Lupron and sex drive

I am 30 years old and have been put on Depo Lupron after a laproscopy to help with endometriosis. I am 2 months into a 6 month course (one shot every 3 months) of Depo Lupron and my life has drastically changed. I started feeling life altering hot flashes and night sweats two days after the first shot and nearly drown myself in sweat 24 hours a day. I experienced a little postpardum depression after giving birth 6 years ago but have found myself sunk into a sinking hole of depression and anger like I've never felt before. I bawl at McDonald's commercials and become enraged if the dishwasher isn't loaded properly! I am ecstatic one minute and severely depressed the next. I have even had thought of suicide since being on this shot. I am normally a very outgoing, athletic, cheerful, happy person - but since taking this shot, I have become a stanger in my own head. I tell my family all the time that I need to "go stick my head in the freezer" to cool off because of the horrific hot flashes. I have to carry a handheld fan with me 24 hours a day and sleep with ice packs to keep cool. Since the shot started 2 months ago, I have lost all sexual drive, am thoroughly exhausted by 9am and find myself crying at my desk at work by late afternoon because I am so tired. My family thinks I am going crazy and I've never fought more with my husband. My daughter has gone to grandma's for awhile because I'm just so tired and irritable that I feel like an awful mother. Migraines have also come full circle since the onset of the shot as well as blurred vision and shaky hands. I'm a little achy throughout the as well. I know that everyone responds to medication differently, but I'm finding a lot of people with the same side effects as myself and have to wonder why the doctors don't warn patients about these types of problems before prescribing medications such as Depo Lupron. I don't think I'll be going back for the second shot. Could it get any worse?

I have been on Lupron for not even a month yet. My side effects are bad headaches, the pain has not gone away, I am still having my period, I have terrible mood swings, I have trouble sleeping, I have no sex drive at all, (my husband hates that) I get shortness of breath sometimes. I get hot flashes, they don't really last long, but when they hit, they hit. I get stomach aches and nausea sometimes. I think the worst thing about me is that I am in the Army. One doctor that I was seeing did a sonogram, a CT scan(i think), and put me on birth control pills, but none of that worked. She said there was nothing wrong with me and that I was making it all up. She said I needed to go to mental health. I finally got referred to OBGYN. The doctor there did a laproscopy, but let her tell it, she doesn't even know if I have endometriosis. She said I have a lot of scar tissue, but she can't say if it is endometriosis. Why are you treating me for endometriosis if you don't know for sure if I have it? The worst part of all is that I am supposed to be deploying to Iraq next month and I am still in pain. Yall please pray for me...

hi I'm 28 yrs old and have been diagnosed with endo. i have been taking the Lupron shot since August 07. I'm only suppose to be on them for a year. 2 weeks after my 1st shot, i started getting severe headaches w/ nosebleeds. also, I'm so exhausted all the time. after my 2nd shot i started passing out with severe headaches. i told my doc about it and she took me off the shot til i got a cat scan which came out normal. at the beginning of February 08, i was back in the er room 3x in a matter of 48 hours, thats when an ob/gyn at the hos. gave me another shot of Lupron. since i got this 3rd shot, i started having severe migraines and passing out again along with extreme exhaustion. I'm very angry my doc won't do the hysterectomy. she says, I'm too young. but the shot sends u into perimenopause, whats the difference. i was taking the hormones as well before my doctor took me off the shot but they made me really, really angry all the time. when the doc at the hos. gave me the shot, she didn't put me back on the hormones. this shot is suppose to help me but instead its ruining my life. i have severe headaches and exhaustion with the shot and severe pain without the shot. i don't know what to do. I'm not suppose to have any pain after i get off the shot for up to like months or years i was told. the shot started to where off at the end of January and i had to get it again in February when i was originally suppose to take my 3rd shot. i still have pain in my stomach, it just makes it tolerable. my other side effects r: mood swings, hot flashes, night sweats, no sex drive, extreme nausea, depression, stomach pains, swelling in my stomach, weight gain, and of course severe headaches. this is effecting my life so much. i do not recommend getting the depro lupron shot to anyone. of course everyone is different, but if the shot effects u like this, i recommend u not taking it. i will not be taking my next 1. i will be calling my doc 1st thing tomorrow morning cuz i passed out Friday with my 6 year old daughter here and no one else. i have been so afraid of this happening with my kids here and it has happened. as a mother u don't want your children to have to go thru something like that without no one else around. has anyone else had these side effects? i can live with most of them, but i can't live with the extreme exhaustion and severe headaches with passing out. thank u for listening.

I am 46 and was on Lupron from May to November 2007. I still have hot flashes and night sweats, my bones ache all the time and I feel like an old person of the morning just trying to get out of bed. I have no sex drive and feel bad all the time. Now my doctor has to me I am post menopause. I don't know if the shots caused this or not.

