Hi everyone, can anyone advise on their Prednisone medication?
My husband has been on Prostap since April, Abiraterone was added in May at 1000mg once a day, alongside 5mg Twice a day of Prednisone, so two separate doses. I was reading something online which stated the standard dose of Prednisone when prescribed alongside Abiraterone should be 5mg ONCE a day not twice. Can I ask what others have been prescribed? T3b N1 M0 Gleason 9 (4+5). PSA is responding well to treatment and is currently 0.1 and has been for the past eight weeks (27 at diagnosis in April). He is currently on a reduced dose of 500mg Abiraterone due to a rise in liver enzymes (ALT), but monitoring that should be fortnightly is only being done monthly via blood test.
I ask as we have had a few issues with the Oncologist, she sent a letter to my husbands GP stating he was on Apalutamide (which he has never been prescribed), and now an appointment has come through for F2F with chemotherapy department at the end of November, which is something that has never been discussed at any point during his diagnosis and treatment. I understand chemo can be offered for locally advanced Gleason 9 disease but NICE protocols state this should come the with 12 weeks of starting ADT, he’s been on ADT for twice this time.
As mentioned on a previous post he is still waiting on a date for CT scan and planning for his radiotherapy which she told us would be within six months of starting ADT. This date has now passed. We are chasing this up and trying to get some clarification, but all these small issues do start to shed doubt in the treatment plan and whether all is as it should be.
Hello Porthleven
In answer to your post:
PREDNISONE - As this is a prescription only steroid and the dose is tailored to each individual's needs depending on their medical conditions you should check the dosage with the medical professional who prescribed the medication in the first place.
CHEMOTHERAPY - With newly diagnosed Gleason 9 metastatic cancer this is given early and is best started within 12 weeks of diagnosis - this is a fairly new combination of treatments known as triplet therapy.
With other Gleason 9's (hormone resistant and latterly locally advanced) chemotherapy can be used at any time to help stop any further spread.
From reading your posts I understand you are not happy with your husbands treatment or treatment plan. You should raise your concerns with his team, if that doesn't work, then PALS. If that doesn't work it's a formal complaint to you NHS Trust. You may find this link helps:
I understand how you feel as a few years ago my wife was in hospital for over 3 months - to get the correct care for her I ended up e-mailing my MP with the full details - 2 days later she was home with the treatment she needed having been done!
I hope the above helps.
Best wishes - Brian.
Macmillan Support Line - 0808 808 00 00, 7 days a week between 8am-8pm
Strength, Courage, Faith, Hope, Defiance, VICTORY.
I am a Macmillan volunteer.
