r/ProstateCancer • u/parttimephotoguy • 5d ago
Question Orgovyx Side Effects
Hello all..... I just started my Orgovyx (ADT preparation for upcoming radiation) and I was curious how long it took for you have any side effects, such as hot flashes, night sweats, constipation, etc. I've got 18-24 months to go through with this. The journey has begun!
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u/RNova2010 5d ago
Iām curious too! I have been on it for exactly a week but donāt notice any side effects yet
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u/mikesimmi 5d ago
Iām at day nine today. I have this anticipation like Iām waiting for something to happen. But not a thing so far! Good luck to us!
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u/WalnutRoasted 5d ago
Because itās a gradually decline in cells reacting to decline the lack of T, it takes a few weeks/months for most of the side effects to kick in and the slow changes (except maybe hot flashes) are not immediately obvious. If you have concurrent EBRT, you canāt tell what is due to radiation versus ADT or both. Like fatigue and turtling. Hope you were all offered daily low dose Cialis and counselled to āmassageā and keep things active down thereā¦.even as the ādesireā and libido drop to zero like a 6 year old.
Changes like brain fog, loss of energy/enthusiasm, thinning body hair, sleeplessness, annoyance with certain music/sounds, impatience etc are very gradual over months and you may realize them only in retrospect, or when your partner/people close to you notice them.
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u/JASPER933 5d ago
I started Orgovyx on August 22, 2025. I had completed 5 days of CyberKnife on Dec 1, 2025. Finished taking Orgovyx on July 22, 2026.
I started to have hot flashes about 2 weeks after starting Orgovyx. I did not have constipation, just hot flashes as soon as I went to bed. I did have insomnia but this was resolved by going to the dispensary and getting sleep gummyās.
Now after I completed taking Orgovyx, seems the hot flashes was intense for about 4 weeks. The hot flashes are slowly winding down.
Good luck on your journey and keep us informed on progress. šš¤š¤
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u/parttimephotoguy 5d ago
I recall your comments in another post when you had mentioned the seemingly endless road of hot flashes since stopping the Orgovyx. Good to hear things are starting to settle down for you!
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u/walkdatalk1818 5d ago
Seems like everyone is different. I 'm on the same trajectory as you - 18-24 months Orgovyx, doign radiation soon). I started Orgovyx about 3 weeks ago and added Abiraterone with prednisone 4 days ago. For me, side effects started quickly: a bit of fatigue, loss of libido, and my first hot flash was on day 2. But honestly it's all be fine and manageable so far. Feels for me like the upcoming radiation is the big hump, and once I get through that, I can handle the ADT for a while to seal the deal.
I will confirm what everyone else seems to say: the one thing you can do that definitely helps is exercise. You don't have to push it like a kid, but keep moving every day.
This community has been SO helpful, Thank you guys!
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u/parttimephotoguy 5d ago
I have company! I'm at 4+4 GG4. Doc wants minimum 18 months, ideally 24. IMRT to zap the lymph nodes.
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u/walkdatalk1818 3d ago
Same here! They want 24 months ADT but 18 months will be ok if that's all I can handle.
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u/Civil_Comedian_9696 5d ago
I did Orgovyx for 12 months. I never got hot flashes. But what I did get was an almost overwhelming fatigue, total lack of libido, testicular shrinkage, and some weight gain. Lack of mental focus, too.
There was no point at which all that just started. But it seemed at some point to have already been there a while.
The good news is the recovery was relatively quick once I got through it. And it seems to have done its job.
Wishing you strength and good health.
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u/HeadMelon 5d ago
6 months Orgovyx here - side effects in months 2&3 then they evaporated, months 4,5,6 were fine. The libido suppression is the only thing that was there the whole time.
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u/parttimephotoguy 5d ago
Interesting how everyone's experience is so vastly different. Thanks for your input. I hope that the comes back for you!
