Hormone treatment for prostate cancer over 60 with radiation

Gmenbiz

Is there anyone who has hormone treatment like lupron for 1 month or more. have you had any bad side effects. what is the longest you have kept up treatment before stopping

Oldernow

At age 75, I had 26 radiation treatments in June of 2023 along with my first of three 6 month Lupron injections.

Following the radiation and Lupron, my PSA was undetectable and has stayed that way to the present day.

I had all the "bad" affects of the Lupron - hot flashes, weight gain, muscle weakness, aching joints (particularly knees), total loss of libido and fatigue. I took the second Lupron shot but refused the third because the side affects were so troubling. I had to have physical therapy three different times for joint issues in my shoulders and knees. That got to be expensive at $35/visit out of pocket. The copay for the Lupron shots was also expensive.

As of last October (2025) it was two years since the second Lupron injection. I am finally recovering. My knee issues have eased significantly and the hot flashes and muscle weakness have improved. The main thing I continue to fight is excess belly fat.

In my opinion, the Lupron and radiation seem to have kicked cancer's butt so I guess the side affects of the Lupron were worth it - if subsequent PSA tests continue to be undetectable. My testosterone levels have recovered somewhat but are still half of what they were before Lupron. That is the REAL issue with Lupron. Your testosterone is gone causing all the other issues. It's been like going through a second puberty as the testosterone gradually recovers.

@Oldernow

swl1956

Gmenbiz,

You might want to inquire about the newer alternatives to lupron. They're supposed to be easier to come off of with faster testosterone recovery. I've been on orgovyx and zytiga for almost a year and have another year to go. For me the symptoms have been annoying but tolerable. Excersize helps. I understand the symptoms affect individuals differently. I had 40 imrt treatments. My PSA is now undetectable. Hopefully it will stay that way after cessation of ADT like Oldernows.

Josephg

Hi,

This Discussion Board is FULL of threads explaining patients opinions and reactions to Lupron in various usage scenarios and durations. Please do some searching of these threads, so that we do not need to repeat what is readily available today on this Discussion Board. If you have follow-up questions regarding patient opinions and reactions to Lupron, we'd be more than happy to discuss those with you. We are not physicians here, so we can't offer medical advice, but we do have deep knowledge of the patient experiences.

For me, I've been on Lupron twice, once for 6 months, and the second time for 2 years (in combination with other medications) during my 13 year prostate cancer (PCa) journey, and I am currently in remission for 3 years next month. I can tell you with full confidence that if I had not received Lupron as part of my treatments, I probably would not be here now (a non-medical opinion of mine).

Assuming that you do have PCa, I wish you the best of outcomes on your PCa journey.