does Eligard ever wear off

outraged
outraged Member Posts: 3
edited June 2023 in Prostate Cancer #1

Can any body shed some light on how long the side effects of Eligard last. Its been 15months since partners last injection and he is still the person Eligard changed him into.  Stll hot flushes fatigue apathy disengaged impotence and zero libido.  His PSA and testosterone are both still negligable...I keep trying to find out if it will ever wear off. He had radiation treatment but was still fine at the conclusion of that prior to hormone therapy but the effects of Eligard seem indefinite

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Comments

  • Trew
    Trew Member Posts: 932 Member
    Some of those symptoms you

    Some of those symptoms you give are probably due to radiation.  A lot of men have sexual problems after radiation.  Some never have an errection again.  That alone can cause a man to fall into depression.  I was on Eligard for one year and I think 9 months later it was mostly  out of my system.  But I think the radiaton may be more to blame for the symtoms you give.  And those symptoms from rad can last for years. I am almost 4 years past radiation and I still feel tired and, well, other  symptoms 

  • HolyMole
    HolyMole Member Posts: 7
    Eligard

    Did your partner only start Eligard after radiation?

    The effects of my 9 months of Eligard (6 mos + 3 mos) should ideally have "ended" in mid-August/13, but are still there, albeit perhaps waning a little. Other posters have suggested between 2 - 3 months before the effects have slowed or disappeared. For me, that means I should be back, close to normal, by Christmas. If not, I'll ask for my money back.

  • Trew
    Trew Member Posts: 932 Member
    HolyMole said:

    Eligard

    Did your partner only start Eligard after radiation?

    The effects of my 9 months of Eligard (6 mos + 3 mos) should ideally have "ended" in mid-August/13, but are still there, albeit perhaps waning a little. Other posters have suggested between 2 - 3 months before the effects have slowed or disappeared. For me, that means I should be back, close to normal, by Christmas. If not, I'll ask for my money back.

    "Ask for my money back"

    That is really funny!!

     

    Laughing

  • Brian R.
    Brian R. Member Posts: 8
    Eligard

    I was eligard for 2 1/2 years and had 45 radiation treatments for a total of 81gray. I was lucky my cancer was found just before I was 70, and I think a fairly fit 70 as I jogged 3 times a week, still surfed on body board and skindived when possible. Had 2 three monthly Eligard injections before I started radiation therapy, and had to be on them for 2 years from when I finished my radiation. Could not jog whilst getting radiation it was too tiring. But started again after radiation finished, short runs and slow, but persevered and increased distance and speed, but used to run into wall. That is, it would take a lot of perseverance and very hard to improve time and distance, with the last 5 months taking a lot of mental effort. Had my Last 3 monthly injection December 2012, which lasted in my system for longer than 3 months, with not starting to feel any real lift in my exercise routine until nearly June 2013.

    It is now May 2014, still get occasional mild hot flushes and jogging distance and speed picked up again in the last 2 months. Last blood test was last December and PSA was 0.02 and testosterone 14.

    Hope my experience can be some help you. 

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,638 Member
    Brian R. said:

    Eligard

    I was eligard for 2 1/2 years and had 45 radiation treatments for a total of 81gray. I was lucky my cancer was found just before I was 70, and I think a fairly fit 70 as I jogged 3 times a week, still surfed on body board and skindived when possible. Had 2 three monthly Eligard injections before I started radiation therapy, and had to be on them for 2 years from when I finished my radiation. Could not jog whilst getting radiation it was too tiring. But started again after radiation finished, short runs and slow, but persevered and increased distance and speed, but used to run into wall. That is, it would take a lot of perseverance and very hard to improve time and distance, with the last 5 months taking a lot of mental effort. Had my Last 3 monthly injection December 2012, which lasted in my system for longer than 3 months, with not starting to feel any real lift in my exercise routine until nearly June 2013.

    It is now May 2014, still get occasional mild hot flushes and jogging distance and speed picked up again in the last 2 months. Last blood test was last December and PSA was 0.02 and testosterone 14.

