Welcome to our community. Please fill in the following template as a way of introducing yourself, and helping others to understand your background and situation.
Where are you from (country)? USA
How did you find this forum (Google search – if so, what search terms? Via link from a forum or website – if so, what page? Other?) Lupron Victims Hub
What is your current age, height, weight? 53, 5’7", 245lbs
What specific drug did you use (finasteride, dutasteride, saw palmetto, isotretinoin/Accutane, fluoxetine, sertraline, citalopram, leuprorelin, etc…)? Lupron Depot
What dose did you take (eg. 1 mg/day, 1 mg every other day etc.)? 1 shot/month
What condition was being treated with the drug? Endometriosis/Adhesions
For how long did you take the drug (weeks/months/years)? 6 months
Date when you started the drug? 9/1992
Date when you quit the drug? 3/1993
Age when you quit? 20
How did you quit (cold turkey or taper off)? Cold Turkey
How long into your usage did you notice the onset of side effects? Within 2 weeks
What side effects did you experience that have yet to resolve since discontinuation? Mood swings to include rage, depression, weight gain, slowed metabolism, vision issues, memory loss/confusion, chronic fatigue, low libido, migraines, joint and muscle pain, muscle loss, recurring endometriosis, PCOS, adrenal and pituitary tumor
Check the boxes that apply. You can save your post first, then interactively check/uncheck the boxes by clicking on them. If your symptoms change, please update your list.
Sexual
[x ] Loss of Libido / Sex Drive
[ ] Erectile Dysfunction
[ ] Complete Impotence
[ ] Loss of Morning Erections
[ ] Loss of Spontaneous Erections
[ ] Loss of Nocturnal Erections
[ ] Watery Ejaculate
[ ] Reduced Ejaculate
[ ] Inability or Difficulty to Ejaculate / Orgasm
[ ] Reduced Sperm Count / Motility
Mental
[x ] Emotional Blunting / Emotionally Flat
[x ] Difficulty Focusing / Concentrating
[x ] Confusion
[x ] Memory Loss / Forgetfulness
[x ] Stumbling over Words / Losing Train of Thought
[ ] Slurring of Speech
[x ] Lack of Motivation / Feeling Passive / Complacency
[x ] Extreme Anxiety / Panic Attacks
[x ] Severe Depression / Melancholy
[x ] Suicidal Thoughts
Physical
[ ] Penile Tissue Changes (narrowing, shrinkage, wrinkled)
[ ] Penis curvature / rotation on axis
[ ] Testicular Pain
[ ] Testicular Shrinkage / Loss of Fullness
[ ] Genital numbness / sensitivity decrease
[x ] Weight Gain
[ ] Gynecomastia (male breasts)
[x ] Muscle Wastage
[x ] Muscle Weakness
[x ] Joint Pain
x[ ] Dry / Dark Circles under eyes
Misc
[ ] Prostate pain
[x ] Persistent Fatigue / Exhaustion
[x ] Stomach Pains / Digestion Problems
[x ] Constipation / “Poo Pellets”
[x ] Vision - Acuity Decrease / Blurriness
[ ] Tinnitus (ringing or high pitched sound in ears)
[ ] Hearing loss
[x ] Increased hair loss
[ ] Frequent urination
[x ] Lowered body temperature
[ ] Other (please explain)
What (if any) treatments have you undertaken to recover from your side effects since discontinuation of the drug? Multiple laparoscopies, mental health therapy, antidepressants, chiropractors, blood pressure medication, anti-androgen medication, partial hysterectomy, brain surgery, blood/iron infusions, B-12 injections, multiple colonoscopy and endoscopies, sleep studies.
If you have pre or post-drug blood tests, what hormonal changes have you encountered since discontinuing the drug (please post your test results in the “Blood Tests” section and link to them in your post)? chronic anemia, deficient B-12 and DHEA, TSH swings from high to low
Anything not listed in the above questions you’d like to share about your experience?
Tell us your story, in your own words, about your usage and side effects experienced while on/off the drug. Within the first month I gained 25lbs without changing my diet. The second month I gained another 15lbs, became depressed, had bad migraines, muscle and joint pain and wanted to stop. My doctor pressured me to continue treatment stating that once I completed the six month treatment my body would regulate, return to normal and my endometriosis would be gone completely. Believing him, I continued and gained over 60-70lbs. My body has never returned to normal once I stopped. I became more depressed (suicidal at many points through the years), started to have rage issues, severe migraines that no medicine can alleviate, high blood pressure, chronic fatigue, joint and muscle pain (diagnosed as fibromyalgia and arthritis), muscle loss, vision issues (double vision, dry eyes, near sightedness), IBS with chronic constipation, memory loss, benign meningioma (removed), recently discovered pituitary tumor, adrenal tumors, possible PCOS, chronic anemia (with no known cause), B-12 deficiency, chronic heart failure (due to misshaped platelets which is not known why).
Self-reporting template - ONLY USE FOR FUTURE POSTS TO REPORT ANY TRIALS OF TREATMENTS, NOT YOUR INITIAL MEMBER STORY
-
Name of the therapy/substance:
- Dosage:
- How often you took it:
-
Status
- Still using [ ]
- Stopped with no lasting change to initial symptoms [ ]
- Stopped with persistent change to symptoms [ ]
- Duration of use: Days [ ] Months [ ] Years [ ]
-
Response when you started:
- Greatly improved [ ]
- Slightly improved [ ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]
-
Current response (if you’re still using the therapy/substance) OR Response in the time before you stopped the treatment
- Greatly improved [ ]
- Slightly improved [ ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]
-
Lasting changes to initial symptoms after cessation (if you have stopped for more than 3 weeks)
- Greatly improved [ ]
- Slightly improved [ ]
- Stayed the same [ ]
- Slightly worsened [ ]
- Greatly worsened [ ]