhccpa in reply to woppaho]

How about testosterone? Separate from PSA? Are you getting testosterone checked?

[woppaho in reply to dhccpa]

yes, after first injection, testasterone was 26, psa was 25

after second injection testasterone climbed to 40, psa was 21

just got third injection, will find out testasterone numbers in january

[Hidden in reply to woppaginny]

Lupron will take you to castrate levels <50, not zero.

Your adrenal glands also produce the hormone dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), which your body transforms into testosterone and estrogen.

Zytiga stops the adrenals producing DHEA.

Im taking Lupron with Zytiga (Abiraterone) my testosterone is <5 (lowest able to test)

[Oatmeal2]

What about Firmagon injections? It works differently to lower testosterone and PSA.

[pakb]

My husband has taken 6.5 years to get below 1 PSA on lupron and zytiga (plus chemo in the beginning). It has gone down VERY slowly since chemo ended. You can look in my profile. But it continues to trend down- that's what his oncologist has focused on no matter the rate of drop.

[NecessarilySo]

Your PSA came down from 26 to 22 after second injection. After third injection it will probably come down a bit more, to 18. I'd say wait for January PSA and gradually PSA will decline. Monthly injections of Lupron (7.5 mg) are likely slower in effect than quarterly (22.5 mg). Your bio says you were PSA 119 few years ago and responded to Casodex, (which affects metastasis). I think you should continue casodex, follow TA and add Xtandi, and radiate prostate to get at the source. {I'm not a doc so I'd say work with your doc.} Also, I recently learned that antioxidants may increase cancer metastasis proliferation, so you might cut back on vitamins. cancer.gov/news-events/canc....

[bldn10]

You still haven't answered what effect it had on T. That's Lupron does - lower T. If it has lowered T, it is working. If T is at castrate level and PSA is still going up, you need to go to Plan B.

[woppaho in reply to bldn10]

What would plan B be.....

T is at castrate level and psa dropped 5 points from 26 to 21

[bldn10 in reply to woppaho]

Tall_Allen: "For non-metastatic CRPC your choices are to add Xtandi, Erleada, or Nubeqa."

You need to confirm w/ your team if they consider you have CRPC- castrate-resistant prostate cancer. And go from there.

[Professorgary]

A rapid drop in Psa when starting Lupron can indicate a poor prognosis. Ideally you want your Psa to drop slowly for at least 12 months with non metastic cancer and 9 months with metastatic cancer. It’s not how fast it drops but how long it drops and how far it drops when it hits nadir.

[dadsdrdawn]

From my experience with my dad - and what I have learned...the PSA # is not the ONLY thing to pay attention to, and according to my fathers holistic Dr. Geo Espinosa, many men react too quickly with meds with side effects that could possibly have been "treated" with other methods.

And, my father had is prostate removed AFTER he found out that the cancer was not contained in the prostate gland.

He had it removed, and 18 months later, did radiation for a spot spread to his bladder.

My father always had more than one opinion, and did the least aggressive medical measures for 17 years and lived a VERY vital life.

Not until the cancer had spread to his bones, and in his spine, did he do a second round of radiation, but never chemo.

Stay strong, find things to look forward to and get fresh air, exercise, and be active.

My father never "identified" with being "a cancer patient". But, that was his powerful and driven mindset too.

Eat a clean diet, and I urge all men here to check out Dr. Geo Espinosa's site/podcasts/and newsletter.

drgeo.com/

Sent with love,

Dawn Sylvester