Monthly or 3 monthly injections

I was on 6 monthly Decapeptyl SR22.5mg and tolerated that well. Then had a 3 monthly Prostap and felt fatigued mentally and physically. I’m back on Decapeptyl now plus enzalutamide.

Good luck, hope you get it sorted 

neil

Hi Worriedwife,

• We all have different reactions to 3 monthly hormone injections. I've been on them for 2 years so far and have been extremely lucky with side effects. I've lost some body hair, put on a layer of fat around my waist, have slightly increased breast size. However I've luckily never had any hot flushes, but I do get quite emotional at times, and quite tearful, for no apparent reason. As I say, everyone is different but give your hubby a little longer to see if the 3 monthly jabs settle down.

Best wishes,

• Bas

Hh WW - We can't keep meeting on different threads - someone will be talking!!. I am on 6 monthly Decapetyl and as Zfmap says I am fine with them too. As Baz says - I have bigger boobs and have hot flushes - now cured by Sage tablets.Emotional - yes too. The effect I don't like is dry skin and I have 3 tubs of baby moisturiser around the house.

Cheers - Brian.

Hi WW

I was on 3 monthly Prostap injections. I had all the usual side effects- still having hot flushes a year after the 2 year course finished. I suffered from a reaction, when injected into my stomach, early in the course. I decided, on the nurses suggestion, to rotate where I received them. So, left side then, 3 months later, right side of my stomach and then the same in my arms. So, effectively, I was only injected in the same place once a year. Didn't get any further reaction.

Regards

Stuart

Hello everybody, thank you for your replies - very useful information! 

Hi Stuart

Funnily enough my lovely nurse gives my 3 monthly Zoladex jabs on alternative sides of my stomach each time too, don't know if that helps with the side effects?

All the best,

Bas

Hi Bas

Well, after I rotated the site for my jabs, I didn't get anymore lumps around the injection site and there was less discomfort. I felt that was a win!

Regards

Stuart

It's more likely to be the gradual build up of the hormones in his body. If it helps, at the recommendation of my original GP's practice nurse, I had my 3 monthly injections in alternate buttocks, plenty of fatty under tissue to absorb them. Even after we moved to a new practice I was able to convince the new practice nurse that it was the best place.

I think the side effects took a year to stabalise for me, so I wouldn't necessarily assume changes after just the first month were due to a change in injection frequency, but more likely due to your body slowly getting used to the change in hormone regime.

Injections are usually given 3-monthly (Prostap) or 12-weekly (Zoladex or Decapeptly), with Decapeptyl also available in 24-weekly dose. The 1-month (Prostap) or 4-weekly (Zoladex or Decapeptly) are only used for the first injection, just in case you turn out to be allergic, but that's very rare.

Firmagon/Degarelix is only available as a 4-weekly injection (and the first dose is two injections).

These are all what's known as depot injections, a mixture made up just before the injection which sets into a gel after injection, and then dissolves slowly, releasing the drug over the duration of the injection. Zoladex is the exception, being a (much smaller) solid implant, but it dissolves in the same way slowly over the 4 week or 12 week period.

Worriedwife  I forgot to mention that you need to make sure the person doing the injection doesn't shake it. I had one when the nurse gave it a good shake and it was painful for several days. The Patient Information Leaflet is quite clear that it should be "Stirred and not Shaken" (to misquote 007), but most nurses will simply discard the PIL without bothering to read it. I had Prostap but it probably applies to the other drugs as well. You should be able to find the PIL online for whatever drug your OH is having.