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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Prostate Cancer / April 2007Is weight gain common in Lupron type hormone therapy?
I have been on Lupron, and more recently Eligard therapy, for prostate cancer. The cancer had spread to my lungs but not to any of the usual places. The hormone therapy has dropped my PSA to 0.1 levels for nine months. The nodules in my lungs have resolved, according to CT Scan. I have gained about twenty pounds in the past two years. Is that commonly associated with this type of therapy? Thanks, RL Yes......my husband gained 20 or 25 lbs. after less than a year on Zoladex and Casodex. A lot of his was around his waist. And he also had some water retention. Cheers......Heather >I have been on Lupron, and more recently Eligard therapy, for prostate > cancer. The cancer had spread to my lungs but not to any of the usual [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Thanks, > RL My husband has put on weight too. His MD said he was obese before this, so he had to get new corduroys. shirleyann >I have been on Lupron, and more recently Eligard therapy, for prostate > cancer. The cancer had spread to my lungs but not to any of the usual [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > Thanks, > RL As I understand it, weight gain is very common. I'm lucky (if anyone with cancer can be called lucky :) in that I have never been able to gain much weight and Lupron didn't raise my weight either during the 4-6 months I was on it. I think that good diet and exercise - all the usual things - are especially called for on HT. Alan > I have been on Lupron, and more recently Eligard therapy, for prostate > cancer. The cancer had spread to my lungs but not to any of the usual [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I have gained about twenty pounds in the past two years. Is that > commonly associated with this type of therapy? Among many other side effects . . . absolutely. Your doctor should have told you about this and its other side effects very early in your treatment, just because some can be alarming, most can be reduced, and some, such as osteoporosis, should be prevented. I.P. >> I have gained about twenty pounds in the past two years. Is that >> commonly associated with this type of therapy? > Among many other side effects . . . absolutely. Your doctor should > have told you about this and its other side effects very early in your > treatment, just because some can be alarming, most can be reduced, > and some, such as osteoporosis, should be prevented. The 3 doctors (urologists) I visited between '01 and '06, and the cancer center in '02-'03, never said a single word about one single SE other than the loss of certain male characterists. Nothing about urinary problems, nothing about bone problems (although all had been alerted to me ankylosing spondylitis), nothing about weight, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. > The 3 doctors (urologists) I visited between '01 and '06, and the > cancer center in '02-'03, never said a single word about one [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > (although all had been alerted to me ankylosing spondylitis), > nothing about weight, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Now we know that that should not be surprising. Some medics are ignorant about SEs, others don't care, both types callously leave the patients to cope as best they can. I am proud to be able to say that I wrote a letter to my rad onc, who knew nothing about the SEs of ADT and refused to learn, and fired his a--. He is very well respected in the PCa community. I've glad to say that I steered at least two patients away from him. Two and counting..... Regards, Steve J "'MD' does not mean 'Medical Deity.'" -- Stephen B. Strum, MD >>> I have gained about twenty pounds in the past two years. Is that >>> commonly associated with this type of therapy? [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > (although all had been alerted to me ankylosing spondylitis), > nothing about weight, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. IMO, considering physicians' obligations to their patients, that is literally criminal for several reasons. U.S. presidential candidate John Edwards justifiably drools over physicians like these. It also appears to be common. I.P. >I have been on Lupron, > > I have gained about twenty pounds in the past two years. Is that > commonly associated with this type of therapy? It is common. On Lupron, I gained 20 pounds. Then, when we added Casodex, I gained another 10 and in disparaging places. My hands look swollen, my stomach flaps over my belt, and I have a slight enlargement of my breast. The phlebotomist had a really hard time getting a vein, too. I suspect I have a layer of new fat throughout.  SignaturePSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins PSA <.1 <.1 <.1 .27 .37 .75 PSAD 0.19 years EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 PSAD .056 years Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 and every 4 months there after PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 PSAD 1.4 years Casodex added daily 07/06 PSA <0.04, <0.05 Non Illegitimi Carborundum > > It is common. On Lupron, I gained 20 pounds. Then, when we added Casodex, > I gained another 10 and in disparaging places. My hands look swollen, my > stomach flaps over my belt, and I have a slight enlargement of my breast. > The phlebotomist had a really hard time getting a vein, too. I suspect I > have a layer of new fat throughout. Steve, I have wanted to email you and question you about any added SE's from the Casodex you are now on, as I will be going on it in three weeks and going back on the Lupron. I have not questioned you, as I guess I already knew what the answers would be. Sucks. I already have all of the above from the total of three years on Lupron. The off cycles definitely have been a blessing in terms of having more energy and even some gains of strength, and having a huge reduction in severity and number of hot flashes has been great, but it is questionable as to the costs incurred. Our paths had been very parallel until you went on the Casodex in addition to Lupron, and I took a vacation from Lupron. Even though your report of additional Casodex SE's sucks, I do prefer to know what is coming than to have new surprises on a weekly basis. I guess we'll just have to keep rowing for as long as we can keep afloat in this leaky boat we're in. Thanks for the information. > > >> It is common. On Lupron, I gained 20 pounds. Then, when we added [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > from the Casodex you are now on, as I will be going on it in three weeks > and going back on the Lupron. Well, you might as well add one. Incontinence. I was having problems while golfing and lifting. Since Casodex, I have slowly lost the ability to hold it even when getting up, bending down, etc. Worst yet, I cannot consciously stop my stream like I used to. I can stop it, but not shot it down fast like I could. If I could find my penis, I'd put a hose clamp on the damned thing. My experience is similar to Steve's. I had no problems before Casodex. Now I have to be very careful when kneeling, squatting, etc. I'm also having problems with weight. I haven't gained a lot; but, I've been trying to eat less and exercise more with the goal of losing weight. I am able to remain active but I think the feelings of fatigue from Casodex make it difficult for me to really get up the energy to be active enough to actually lose weight. I also have the slight breast enlargement and they are tender! But, those are things we can live with, huh? Burney >> > >>> It is common. On Lupron, I gained 20 pounds. Then, when we added [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] >like I could. If I could find my penis, I'd put a hose clamp on the damned >thing. >> and going back on the Lupron. > Well, you might as well add one. Incontinence. I was having problems while > golfing and lifting. Since Casodex, I have slowly lost the ability to hold > it Steve, for once there is a SE I probably do not have to worry about, urinary incontinence. I did pretty good after the surgery, but then the EBRT of the pelvic cavity and bladder took an increasing toll on my urinary control and after two years of going downhill I had an AMS 800 installed. For me it has worked very well and urinary incontinence is now a very minor problem. > >> and going back on the Lupron. >> [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > installed. For me it has worked very well and urinary incontinence is now > a very minor problem. I may have to look into that. I recently took a new job with my company where I only work 8 hours a day and 40 hours a week. I have more employees, but personnel management was never a problem. Unfortunately, it puts me in a car half the day and getting in and out is starting to become a nuisance. And, I have no idea how I will be able to golf. I don't think a diaper will hold it all. SignaturePSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins PSA <.1 <.1 <.1 .27 .37 .75 PSAD 0.19 years EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 PSAD .056 years Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 and every 4 months there after PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 PSAD 1.4 years Casodex added daily 07/06 PSA <0.04, <0.05 Non Illegitimi Carborundum > Even though your > report of additional Casodex SE's sucks, I do prefer to know what is > coming than to have new surprises on a weekly basis. While the SEs of Steve and a handful of others may be of interest, Bob, realize that the SE menu is very long (15-20 items?), their likelihoods