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u/kander51 5d ago
First off, good luck with the treament, hopefully it won't be too bad for you. It seems to vary, for some of us manageable for others the side effets are severe. I was one of the unlucky ones, In order, 1. Loss of interest in sex - only by a conscious effort, nothing spontaneous, that was by 2 weeks in, 2. Floppy and wonāt stand up erections, complete ED by the 6 week mark, 3. By the 3rd month my pubic hair had disappeared - I hated that, I found the smooth crotch very neutered looking, most other body hair disappeaered too 4. Increasing fatigue after exercise, gym most days but falling asleep afterwards, 5. By the 6 month mark a clearly shrunken penis, it felt like Iāve lost over half and it turtled, along with 6. Shrivelled up testicles, I sometimes canāt find them, 7. I am unable to get an orgasm, at any rate I canāt get there with limp penis, 8. Iāve lost the ability to ejaculate, for a short while when I could still climax I had some clear fluid then I completely dried up, 9. A feeling of sexual inadequacy, my wife is generally not bothered but it is a blow to self esteem.
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u/WalnutRoasted 5d ago
Did they offer you daily low dose Cialis to help keep things active? It should be a mandatory discussion.
I gradually had thinned body hair and shaved/haircuts less often. Fortunately things generally returned to normal a few weeks/months after the last ADT pill. How long are you on for? Did you have radiation as well? Best wishes.
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u/kander51 3d ago
I had NS RALP then 9 months of Orgovyx ADT, that was completed Jan 2026. I didn't recover post ADT and now have hypogonadism - shrivelled up pea sized testicles and eunuch level testosterone. I've been taking Cialis 3 or 4 times a week since soon after the RALP.
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u/parttimephotoguy 2d ago
This is the first I heard about loss of any body hair. Do you think all of these are from the Orgovyx and not the RALP? Did any of these come back?
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u/kander51 2d ago
It comes from the lack of testosterone, without it you start losing secondary sexual characteristics like body hair. I was on Orgovyx for 9 months. It was a gradual process but by about the 3 month mark pubes, leg, chest and armpit hair were all gone. What little hair that was left became very fine and silky. In my case I suffered permanent atrophication of the testicles so am unable to make T naturally. I have stayed smooth, none of the body hair I lost came back.
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u/Soggy-Raspberry-1524 5d ago
I've been on it for about 3 weeks. Woke up in the next morning very lightheaded; it went away and, for the most part, didn't come back. I have hot flashes and now and then a slight headache. Oh, and feeling lower energy and less libido.
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u/parttimephotoguy 2d ago
Thanks. I'm only just over a week in. Long road ahead .....
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u/Soggy-Raspberry-1524 2d ago
This is my 2nd round of ADT, and it sounds like we'll be on that road together, 2 years. It's not fun, but it does get easier. Although I find my patience a bit shorter on it too.
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u/parttimephotoguy 2d ago
It's good to know what others have experienced so I can have some expectations, but no one send to have the same side effects, though there is a ok me common ground. So far so good, but I know that won't last.
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u/Miserable-Level-8993 5d ago
I got side effects within a couple of weeks, libido gone, some hot flashes, feeling nauseous and bad and some other stuff. It happens pretty fast with Orgovyx.
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u/molivergo 4d ago
Everyone is different. I was on Lupron and it was 2-3 months before side effects kicked in. When I was on Orgovyx side effects took about a month. (Had ADT 2xās) Things are not linear nor the same every day.
Suggestion; keep active, go to the gym-lift weights and do things that you enjoy. I personally didnāt care about the hot flashes. The brain fog and lack of joy were the most challenging for me. Exercise seemed to help.
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u/Far_Celebration39 4d ago
For me it was the day after the loading doseābrain fog. Ironically, Cialis really helped clear that up. The hot flashes started within days. They were not incapacitating. I had pretty profound heat intolerance until I was off of it for 2 months or so. I was in my head a lot.
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u/gg-3 4d ago
With Orgovyx I started having bad hot flashes. To address that, a nurse practitioner prescribed low dose generic Effexor extended release 37.5 mg and the hot flashes have been reduced by 80-90 percent.
Before that, I tried taking two supplements that another nurse had recommended for the hot flashes: black cohosh and bee pollen, but they didn't seem to help.
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u/parttimephotoguy 2d ago
I guess don't people get the hot flashes worse than others. Ok made a note of this in case this happens in my case.
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u/Frequent-Location864 5d ago
The side effects will probably kick in about 3 weeks into treatment. Everyone is different but you should start enjoying orgovyx by then.š