When you first begin treatment with Lupron, the estrogen levels in your body increase for 1 or 2 weeks. Some women experience a worsening of their symptoms during this time. After a few weeks, your estrogen levels will decrease, stopping ovulation and your period.
How does Lupron work to treat breast cancer?
How it works: LHRHs shut down the ovaries and stop them from producing estrogen so there is less estrogen to fuel the growth of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer. Uses: Lupron typically is used to reduce the risk of early-stage, hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer coming back in premenopausal women after surgery and other treatments
What happens if you take Lupron long term?
With long-term use, Lupron Depot may cause loss of bone mineral density (BMD), a measurement of bone strength. If you’ve been told you have osteopenia, osteoporosis, or another condition that causes bone loss, talk with your doctor. They may monitor your BMD during your treatment with Lupron Depot.
How often is Lupron given for ovarian cancer?
How it's given: Lupron is given as an injection once a month for several months or every few months. Additional information: Once you stop receiving Lupron, the ovaries begin functioning again.
What are the symptoms of an allergic reaction to Lupron Depot?
Symptoms of a severe allergic reaction can include swelling under your skin, usually in your eyelids, lips, hands, or feet. They can also include swelling of your tongue, mouth, or throat, which can cause trouble breathing. Call your doctor right away if you have an allergic reaction to Lupron Depot.
How long should you take Lupron for breast cancer?
It is usually taken for at least 5 years. Treatment longer than 5 years might be offered to women whose cancers have a higher chance of coming back.
How effective is Lupron for breast cancer?
The disease-free survival rate at 1 year was 95% in the monthly leuprolide arm and 97% in the arm treated every 3 months (P = . 75). The overall survival rate at 1 year was 100% in the monthly leuprolide arm and 99% in the arm treated every 3 months (P = 1).
What happens after Lupron treatment?
When a person first starts treatment with Lupron, they may have a testosterone flare. Later on, they may experience side effects due to having very low testosterone levels in their body. After treatment stops, testosterone levels begin to return to normal.
What should I expect after a Lupron injection?
What to expect at the start of treatment. While LUPRON DEPOT ultimately reduces testosterone in your body, during the first few weeks of therapy, your testosterone levels may rise before they fall. You may experience temporary new or worsening symptoms of prostate cancer, including urinary symptoms and bone pain.
What is the success rate of hormone therapy for breast cancer?
The study found that patients with 5 years of tamoxifen treatment showed better disease free survival than patients with 10 years of treatment (82% vs 78%, P = . 03), and no statistically significant differences in survival rate were found between these 2 groups (94% vs 91%, P = . 07).
Is Lupron necessary for breast cancer?
About: Leuprolide Acetate (Lupron®, Lupron Depot®, Eligard®, Prostap®, Viadur®) - For Women. While estrogen and progesterone may not actually cause breast cancer, they are necessary for the cancer to grow in some breast cancers.
Do you gain weight on Lupron?
Weight gain or weight loss Weight changes may occur with Lupron Depot use. One of the most common side effects of females taking Lupron Depot is weight gain.
Is Lupron considered chemotherapy?
Official answer. Lupron Depot (leuprolide acetate) injection is not a chemotherapy treatment, but a prescription hormone medicine used in the palliative treatment of advanced prostate cancer. Palliative treatment is used to relieve pain or other symptoms and improve the quality of your life.
Are the effects of Lupron permanent?
Lupron Depot side effects are almost always reversible and will go away after treatment is complete.
How soon after Lupron injection do side effects start?
Rarely, a very serious problem with your pituitary gland (pituitary apoplexy) may occur, usually in the first hour to 2 weeks after the first injection.
Can you drink alcohol while on Lupron?
Both Lupron and alcohol can cause upset stomach, nausea, and dizziness. Drinking alcohol while using Lupron may worsen these effects. Avoid or limit drinking alcohol while taking Lupron.
Does Lupron cause memory loss?