vary dramatically, their incidences and severities are statistical (YMMV a whole lot), and the treatments of those SEs provide very different results among patients. Your big picture will become much clearer if you study Strum's ADT Syndrome (Google it), which charts statistics and treatments for all the above. It's quite fascinating for us in this club, but don't forget that it's still statistical. I.P. On April 19, Mike Freely responded to Bob C: > Your big picture will become much clearer if you > study Strum's ADT Syndrome (Google it), which charts statistics and > treatments for all the above. It's called the Androgen Deprivation Syndrome. No need to Google it. See the Prostate Cancer Research Institute (PCRI) website at: http://www.prostate-cancer.org/education/sidefx/Strum_ADS.html Regards, Steve J >> Even though your report of additional Casodex SE's sucks, I do prefer >> to know what is coming than to have new surprises on a weekly basis. [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > > I.P. Thanks for the input, I.P. I learned over time that most if not all of the doctors I have seen these past several years, know less about the SE's of HT than I currently know, and less than many of us here, and I/we sure do not know it all. More than once a doctor has told me that hmmm, he would have to check into this or that in regards to some of the SE's. Once upon a time I thought that some doctors just kept quiet about some of these things to give the patient more peace of mind and ease anxiety levels, but now I know that sometimes they just do not know. Or they know in a kinda lip-service way without really knowing. A part of this Big Picture which you mention is the new SE's they are finding as more of us are on HT for longer periods of time, and many take other med's to help minimize bone loss and other SE's, and the big picture concerning HT gets worse with each new discovery. I have been watching reports on alternatives to HT, and I sure hope that something will go mainstream in the relatively near future. For now, ya gotta do what ya gotta do. > I learned over time that most if not all of the doctors I have seen these > past several years, know less about the SE's of HT than I currently know, > and less than many of us here, and I/we sure do not know it all. And that goes double for GPs. My GP, who is also my son's, when asked by my son about PSA testing, told him, "you probably want to go to your father on that one. He's pretty much the expert." Now I'm sure that he doesn't tell all his patients that (I haven't gotten any phone calls), but it (A) reinforces that doctors can't know everything and (B) shows that I have a pretty good and honest CP. He also was concerned with my weight gain. I told him about some of the particular SEs of ADT. By the time I saw him next, he had looked it up and discussed it with me. I think that is about the best you can expect from a doctor, especially if he is not also a pharmacist. SignaturePSA 16 10/17/2000 @ 46 Biopsy 11/01/2000 G7 (3+4), T2c RRP 12/15/2000 G7 (3+4), T3cN0M0 Neg margins PSA <.1 <.1 <.1 .27 .37 .75 PSAD 0.19 years EBRT 05-07/2002 @ 47 PSA .34 .22 .15 .21 .32 PSAD .056 years Lupron 07/03 (1 mo) 8/03 and every 4 months there after PSA .07 .05 .06 .09 .08 .132 .145 PSAD 1.4 years Casodex added daily 07/06 PSA <0.04, <0.05 Non Illegitimi Carborundum > I have been on Lupron, and more recently Eligard therapy, for prostate > cancer. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Thanks, > RL I went from 170 to 180 from May to January when I took myself off of the zoladex and casodex. The SEs seem to continue to progress though. Lost almost all my body hair except for the usual underarm, groin and head and face areas. Developed arthritis symptoms in three of 5 digits in my right hand. My glucose level rose to concerned numbers. Plus the memory loss issues. My onc totally downplayed the likelyhood and severity of all SEs before treatment and simply tsk-tsk-ed them when I told him of them in the months during treatment. I am sure he is well aware of them including how dangerous they can be and yet he completely trivialized the SEs associated with ADT with me because I fit the criteria for a clinical trial to use them before relapse after RP. I sort of feel it should have been his responsability to fully explain the likelihood of the SEs instead of downplaying them in order to fill the trial. Seems like he was more an agent for the drug companies instead of looking out for my best interest. If he really was concerned for my health than I think he would be putting a much greater emphesis on diet and fitness and not merely a mention regarding them. Doesn't it seem prudent if the insurance companies paid for a dietician and or a personal trainer or excersize classes instead of just the drugs and docs? WSF |
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