Life after Zoladex injection for prostate cancer

Hi i was wondering if someone may be able to give me a little help? My father was diagnosesd with stage 4 prostate cancer in 2015 and received radiotherapy, after this he was given a zoladex injection every 3 months.fantastically his PSA levels have dropped to near non existant which we are extatic about.  His oncologist has now stopped his injections. During treatment he had severe leg, muscle and bone pain from it, weight gain, memory loss, and extream tiredness (some days he can sleep 5-8 hours and still sleep all night). His last injection was 12 weeks ago and his symptoms are still the same - i was just wondering if they ever go away and if so does anyone have any experience as to how long it takes? I know exercise is reccomeneded but hte pain he hasd in his legs are so bad he is now wheel cahir bound as good as so the smallest aount of exercise really hurts him - he has been diagnosed with avascular necrosis in his hip - they are not sure if this is a direct effect of the medication and radiotherapy. 

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  • I’ve just ended Zoladex after 4.5 years ("If it works, don't fix it"). PSA was 0.04 for almost 4 years.

    Wondering about recovery.

  • Hi, 

    My  PSA has dropped from over 2500 in November 2018 to 38 as at August 2019, but was on the way up:  68 in October.  Finished Chemo in July.  Do not have confidence in Gosrelin, as it has necessitated Zoledronic Acid injections, so intend to cease implants from November onwards. Seems to be a bit like swallowed a fly, now the spider? 

    Now looking for a Plan B!  Any suggestions, apart from a frog? Lol!

  • You might consider casodex but with chloroquine

    from 2012 -

    www.sciencedaily.com/.../120219135352.htm

  • Hi wd52,

    Thank you for your suggestion.  The effect of chloroquine sounds good, but casodex and goserelin have similar side effects.  I rarely sleep more than 2 continuous hours and the hot flushes make nights excruciating, hence the intention of not having further implants.  Also, I feel, that the demasculation that goes with hormone treatment is not an acceptable longterm solution for a fit and active male.

    I have been investigating Olaparin and HIFU 

    www.dailymail.co.uk/.../Why-wont-doctors-tell-prostate-cancer-cure-spare-mans-sex-life.html

    Kind regards,

    David

     

  • About 2 months ago, I ended zoladex after 4 years.

    Early on, as the drug took hold, I got terrible insomnia, and have been on 7.5mg per night Zopiclone since about month 5 of the zoladex.

    About a year ago, the effect of the zopiclone began to lessen, and I was put on 25mg per night Nortriptyline to boost the effect, which has worked, although I can feel mood shifts from that. I hope to come off both as the effects of the long term zoladex fade.

    Luckily, I was able to tolerate the hot flashes (about 2-4 minutes each), and not often at night. I felt I was running at about 1/2 normal energy levels during the 4 years of Zoladex, and I had whole-body aches perhaps once or twice per week from it.

    Good luck to you and all.

    William

  • Hi,

    I was in contact with wd52 about Zoladex, seems that somewhere in the login process the thread was lost?

    I have been on Goserelin/Zoladex since December 2018, PSA down from 2670 to 38 in August 2019 after 8 sessions of Docetaxel and Prednisolone.

    PSA was 69 in September and almost 152 on 20th October 2019. 

    I do not wish to continue with Goserelin as it is not working and I find the side effects unacceptable.

    I shall be most grateful for suggestions from anyone who has (or had) similar symptoms.

    Kind regards,

    David

     

  • I think we were talking about Casodex with chloroquine

    Androgen deprivation and androgen receptor competition by bicalutamide induce autophagy of hormone-resistant prostate cancer cells and confer resistance to apoptosis.

    www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/.../23532738

     

    Conclusion: Taken together, our data suggest that autophagy is a protective mechanism against androgen deprivation in HRPCa cells and that chloroquine could restore hormone dependence. This set of data could lead to the development of new therapeutic strategy against HRPCa.

  • I suffer from Lynch syndrome which gives me low threshold for colon cancer. For this I have annual screening: colonoscopy, abdoment MRI and blood tests.  During screening my PSA was noted to be high at 13 -   Scans demonstrated malignancy involving the whole gland. Gleason Score 4+3 and tumour staging T3d. The 'team' decided that the best option was radicle prostectomy.  Three months after surgery PSA started to rise again. The 'team' decided that hormone therapy plus targeted radiotherapy was the way forward. Had one month of Bicalutamide following by the dreaded Zoladex implant - this will continue to 3 years. After the first week the side effects were absolutely nightmare. I was experiencing hot flushes but  night time was  terrible. After one hour I would wake up sweating and that would be my nights sleep, max 2h. I started taking 4 capsules of rosemary oil, body massage and acupuncture plus daily exercise in gym. This helped me in more than one way.  I would be very tired and fall sleep, my muscles remain same and I felt full of energy. During the radiation I had very little side effects, only towards the end had inflammed bowel which was not that troublesome. Hot flushes have not gone away - I go out in T-shirt when all others are in their winter jackets. Unfortunately, this is the price we have to pay to get better. My advice is - do NOT give up, persevere and keep as much active as you can. Good luck

  • I have been on Zoladex for nearly 10 years. When diagnosed PSA was 78 with cancer contained in prostate. After 3 months PSA 0.07. Started to rise 2 years ago and when 2.8 last year was given 20 radio therapy sessions. PSA has been 0.16 now for last 6 months. Only side effects were breast enlargement and weight gain so controlled weight easily with diet and exercise. No hot flushes or pain at all. I have always been very active and I am now 73 and still building and renovating houses. I think being very physically active has been my salvation.

  • I, too, have had one month on Bicalutamide with no side effects at all but within days of having my Zoladex Implant, I had a very loose stomach which eventually dissipated. Far more distressing was having night sweats and horrific nightmares every night. I was in our holiday home in Greece at the time and obviously it was very hot in spite of air conditioning at night. The discomfort was so great that I immediately flew back to the U.K. where it was substantially cooler but the night sweats and nightmares have continued. Taking an anti-anxiety pill has not helped at all so I will meet with my team next week to see what can be done.

    Has anybody else suffered from nightmares?