If you already have some arthritis in your hands the ADT can make it
worse-at least in my case it did. All my joints ached, especially in the
knee and ankle of my right leg where there is arthritis caused by an injury
years ago. My URO says this is a result of low or no testosterone during
ADT. I have been off of ADT for about 4 months  and mt trestosterone level
is rising very slowly, but I am starting to feel a little better as far as
arthritic pain is concerned. NSAID's such as Celebrex (or in my case
Voltarin) did give some relief during ADT, but there are also side effects
to consider when using these meds. It should get better after you get off of
ADT.
George
Age - 70
8/12/02 - PSA 3.7
10/13/03 - PSA 4.69
11/11/03 - PSA 4.8
11/18/03 - Biopsy - 10 cores
one core-25% of core-Gleason 4+4=8
all other cores benign tissue
12/10/03 - Consult - Oncologist MD
12/16/03 - Consult - Radiation Oncologist
Treatment Plan - Northeast Ga Cancer Center
HT - started 12/17/03 - Eulixen & Lupron (2nd 4 mo Lupron-4/26)
2/10/04 - Started - Flowmax and Megastrol
Radiation - IMRT to begin 3/30/04 - 42 treatments - Completed 6/8/04
No seeds due to Prostate problems
8/30/04 - 1 yr Viadur Implant instead of 4mo Lupron
1/14/05 - Removed implant - trying intermittant HT for a while.
4/4/05 - PSA <.01  Testosterone  9 (Nine)

A few people here and many in the literature have the same complaint,
especially if the already had some arthritis, with chemical (ADT) or
surgical castration. One or two here compared it to the pain of broken
bones. That SE may go away if and when your T returns to normal, which takes
longer and is less likely with increasing age. Best of luck with both the T
and the hands.

I.P.

"Stavros Moschos" <voyager100@sympatico.ca> wrote >

Stavros,

Let me start with the bad news, but read on because there's good
news at the end.

I had the exact same symptoms after 4 months of Lupron.  The
symptoms were like rheumatoid arthritis.  I had symmetrical pain
in the hands, i.e., same pain in the same fingers in each hand.
My hands would be very stiff in the morning and painful all day.  I
had "trigger fingers", where some of the fingers would lock closed
and only open when I forced them open.

The problem started about six months after my last Lupron injection.
It got gradually worse and worse.  It was getting hard for me to type
on a keyboard or open a bottle cap.

I read the Lupron website and found that "joint pain" is a common
side effect.  Then I called the company and asked if Lupron could
cause rheumatoid arthritis.  They said "Yes", offering no other
advice.

I went to my primary care physician who put me on big doses
of different anti-inflammatory pills, but they did no good at all.  The
problem kept getting worse.

Now the good news.

I went to the library and got some books about arthritis.  One of
them said that exercise can both alleviate pain and prevent or
reduce progression of the problem.

I started exercising my hands.  They got better and better.

The best exercise I found was to use the hand squeezers that
you can buy in a sporting goods store.  The ones I use have
two handles with a steel loop spring connecting them.  You
squeeze them together.

I now do massive numbers of these exercises every day, up
to a thousand or more with each hand.  I do them in sets of
a hundred or so at a time, then put them down and later do more.
I keep a hand squeezer in my car and use it with one hand while
I drive with the other.  I keep a pair in the bathroom and use them
while I sit on the pot.

I won't say that the problem has completely disappeared, but for all
practical purposes it has.  I do the exercises throughout the day.
Most days I wake up with no pain or stiffness.  But I keep a
hand squeezer by the bed and, if I wake up and feel any stiffness
I do some exercises right in bed before going back to sleep.

I can't quit.  If I stop exercising within a few days I start to get
pain and stiffness.  But for the last eight months or so since I
began the exercises, I've kept the problem fully under control.

I recommend you start with light exercise.  Squeeze a rubber
ball at first.  Dip your hands in cold water first to relieve some
of the stiffness.  Don't exercise too hard, but do exercise as
frequently as you can.  Gradually build up.  Don't quit.

Hopefully, this will make a big difference.  Your hands will
get stronger and the pain and stiffness may be greatly
reduced or even disappear for significant periods.

Let us know if this helps.

   Alan

Can you go to sleep at night holding a squishy ball or something? It might
help to keep you from clenching your hands. This can also be a stress thing
and the clenching would aggravate the arthritis.
Bev

Well, if your doctor didn't have an opinion, I'll give it a shot.  I think I
would increase my potassium level.  If your muscles causing your hands to
clench like a charlie-horse in the leg, then potassium might be the ticket.

I think you ought to exercise the fingers, too.  I'd think twice a day.  At
night to make the muscles tired and in the morning to stretch them out.  I'm
no trainer either, but sticking your hands into a pot of dry rice and moving
your fingers, clenching your fists, opening your fists, all against the
resistance of the rice.... might help.