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Re: Testosterone after PC treatment for men with Low T?
Bioguy,
I was faced with the same problem. I was hypo-gonadal before I made my treatment choice. I chose ADT3 from Dr.Lebowitz in LA. After 13months of treatment I had a targeted biopsy that found NO cancer. I was offered T replacement and all the hypo-gonadal symptoms are gone. T replacement has gotten a bad rap. If T caused PC why don't 18 year old's get it. And what about the patient that is not hypo-gonadal before treatment and his T recovers to mid normal. What's the difference between that and raising yours to mid level with replacement T. A great book that covers this is "The new Testosterone Treatment" by Dr. Edward Friedman.
Keep in mind that most primary treatments affect sexual function and not in a good way. Also, if your cancer comes back you can still choose a primary treatment or another round of ADT3.
Re: Testosterone after PC treatment for men with Low T?
Bioguy,
I finished my proton therapy over two ago. Because I had a Gleason 8 tumor, they added 6 months of hormone therapy-post proton. While my PSA now remains low, my T-level never really recovered. While proton therapy virtually eliminated side effects, now I find my post hormonal T-levels expose me to health exposures as well as low libido. Sure, I'm 71 but I'd still like a few good years more. I have talked to my proton docs and they strongly discourage T-replacement, probably because (unlike surgery) with any form of radiation, there is no way of knowing if all of the PCa was eliminated from the prostate. I think if my 30 month post therapy numbers continue to look good, I will look around see if I can find someone who can prescribe a T-replacement therapy while closely monitoring a possible reoccurrence of PCa. I think I'll bring up this topic at my next UsToo meeting. I strongly suspect my sanity will be questioned.
Re: Testosterone after PC treatment for men with Low T?
Joe,
Good post. An interesting question to your Doc's. If my T would have recovered to mid normal would you have been OK with that level of T in my body? BTW many men do have their T recover with only 6 months of hormone treatment.