    Hope my experience can be some help you. 

    Brian R; T may have not returned to normal levels

    Brian

    Thanks for sharing your experience. It seams that your testosterone (14 ng/dL) is too low and such could be the reason for feeling tiring. You may need some patches to increase T level.

    There are cases where the pituitary do not return to its normal functions after prolonged LHRH agonist administration. This could be your case and you should get informed.

    Best.

    VG

     

  • Brian R.
    Brian R. Member Posts: 8

    Brian R; T may have not returned to normal levels

    Brian

    Thanks for sharing your experience. It seams that your testosterone (14 ng/dL) is too low and such could be the reason for feeling tiring. You may need some patches to increase T level.

    There are cases where the pituitary do not return to its normal functions after prolonged LHRH agonist administration. This could be your case and you should get informed.

    Best.

    VG

     

    Testosterone

    Thanks for the feed back VG but that was 14.0 nmol/L and pathology says range is 11.0 - 40.0, and I thought that was a pretty good result, as the eligard had only been out of my system for about 6 months by then. My reading for 17/6/2013 was <0.5 nmol/L only 3 months since the last injection was wearing off. The last one on 16/12/2013 and that was the 14.0 nmol/L, and I know it has gone up since then as my jogging has improved in distance and pace in the last  2 months. But will find that out some time next month when I have my 6 monthly blood test.

    Regards

    Brian R. 

  • btexprs
    btexprs Member Posts: 1
    edited January 2017 #8
    Concerned About Permanent Side Effects

    I've been on the "on again off again" approach with the Eligard.  I've been taking the 3 month shots and then taking a break until the PSA starts to rise.  First time I got the shot my PSA dropped to .2 ng/ml which was really good.  During that time I had plenty of hotflashes, night sweats, loss of libido, frequent desire to urinate during the night and trouble sleeping accordingly. I worked out continuosly so I never noticed increased fatigue.  After I stopped treatment symptoms went away within 2 months.  Sexual desire was back with a vengeance and hot flashes stopped completely.  I was good for approx 8 months before PSA began to rise again.  Got up to 4.5 ng/ml so I got another 3 month shot.  During that time side effects returned along with some minor swelling in legs and weight gain, but PSA eventually went down to .4 ng/ml.  At that point I opted to get off the drug again and thus far it has been 3 months since the the time the drug should have worn off and I'm still experiencing hotflashes, night sweats and literally no sex drive at all!  I don't even think about sex! I've been reading about other experiences out here about permanent effects of the Eligard.  Just wondering if there's any hope of a return to normalcy after taking this drug.  Also is there an alternative drug that still helps fight the prostate cancer but no permanent side effects?

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,638 Member
    Btexprs; What is your T level?

    Btexprs,

    The best way to analyze the circumstances regarding the drug's activity (effects or effectiveness) is via a testosterone (T).

    Eligard is linked to some effects but it also causes hypogonadism (chemical castration) symptoms that are the ones most noticed and reported by users. These usually improve once we get back out of castration and into normal T levels. Typically, the period our body takes to return to normalcy is about four months. This means a return to full function of the pituitary, testis resuming operation in producing T and normalcy of systems affected by the lack of testosterone (for instance the clock regulating body temperature is the one causing the hot-flashes, etc).
    T should return to levels above 250. What is your T level?

    Other ADT drugs that can be modeled for intermittent approaches and substitute the LHRH agonists, are Firmagon (antagonist similar to Leuprolide action in the pituitary) and antiandrogens like bicalutamide that do not cause hypogonadism (castration) but control the cancer via its androgen receptors (AR). T will be in circulation not affecting some the body systems dependent on T for normal function, but bicalutamide will still deprive cells from absorbing androgens, causing lesser but still some of the symptoms one experience from the Eligard.