After one year, women treated with a combination of Aricept and high-dose Lupron Depot evidenced very little decline (0.18 points) in their memory, measured through the ADAS-cog's scores; in comparison, those receiving a low-dose Lupron and an acetylcholineesterase inhibitor evidenced a 4.21 decline and, finally, women ...
Can you tell if your PSA is low after surgery?
I don't have much to add to what the others have said. Nobody can tell you what your PSA will do. If the radiation and the hormones cleaned up all the cancer that remained after your surgery then your PSA will remain very low for a long time. This is certainly possible. Also a possibility is that you have significant metastases outside the area treated by the radiation and the Lupron has been holding down your PSA. If that is the case then your PSA may start to climb quickly as soon as the Lupron wears off. There's a third case between the other two where you have tiny metastases that aren't large enough to elevate your PSA but will gradually grow. That would show up as a very slow PSA growth.#N#Obviously the first possibility -- the one where you are cured -- is the best one but even if one of the others applies the disease can usually be managed, even for Gleason 9 guys.
Does Lupron cause PSA to climb?
If that is the case then your PSA may start to climb quickly as soon as the Lupron wears off. There's a third case between the other two where you have tiny metastases that aren't large enough to elevate your PSA but will gradually grow. That would show up as a very slow PSA growth.
How often is luporn given?
How it's given: Lupron is given as an injection once a month for several months or every few months. Additional information: Once you stop receiving Lupron, the ovaries begin functioning again. The time it takes for the ovaries to recover can vary from woman to woman.
What is the chemical name for leuprolide?
Chemical name: Leuprolide. Class: LHRH (luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone) agent hormonal therapy. Zoladex and Trelstar are also LHRHs. How it works: LHRHs shut down the ovaries and stop them from producing estrogen so there is less estrogen to fuel the growth of hormone-receptor-positive breast cancer.
Can breast cancer cause nausea?
Eating When You Have Nausea and Vomiting. Almost all breast cancer treatments have varying degrees of risk for nausea and vomiting.
How Does It Work?
How Effective Is It?
What to Expect During Treatment
- Doctors often use hormone therapies, such as Lupron, in combination with radiation therapy or other treatments. They may also use it following surgery. Healthcare professionals administer Lupron as a depot, which is a small implant that they inject under the person’s skin. The individual can often choose an injection site that is suitable for them. Common injection sites include: 1. u…
Testosterone Flares
- When a person first takes Lupron, their testosterone levels may rise, or flare, before dropping to very low levels. For some people, particularly those with advanced prostate cancer, a testosterone flare can temporarily cause their symptoms to worsen. The symptoms of a testosterone flare can include: 1. blockage of the ureters, the tubes that carry urine from the kidneys to the bladder 2. b…
Side Effects
- As with any medical treatment, Lupron and other hormone therapies can cause side effects. Many of these side effects are symptoms of having very low testosterone levels. Possible side effects of hormone therapies, such as Lupron, can include: 1. loss of muscle mass 2. hot flashes 3. fatigue 4. skin irritation at the site of injection 5. erectile dy...
Alternative Treatment Options
- There are several treatment options for prostate cancer, including other LHRH agonists and various types of hormone therapy. Other LHRH agonists include: 1. goserelin (Zoladex) 2. triptorelin (Trelstar) 3. histrelin (Vantas) Alternative hormone therapies include: 1. Orchiectomy. Also known as surgical castration, this is a surgical procedure to remove a person’s testicles. Th…
Outlook
- As prostate cancer often progresses very slowly, the survival rates for this disease are generally high. According to the ACS, the overall 5-year relative survival rate for prostate cancer is 98 percent. This statistic means that people with prostate cancer are 98 percent as likely to live for at least 5 years following diagnosis as those without the condition. However, a person’s outlook ca…
Summary
- Lupron is a type of hormone therapy for prostate cancer. It works by lowering the amount of testosterone in a person’s body, which helps slow the growth of cancer cells. Doctors often prescribe hormone therapies in combination with radiation therapy or following surgery. They administer Lupron by injecting it under a person’s skin, which they will do between once a mont…