I took one injection of Lupron for fibroids in Nov. 2001. It totally changed my life, I am no longer the same person I was before. It started with severe migraine headaches for 14 days straight and attacks of nausea, lack of appetite. I used to have a strong stomach - now I was very easily nauseated. I never went for the second shot. I began to have panic attacks regularly (I had not had them for over 20 yrs). I was tired all the time, and a person who used to work out at the gym 5 days a week - eventually I quit. Now I just walk. I feel about 65 yrs old (I am just 49). I look old, my face began to droop, my hair thinned. I had bouts of depression coupled with general anxiety. My migraines worsened. My sex drive dropped to zero, I feel almost "sexless". I used to be confident, now I was afraid of everything. I now suffer from irritable bowel syndrome - with bouts of diarrhea, bloating and severe gas pains. I have trouble eating sometimes.. I have had all the tests and no one can find anything wrong with me,and none of the doctors think all these problems are due to Lupron. But, I know - I was NOT like this before Lupron. It ruined my life. I just wish my doctor would have informed me of all the terrible side effects - she only told me about hot flashes. I looked into suing her for malpractice but the lawyers said they could not build a case with no real medical evidence that my symptoms are caused by Lupron. I just wish I had known then what I know now. I tell everyone - NEVER take Lupron. Six years later and I still feel like this. Oh what I wouldn't give to have not taken that drug.

I have been on Lupron for 3 months, and while I do have side effects, I have had no ENDO pain.
I have hot flashes, and have had headaches. My sex drive hasn't diminushed, nor do I have any other side effects.

My doctor and I discussed options, so this was the best for me as I am 27, a professional and not ready for children just yet.

Sucess Story:

I am a 38 yo female, I have severe endo, I had a bowel re-section because it ate through a portion of my small intestine. I just received my 6th shot today, and my doctor and I agreed that I am going to start the regiment over next month. (another 6 mths)

I have actually had an okay experience with Lupron. I have had hot flashes, night sweats, moodiness, and bone/joint pain and headaches. These symptoms seem to occur more toward the end of the month within a week or so of getting my next shot.

The symptoms are not fun, but neither are they unbearable. I have a good quality of life and the symptoms do not interrupt that in any way.

Additionally, sorry if this is TMI, but I have had no drop in my sex drive/urges, things just take a little longer to get going. My partner understands this and is most supportive.

Every day I take:
Multi-vitamin
Calcium/Magnesium supplement: 1000 mg Calcium/667 mg Mag
Omega 3 Fish Oil: 1000 mg
Vitamin B12: 100 mcg
I drink quite a bit of soy milk also

Good luck to those of you who are either on it, or considering it. My empathy to those who are having a horrific time with it.

I'm 28 years old and just recentally stopped taking the drug. My doctor told me that after my treatment was complete my body would return to normal. My last 3-month injection was in March, it's now September and still no period, recuring hot flashes, headaches, insomnia, and noooo sex drive.
Does anyone out there know how long it takes for your body to return to normal?
I would like to one day have a family and I am concerned that if my body doesn't return to normal how is that going to happen.
I have a doc. appt. today and will ask her these questions, but I would like other oppionions.

Thanks-

This is the drug from hell! Nothing really happened after my first one-month shot, just a few mild hot flashes. My doctor had wanted to give me the three-month shot, but I insisted on the one-month to see how my body reacted. A month later I was given the three-month injection. The hot flashes increased dramatically. About a week later I started to feel like I was truly going insane. I was having serious panic attacks, I could cry over absolutely nothing, and I had this wierd disconnected feeling. Couldn't sleep, was exhausted yet had nervous energy, palpitations, feeling of unease all the time. This was pretty intense for a few days and was quite frightening. I had severe headaches, and I am not a person who gets headaches very often. Worst of all, I have had SEVERE joint and muscle pain. Twenty years of fibromyalgia was NOTHING compared to this. I had never had neck and back problems before, and now I'm experiencing pain all the time. I get weakness in my arms and legs, and often I feel a strange twitching feeling in my legs and neck. It has been over two months since I had that three-month injection. I'm due to go back for another one in early July, and I've already decided against it. The hot flashes seemed less intense for a little while, but now they're increasing along with night sweats. Nothing helps with the vaginal dryness, so my sex life is non-existent (not that I really care since this has killed my sex drive anyway). I had read about some of the scarier side effects before going through with this and asked my doctor about them, and he brushed my concerns off, saying that this stuff doesn't happen, I would likely just get some hot flashes. I'm very upset that I was pushed into having the three-month injection because now I'm stuck with this poison in my body. I think the pharmaceutical companies push the three-month injections. They got paid by my insurance company, that's all they care about and there's nothing I can do about this now. Anybody know if the doctors are getting kickbacks for pushing this on patients? For me this was follow-up treatment after having surgery to remove endometriosis and to remove one ovary that was severely affected. With that ovary gone I don't even know how necessary it was to follow up with Lupron. I'm 42 and will probably be going into menopause in a few years. Despite endometriosis I was able to have a baby at age 37 and was then free of endometriosis for almost four years. I will say I would probably think this was all worth it if I was going to try to get pregnant again, but I'm not, so I think this was all an unnecessary risk to my health. Anybody with similar experiences or info on Lupron, please feel free to email me at ****** Good luck to all!