    Best,

    VG

  • Old Salt
    Old Salt Member Posts: 1,284 Member
    btexprs said:

    Concerned About Permanent Side Effects

    I've been on the "on again off again" approach with the Eligard.  I've been taking the 3 month shots and then taking a break until the PSA starts to rise.  First time I got the shot my PSA dropped to .2 ng/ml which was really good.  During that time I had plenty of hotflashes, night sweats, loss of libido, frequent desire to urinate during the night and trouble sleeping accordingly. I worked out continuosly so I never noticed increased fatigue.  After I stopped treatment symptoms went away within 2 months.  Sexual desire was back with a vengeance and hot flashes stopped completely.  I was good for approx 8 months before PSA began to rise again.  Got up to 4.5 ng/ml so I got another 3 month shot.  During that time side effects returned along with some minor swelling in legs and weight gain, but PSA eventually went down to .4 ng/ml.  At that point I opted to get off the drug again and thus far it has been 3 months since the the time the drug should have worn off and I'm still experiencing hotflashes, night sweats and literally no sex drive at all!  I don't even think about sex! I've been reading about other experiences out here about permanent effects of the Eligard.  Just wondering if there's any hope of a return to normalcy after taking this drug.  Also is there an alternative drug that still helps fight the prostate cancer but no permanent side effects?

    After effects of ADT

    To make a long story short, the 'after' effects of hormone therapy vary quite a bit among individuals. Age plays a role as well. I agree with Vasco to get a testosterone measurement. In the meantime, I do hope that the effects that you are experiencing will wear off before too long. 

    The next time you need hormone therapy, you could try Lupron, with the consent of your doctor, of course. But it has side effects as well; hard to predict how serious they would be for you. The fact is that all hormone therapy drugs have side effects.

    I hope that your PSA will stay low for a long time.

  • CONCERNMAX
    CONCERNMAX Member Posts: 1
    edited October 2020 #11
    Eligard side effects are with you forever

    My husband only had 1 injection, 45mg, 11 months ago and side effects are very much still in effect.  I have looked online and some side effects

    will remain forever.  The doctor NEVER told us anything about side effects.  Very frustrating.

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,638 Member
    ConcernMax, Can you explain further

    I had three continuous shots of Eligard 45mg (6-month each) for a period of 18 months and experienced numerous side effects but these faded away accompanying the increase of the testosterone, since the end of the effectiveness of the Eligard. It took me about 6 months to get into normal testosterone levels (>250 ng/dL). Probably some of scars were created along the ADT period but are now unnoticed.

    I wonder if your husband's shot was administered 11 months ago. If that is the fact then he may still be in low levels of testosterone which may be the reason for the symptoms. He should wait further and get a testosterone test to verify if he is still in castration. Please read above post for more details.

    Best,

    VG

  • eonore
    eonore Member Posts: 174 Member
    edited October 2020 #13
    Testosterone

    Dear Concernmax,

    As Vasco said it may be just too early.  My six month shot was in December of 2018.  After June, 2019, it took a full year for my testosterone to creep up toward normal.  Your doctor should test the testosterone periodically to see how it is progressing.  Be patient, you're still early in the game.

    Eric

  • Georges Calvez
    Georges Calvez Member Posts: 547 Member

    Hi there,

    There are a number of factors to consider when trying to determine if a man's testosterone will recover after ADT.
    First up is the level of testosterone  and SHBG, Sex Hormone Binding Globulin, before the ADT starts. The higher they are the better the chance that it will recover. Testosterone will not recover to a level higher than you had before ADT so the higher the starting point the more chance you have of getting back to something reasonable.
    Your age is another factor, the system has a better chance of switching back on again if you have ADT in your fifties instead of your seventies.
    The time that you are on ADT is another factor, six months is a lot better than eighteen months, after eighteen months the curve drops off even more rapidly and a higher proportion of men will never recover or recover to a level where they are below the normal range.
    As a rough guide you will start to recover around three to six months after stopping ADT and recovery can go on for up to two years.
    This is dependent on the time that you are on ADT and individual factors.
    Recovery is quicker and very much more likely if you only have six months and you are likely to have less permanent things like small testicles, permanently raised blood pressure and glucose, etc.
    ADT is a double edged sword, it has undoubted benefits in killing prostate cancer cells in association with radiation but it can have transitory and permanent effects.

