I want to tell you about a man named Joel who started hormone therapy (ADT) and could not remember who he was, or were he lived. He was brought up in born in New York City and lived the majority of his life in the city. He never took taxis, but almost always relied on [...]
It is my understanding that almost 90% of men who start hormone therapy initially respond to the drugs with their PSA falling significantly. However, there are many costs associated with ADT, many of which I have already discussed in this blog. The hot flashes, bone loss, weight gain, decreased libido and erectile dysfunction are often [...]
Ketoconazole (kee-ta-KOE-na-zol), generic name for Nizoral, is an oral drug approved by the FDA for the use to treat fungal infections. However, it has been shown that higher doses of ketoconazole (800-1200mg/day vs 200-400mg/day) also block the production of both free and bound testosterone. Since high-dose Ketoconazole (HDK) has testosterone lowering effects, operating both on [...]
Oh no, another not so very clear issue for men with prostate cancer has emerged! According to an article written by Tara Parker-Pope in the New York Times, bisphosphonates (i.e. Fosamax), has been reported, in some rare occasions, to actually cause weaker bones that lead to an unusual type of fracture of the femur. Bisphosphonates [...]
Common practice is to treat men with advanced prostate cancer with androgen inhibition therapy (ADT) with or without antiandrogens (Casodex). Most of our prostate cancer will progress and develop into androgen-independent prostate cancer despite our achieving castrate testosterone levels. Dutasteride, a 5-alfa-reductase inhibitor, is commonly used in the treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). Additional, [...]