Prostap Advice

[Pixiemus]

Hi everyone I am looking for some positive advice and hope that the kind ladies on here can help. This forum is great for people like me who are newbies to this, it has given me some much need help already!

I have finally been given a date for my long awaited lap which is in March and am currently on the tri-cycle pill in the meantime. I have been told that its likely to be severe widespread endo and have an endometrioma on my left ovary. Unfortunately the back to back pill isn't doing as much as I had hoped and am not pain free in the slightest, the consultant has advised my GP to start using prostap until surgery which is 6 weeks away. I have read lots about prostrap stating both positive and negative responses. I understand that it is a chemically induced menopause and am all up for trying it if it leads to being relatively pain-free until surgery time.

I would love to hear if people found it benefical and what experiences they've had with it. I am all ears to both the negatives, positives and side effects. My own concerns are time, how long it will take to kick in and if the side effects are worth it.

a huge thank you x x

[JeanOsborne]

Hi I'm on Zoladex which is similar and works in the same way. Had initially a flare up of symptoms the second week in but then things settled down. Just had my sixth and last one on Wednesday and have felt so much better. Don't regret taking this. Hope it works for you.

[Pixiemus in reply to JeanOsborne]

Hi, thank you so much for sharing your experience and really hope it continues going well its good to hear the positive side and I guess everyone will react differently to it...i have read that an initial flare up is quite common before things settle. If i go for it I think that I will at least two injections prior to surgery....just unsure if the prostap will hide areas that are affected when they come to do the lap x x

[Kez83]

Hi there, I am on prostap and while I don't love it, it has reduced my pain.

Just thought I'd post though as my consultant warned me that it may take the drug 7 weeks to start working, if this is the case you could be wasting your time unless there's a benefit for them going the surgery?

Side effects for me are low mood, night sweats, hot flushes and insomnia.

The initial side effects were sickness, dizziness and low/no appetite. Those initial symptoms are how I feel when I'm ovulating so possibly my personal reaction the the hormone surge.

After a few weeks the mild hrt prescribed with prostap (tibolone) did help with the side effects I listed first.

It's a powerful drug do you do right to ask!

Take care xx

[Pixiemus in reply to Kez83]

Hi, i really appreciate hearing about your experience - thank you for sharing! you have helped with confirming my initial thoughts with how long it can take for the effects to take hold. I have read several posts on here about prostap post-op with quite a few women stating that it takes a while for it to kick in, this is my main concern at the moment as i dont think i will feel the benefits before surgery as time is ticking on...and i guess I am after a quick fix to manage the pain daily until then.

Unfortunately I won't be seeing my consultant before the op which is a shame as i have only had one appointment with him back in october and havent had any dicussions about pain relief and day to day management but my GP is being very supportive although is obviously not a specialist!

I feel more prepared after reading about the side effects you have had, they are the same symptoms that I also get when ovulating. I know its highly likely I will be on it after surgery so its useful to hear what could be ahead. Its good to know that it has helped with your pain and really hope that it continues improving

Good luck and thank you x x

[Kez83 in reply to Pixiemus]

No problem 😊 I'm beginning to hope I haven't sold it too harshly as it's easy to forget what daily pain does to your mood and maybe on reflection I would recommend it as long as you were going in eyes open, so to speak, if you get no relief from painkillers.

Prostap isn't something you should be on for a long time do if you know you're going to be on it after your op it may be worth factoring that into your decision as to when you take it rather than if, if you know what I mean 😕?

From what I've read in the information Lindle has supplied on this site I wouldn't be surprised if the ovulation symptoms are an allergic reaction to oestrogen. Something I don't know for sure but interesting none the less.

Thank you for your response, I'm glad I could help.

I don't have a date for my next surgery yet but it will be around March/April. After that my I'll no longer be on prostap and hopefully I won't want to be.

Hope you're finding it easier now to make your decision. All the very best for your operation and if you have any questions or just want a brain download pre or post prostap or op feel free to pm me xx

[Pixiemus in reply to Kez83]

I can't thank you enough for your reply! it is really helping with my decision making but also giving me lots of good questions to ask my GP. Your point about when to take it is really interesting as i hadn't thought that taking it now could potentitally reduce the length of time i can be on it post-op, which is probably when its more beneficicall! Im totally open minded and will discuss all these concerns with the GP before going ahead if I do, i guess what prompted this was that the last period on the 3 monthly back to back pill has taken me well over a month to recover from along with all the other niggles, hence my GP requesting advice from the consultant with how to treat the pain.

I am intrigued about the oestogren and will check out Lindle's page, thank you i will take you up on the offer some time very soon!!! Fingers crossed that your date comes through quickly, its horrible having to wait and wish you all the best when it comes along x x

[Shehulk]

Hi, I took prostap after surgery, I was offered it before surgery but I was so scared of the side effects that I refuse it. My experience with prostap was ok, the side effects were not half as bad as I thought. In my case, I only had some hot flushes and acne but didn't notice much else. I personally was happy not to have to be dealing with periods after the surgery for a while and i feel that it gave time to heal properly before going back to natural cycles. Wish you the best of luck on your surgery xxx

[Pixiemus in reply to Shehulk]

Hi your concerns are really similar to mine, its so hard to know if it will do anything pre-op in such a short space of time and if the side effects are going to be more hassle than the daily pain! Can I ask why it was offered pre-surgey, it will be intertesing to know what your consultants reasons were and did they offer it well in advance of surgery.....?

I am more than happy to use it after surgery which is likely anyway and will look foward to having the time to heal properly!!! Thank you for your wishes and I hope that your journey forward is a pain free one x x

[Shehulk]

The surgeon said that prostap will make surgery "less bloody " as endo will be less active. I wasn't really bother about that. Also I was trying to conceive at the time so I really didn't want to take it . After surgery I knew that I could not conceive naturally, because of blocked tubes and that prostap will help with fertility treatments so I made the decision to give it a go. In hindsight, I would say the advantages of taking it before would have been that by the time it go into surgery prostap should have already stop your hormone production and it is one less thing to worry after surgery. It is a very personal decision, I think you need to evaluate your situation and what you are trying to achieve, and what your concerns are. If you are in doubt, don't be scared of asking questions.

I am now 1 year and 2 months after surgery and pain free . Before surgery I was in pain daily. Wish you the best with whatever decision you want to take xxx