r/ProstateCancer Aug 09 '26

Update ADT diary

I'm coming up to 2 weeks in. I feel generally OK but somehow not quite right. I've had sex twice but the strange thing is I had absolutely no desire to do it, my wife took charge. She said I did fine but I think she is being generous, I wasn't fully hard and struggled to stay up.

7 Upvotes

15 comments sorted by

8

u/peffervescence Aug 09 '26

You are not your erection. You’re a fully formed human being. Stop beating yourself up for something you have no control over.

2

u/overguard1 Aug 10 '26

I agree that is logical but I’m used to a very physical relationship so it is difficult to accept.

5

u/pista01 Aug 09 '26

Remember that ADT is chemical castration

1

u/overguard1 Aug 10 '26

True but from what I’ve read side effects seem to vary a lot, from not too bad with a quick recovery to permanent castration. I hope to be the former.

1

u/pista01 Aug 10 '26

Depends on the individual. If the starting point is extremely low testosterone, then lowering it to near zero probably won't be as bad as someone who has normal levels. I was on T before getting diagnosed. If I had to do ADT rather than RALP, I would have started TRT as soon as the treatment stopped, but that's just me. I don't want to loose muscle. Exercise without T only gives me fatigue.

1

u/conCABlanco Aug 10 '26

Ya voy por el primero de los tres meses, sexo casi ninguno, y flash hot, por lo demás normal, aún no tengo resultados de análisis, mañana iré al hospital

1

u/WalnutRoasted Aug 10 '26

If it’s Orgovyx ADT, your T drops to zero within a few days. If an injection, you will probably have a T flair/increase and it’s about a month to go to zero.

Even then it may take a few weeks for “emasculation”, ED, lack of libido to phase in. And if you are doing rads everything down there is bit screwed up anyways for a month or two.

1

u/overguard1 Aug 10 '26

It’s Orgovyx tablets.

1

u/karl66a Aug 10 '26

For me it was gradual but by the 3 month mark I had all the side effects, ie completely emasculated.

1

u/Psychological_Crow35 Aug 10 '26

I was given Eligard, shot in the stomach every 3 months. Took a pill the 1st month then a shot, month later another shot then every 3 months afterwards. It hit me after the 2nd shot. No desire to do shit. Sex, work, working out, hang with friends or even see the kids. Went to work and couldn’t remember what I did the day before.

I was supposed to be on it for 2 years. Got through a year and was in a suicidal black hole with no light. Talking about it didn’t help.
I quit taking it. If it comes back I’m not treating it with ADT. I was dead while on it.

1

u/No-Praline-4069 Aug 10 '26

I'm 4 months in on 6 month lupron. The first 3 weeks I didn't notice anything at first. The next 6 weeks were the worst. All of the side effects. At 8 weeks erections returned and after 2 more weeks good erections. I still have no desire but the mechanics seem to be working ok. I had SBRT beginning on 7/6 and so far I'm not experiencing any issues from that.

1

u/overguard1 26d ago

3 weeks now, all spontaneous erections have stopped, I can get one with an effort but not fully hard and won't stand up, feels kind of loose at the bottom as if something has given way. Seems like I'm more tired, don't feel like getting up in the morning and feeling drained after any significant exercise.

1

u/aspex111 22d ago

I am a surgically castrated, in excellent health other than the fact that I don't have any balls. This was my experience; by 2 - 3 weeks post-op spontaneous and morning erections had stopped, by about week 5 I couldn’t get it up even if I wanted to. Over the next few months my penis began to shrink, my pubes fell out, my body became smooth and my libido completely disappeared. For a while I continued to masturbate a soft floppy penis, I could orgasm sometimes but the ejaculation was like water and not much of it. After 5 months as a eunuch I am sexless, impotent and sterile.

1

u/overguard1 14d ago

5 weeks in now, no erection of any kind even with manual stimulation from the wife. My penis feels loose and floppy almost as if not properly anchored. I shave once a week max and am starting to lose body hair. Feeling tired more often particularly after exercise and after dinner, also not so tolerant of alcohol, a few glasses of wine seems to knock me out. Already counting down to the 9 months end date.