    Best wishes,

    Georges

  • Old Salt
    Old Salt Member Posts: 1,284 Member
    All good responses!

    All the points I intended to make have been covered.

  • johnford
    johnford Member Posts: 6 Member

    Hi all .. I live in Australia and was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year after my PSA was 7.8. Elected for radiation treatment and Eligard hormone injection every 3 months.

    Here's the rub. PSA 0.08, but hot flushes mean I have forgotten was a good night's sleep might be like. I am due another Eligard shot but have elected to miss the jab. I have yet to tell my doctor.

    In the meantime, I am working out with weights, cycling, pilates and walking 6 kilometres every other day. I feel great otherwise.

    Is anyone else in this boat?

  • VascodaGama
    VascodaGama Member Posts: 3,638 Member

    Hi mate,

    I presume that you want opinions on the idea of "giving up" or simply "forgetting" to get the scheduled eligard shot.

    Well, the eligard (ADT) has been recommended as part of the combination treatment, which was decided based on last year's diagnosis (that you do not describe here). In this regard I think that you should get the concensus of your doctor.

    In any case, the ADT period typically used by doctors in your type of treatment is 6 months for initial low risk cases, one year for initial intermediatecases and two years for initial high risk cases.

    The combination treatment intends to kill the bandit with radiation. The eligard "function" is simple to help in the killing process. It is based on the life cycle period of prostate cells wich is approximately 6 months.

    The success of the combi treatment is known to benefit 35% in comparison with a treatment using radiation alone.

    A 3-month shot manages to be efficient (half-life) for 20 days before it starts losing the grip. You can be late for the shot if you wish to continue the therapy.

    The PSA 0.08 ng/ml is lower but one doesn't know if the reason was the radiation (killing of cancerous cells) or is due to the low testosterone in your body (effects of the eligard).

    The rule of success is "low PSA (<0.1) in the presence of normal Testosterone (>250)". I would recommend you to get a testosterone test together with the PSA.

    The physical exercises are good for your health but it doesn't provide cure. It helps in mitigating the side effects.

    Best wishes for permanent remission.

    VGama

  • johnford
    johnford Member Posts: 6 Member

    Hi VG .. thank you for your thoughtful response.

    I take on board what you say, and I will speak with my doctor next week.

    My concern is that without decent sleep, my health and well-being will suffer regardless of the process and treatment.

    Thank you for your input .. John

  • johnford
    johnford Member Posts: 6 Member

    I want to follow up on my posts.

    Over the last 4 to 6 weeks, I have been experiencing hot flushes. I know hot flashes are one of the side effects of Eligard, but I have been on Eligard for nine months and have not experienced hot flashes to the degree I have over the last few weeks. Experiencing these hot flushes is strange because I was due another Eligard injection three weeks ago but have not done so. Again, I know that the hormone injection has an overlap period, but if anything, the effects should wear off. Yet hot flushes are on the increase. I have been trying to work out what is going on.

    Can I back up some three months after seeing my doctor about a recent bone density scan? My doctor was concerned that my bone density was low and advised a course of victims ( C, K & D) along with 'load bearing' exercise. So I bought a home gym set and started walking and working out. The results have been pretty amazing. I am feeling a whole lot better about myself. I have lost weight and gained some momentum in life.

    There is a but. But working out with weights increases testosterone.

    So I think my 'hot flushes' result from increased testosterone. I think there is a battle going on between testosterone with the last hormone treatment.

    Open to suggestions

    John

  • Old Salt
    Old Salt Member Posts: 1,284 Member

    You are experiencing a delayed effect of the hormone (Eligard) treatment. It can take time to get back to 'normal' and some men never get back. You should ask for testosterone tests. Perhaps those will clarify what is going on.

    PS: I don't support your hypothesis

    So I think my 'hot flushes' result from increased testosterone. I think there is a battle going on between testosterone with the last hormone treatment.

    Continue your exercise regimen!