am 56 year old male taking lupron injections for prostate cancer for the last 10 months. Experiencing hot flashes, am very emotional, easily exhausted, used to play racquetball regularly but now can only handle a slow game of doubles, pain in pelvic area and legs, lost sex drive. Now I have a different pain -- my left leg feels like a boa constricter is wrapped around it -- it has been that way for almost a week (i got a three-month shot 1-1/2 months ago on my left side -- i'm trying to figure out if this pain is due to lupron

I had two shots of lupron for uterine fiboids and the side effects are terrible. I had a migraine today and was unable to work. I went to the doctor and he said headaches were not a know side effect. Other effects I have experienced include: memory problems, sweating, no sex drive, hot flashes, insomnia, headaches. I haven't read that lupron can cause blood clotting but I am sure anything is possible with thisdrug. Anyone know how the side effects last after stopping drug??

Hot flashes, headache, NO sex drive; repulsed by any sexual intamicy. Very uncomfortable wetness in vagina, severe depression, boyfriend has nearly lost all patients. Horrible memory loss, blurred vision, spacey and cannot focus on anything. I look horrible too, my eyes look like I'm a meth head, sunken in look, too bad the Kate Moss look has passed (joking). Had surgery last June, no help with that or birth control therapy, now on third month of Lupron. Really want to melt away. Hot flashes all night and day, insomnia. Skin has frequent rash appearences.
Any helpful ideas? email me at ******

9 months after marriage, prostate cancer was discovered. The choice was surgury or Lupron with radiation. I chose the latter because radiation is pervasive and could pick up micro cancerous cells as well in the vicinity of the prostate. I experienced the usual symptoms from Lupron, but the prolong effect, 2 years after ceasing injections is lethargy and laziness. In addition to insomnia and weight gain, some 15 Lbs and a breasts simiar to Cushings syndrom. But I am alive, because the actuaries for cancer are 4 years to death and it is a miserable death. So I am grateful. There is no sex drive, neither with Viagra and I no longer have the desire, but I owe a responsibility to my new wife, who has told me it does not matter, but I am sure that she would be much happier if I could perform that ritual. The most important ailment which affects me is my inability to generate income due to tiredness, sleeplessness and memory loss which leads to poor decision making and certainly less aggression. These are the symptoms that have remained after the hot flashes and the noctornal presperation has past. Prior to cancer inception, I had the discipline to make the 6 AM swim at the YMCA for a mile. Now I am trying to get into the pool twice a week for 1/4 mile after which I have to repair to bed for an hour to recover. Medicine has pushed us too far past the normal limit of existance and we should not be ungrateful for that if uncomfortable side effects accompany our efforts for preservation on this earth. I am grateful for Lupron for its curative effect regardless of the side effects

I am 33 years old and and am going next week for my fourth shot. I'm due to get t a total of six for adenomyosis which is similar to enym. I had surgery three months ago to remove fibroids but found out I had this condition. I have not slept in three months. I get up an average of four to six times a night. The hot flashes are the absolute worst so my doctor put me on premrin which has helped with the intensity of the hot flashes, but it makes my eyes very puffy. Since I have been on lupron, I have gained some weight and no matter how hard I work out, I can't seem to drop the pounds. My hair is growing like weeds and my memory (I'm in grad school) is beyond frightening. I can't remember one minute to the next which is really disturbing. I don't have periods anymore. My sex drive has not changed. I'm hoping this is working and I was just wondering if anyone out there went through this and went back to normal and if they did, how long did it take? It's nice to know I'm not as alone as I thought I was before I read all these testimonials.

NOOO sex drive!!! Almost repulsed by the idea! Will it ever return? I'm up to my fourth shot. Hot flashes every hour on the hour, you could set a clock to them, not to mention extreme coldness in between the flashes. I barely get any sleep. Extreme tiredness, and very moody. A constant feeling of nervous energy or anxiousness. On the other hand, no cramps! No cramps! It's a trade off. Oh, also loss of memory. I'm going to get fired if I don't remember converations from one day to the next.

i just had my 3rd shot this past weekend. I'm still having ALOT of hot flashes, and i hate them. I'm very emotional and cry over stupid things that never would have effected me before. I don't like that feeling. My sleep is awful. When i finally do fall asleep, i'm waking up constantly because of hot flashes and nightsweats. Because of my lack of sleep, i've had bronchitis twice already. I'm so tired all of the time since i'm not sleeping. I've noticed that i get annoyed easily and i'm beginning to feel increasingly depressed. A new side effect i've noticed is limb jerking. my arms or legs will suddenly give a slight involuntary jerking movement, somewhat like that feeling you get when you're sleeping and feel like you're falling. My weight is fluctuating. One week i'll have lost 5 pounds, then gained 7 pounds the next week and on and on...i'm annoyed easily and i have absolutley no sex drive. I hate this so much and don't want to ever do it again, but the thought of the pain i had before is even worse. i feel backed against a wall. i'd like to just have a hysterectomy and be done with it, but i'm too you apparently (25). I'm trying desperately to find out if this is my only option. there MUST be something else out there. anyway good luck everyone