I just got back from my first Lupron injection. As you'll recall, prostate cancer feeds on testosterone, and the Lupron is designed to suppress testosterone and starve the cancer to death. I was curious how long it takes for it to work, so I checked in with Abbvie:
As a former professional marketing executive and a person of the male persuasion, I have some advice: do not call the level deemed a success "castrate level." Among yourselves, sure, do what you have to do. But for the rest of us maybe something like "prostate cancer killing level" would be a better bet.
Possible side effects of Lupron include hot flashes, muscle loss, suicidal tendencies, my boobs swelling, and my balls shrinking. Sounds great!
But will you be able to sing like an angel?
Lowering testosterone after male puberty won't actually change your voice. Much to the chagrin of trans women.
Only if he has a voice-lift surgery.
JOIN Make $170 per hour. its very hard to find jobs nowadays. In this situation, you have access to a wealth of resources to help you with your working abilities. Be motivated to promote Thousands of works such as copy paste things through job boards and career websites vx10 on internet.
Just Take A Look At This>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> https://shorturl.at/pqjkM
I'm wondering if one of the local anti-trans commenters will show up to complain that this drug exists.
All the hormones and other drugs that various trans people take were originally, and still are primarily, used for cis people. Transphobes try to ignore that. All the laws restricting medical care for trans people always have exceptions for cis people to continue receiving the care they need.
Kudos for both the answer and the question that prompted it. I feel like I learned something here.
Yah Sylvia, I knew that. And some anti-trans people know that. For example, the fact that the suite of drugs used for trans people were all developed for other purposes is exactly why the editors at The Economist want to ban trans treatments. "It's Off-Label Drug Use! That's dangerous!" But a mere 5 minutes of research was enough for me to learn that OLDU is really common: more than 20% of all prescriptions across the board are OLDU.
A caution to watch out for--
When I was 60 I began feeling perpetually tired. My annual physical with its accompanying blood work showed that my hemoglobin, red cells and leukocytes were all significantly low. Short oversimplification--I was anemic. The same blood work also revealed that my testosterone level was essentially zero. A follow-up test showed that my pituitary was creating plenty of the enzyme that should have been stimulating my testes to create testosterone, so it was clear that the problem was in my testes.
My doctor said that tests of men who used testosterone supplements (e.g., many athletes and body builders) also showed elevated levels of hemoglobin and red cells; there was a definite causal relationship. He suggested that I begin a testosterone replacement regime. I did, and my blood cell counts went back up to the normal range. 21 years later, it's still working.
That long story brings me to the caution--when you use Lupron to suppress testosterone production, you want to have your doctor track your blood counts very frequently. You may find that a side effect is lowered counts of blood components your body needs, which might then have to be supplemented from other sources.
“What if we called it…eunuch level?”
> my balls shrinking
Ah, that explains the basketball in the photo.
Given all the television ads, I’m sure there must be a way to compensate by “manscaping” …
When I went on Lupron at about age 73 it quickly suppressed the prostate cancer on my prostate and ribs. I had radiation treatment a couple years later at Mass General and stopped the Lupron injections. PSA and testosterone levels remained around zero. Side effects were no libido, hot flashes that diminished with time and changes in body fat. During the radiation regimen I saw my oncologist every week and the first thing he would do was feel my belly. Altho I've had trouble over the years keeping my weight down, I had never had a paunch before the Lupron. I can also verify the loss of muscle tone. But I'm 80 now and feel pretty much OK. Hope you have as much success with the treatment as I did.
Je suis d'accord. Horrible choice.
It's not only a bad choice, it's effectively wrong.
Lupron and other anti androgens don't have efficacy to suppress either libido nor fertility even while they effectively suppresses testosterone. While those are known side effects, they're not certain.
Luckily, aside from suicide, the side-effects are temporary in nearly all cases.
You're lucky. Back when my father had prostate cancer the treatment was diethylstilbestrol.
I am on Orgovyx, which does the same thing for my prostate cancer but is a daily pill. My joints hurt, I have some hand cramping, and I'm tired all the time -- but I'm alive and that's a good thing.
The other side effect: staying with your wonderful wife and perfect cats. Good luck.
Your issues and urologist's recommendations are your own. For my prostate cancer, urologist suggested lupron in connection with my 29 radiation sessions with oncologist, but failed to follow through with getting insurance pre-approval and drug company wanted thousands so I refused. Personally happy that happened (my PSA above 7 then was at 0.2 on most recent recheck), and potential side effects of lupron concerned me.
Hang in there Kevin. You will get great care.
I just had my last shot: I still have bruises from the first three and they are painful for about a week. On the other hand, after the radiation treatment and implantation -- PSA shows no observable cancer.
On the third hand, the radiation appears to have damaged my bladder.
Will it slow down getting bald?