Hey guys,

So I'm new to the forums, just joined tonight looking for some info on the hormone blocker Lupron.

A little back story:

I'm a 39 y/o transman (pre-hysto) and have been on Testosterone injections for about 2  1/2 years. Due to severe cramping, my doctor, who prescribes my hormones, recommended that I see a gynecologist. After numerous rejections from different OBGYs who refused to even see me (the excuse was always that they had no experience) I finally found a group of doctors (at a university) that would see me. When i first went in (a few months ago) they sent me for an ultrasound, which came back normal. For this reason I did not bring up the question of a hysterectomy. Months later and I'm still cramping up. I went back and, this time, asked about a hysto. Since I see a different doctor each time (it's teaching hospital) I have to re-explain my story with every doctor. In this case I got a woman who smiled broadly as she told me that she wasn't sure what to do, since the usual treatment for someone with the kind of pain i was experiencing was birth control pills, which obviously I won't take. Honestly, sh didn't seem to believe that I was actually experiencing pain. In the end she even asked me the question, "If it wasn't for the pain, would you still want a hysterectomy?" She smiled broadly as he asked. I understood what the question meant. But that's another story. She went and got the department chair, a nice guy who came in to speak with me about the issue. He said that since there doesn't appear to be anything physically wrong, he is hesitant to give me a hysterectomy, given that my organs appear to be healthy. He told me the horror stories of women who have had hystos and wanted to die after the fact, and of all the symptoms of menopause that I would face. I mentioned that the testosterone might prevent those symptoms but he simply did not know. So here is the point. In the end he said he would "consider" it, but he wanted me to try a drug called Lupron, which is supposed to induce chemical menopause. It would be a trial run, so to speak, to see if I could tolerate the symptoms. I kind of feel like I have to do this in order to satisfy him but I'm worried, NOT about the menopausal side effects (the testosterone in my system should lessen that) but of the side effects of the drug itself.

So here is my question. Are the side effects of Lupron simply due to the menopause that it is supposed to bring on, or are there other side effects to this drug that have nothing to do with menopausal symptoms? As for what I see as the worst, which would be heart failure, blood clot and stroke, is that only from the "add back" drugs that bio women take with it in order to lessen effects (they have small doses of estrogen with it)? Or can the Lupron itself cause these things? I won't be taking "add back" obviously since I'm on testosterone. I know T itself can have these effects which is why I did not want to add another drug that can also cause them, so I wanted to know if Lupron itself does or if it is just the add back.

Also, has anyone else had bad experiences with Lupron? Because from what I've been reading, bio women seem to have very bad reactions, though they might just be menopausal and not from the drug.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Welcome to Susan's Place. I moved the thread where it's more likely to receive a response by somebody who might have used the drug. I looked up the data sheet and it appears most of what is seen is menopause symptoms but I have never heard of the drug before now. One other possibility is there are estrogen blockers given to children to prevent puberty when they are known to be transgender. Normally T is powerful enough that they aren't used when treating FTMs but they might be an alternative to Lupron. In MTFs, T blockers are used in the HRT mix because estrogen alone isn't normally sufficient to shut down Testosterone production. Discuss this with your Endo as an alternative.
www.rxlist.com/lupron-side-effects-drug-center.htm

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Ok thanks for your response, I'll look that up.

I've no experience with Lupron but in researching medical stuff generally I've found that there's risks with everything and its hard to work out what it means. I expect you could find people that have had problems with every option you could possibly take.

I'd hope Lupron is reasonably safe as it is after all given to children. I believe its also very expensive.

First of all, sorry you are in this predicament!!! Some medical personnel still have much learning to accomplish...  I do not have personal experience with Lupron, but I know that I would NEVER take any kind of drug unless I was fully on board and in agreement that it was the best choice for me.  I am glad you are doing your research.  If this course of action is not what you want, and only what your doctor wants, I would go elsewhere.  Do not be bullied by health care providers.  It may be inconvenient and more expensive to travel to another area, but the care you need and deserve is out there somewhere!

That doesn't make sense to take Lupron. You don't want to block your T. That is counter productive and does not solve the problem. They could just think you are complaining to get your hysto covered, that's what it sounds like. You want the problem fixed and just not covered up by a drug. I would tell them that.

I can't help with the questions but check and see if there is a feminist women's clinic or something similar in your area.  They may be able to help find someone knowledgeable for you. 

here is a reference for med personnel:

https://www.susans.org/forums/index.php/topic,80762.msg564084.html#msg564084

Both lupron and hysto are mentioned.


hugs

Quote from: Alexthecat on February 15, 2016, 02:09:00 PM
That doesn't make sense to take Lupron. You don't want to block your T. That is counter productive and does not solve the problem. They could just think you are complaining to get your hysto covered, that's what it sounds like. You want the problem fixed and just not covered up by a drug. I would tell them that.

Well, from what I understand, Lupron is used in men who have certain cancers that depend on testosterone. It shuts off production of T and, by doing so, cuts off the "food supply" to the cancer cells. Lupron is also used on women with certain cancers that are estrogen dependent, and has the same effect - shuts down production of the hormone. Because I'm taking testosterone supplements, the testosterone won't be blocked, only the estrogen will as the medication shuts down production of hormones.

Thank you to everyone who responded to my post. You were all very helpful.

My gyn appointment is Friday so I will let everyone know what happened.

Good luck at your appointment. These days, many perfectly healthy people get hysterectomies for personal reasons. Trans or not - you are able to make that choice for yourself. It is completely unrelated to anything trans, but this is a link to the Childfree sub->-bleeped-<- where they've compiled a list of friendly healthcare providers who will perform reproductive surgeries with little/no issue. I'm sure you could find someone on this list who would be open to helping you out:

https://www.->-bleeped-<-.com/r/childfree/wiki/doctors

First of all, good luck at your appointment! I'm sorry to hear that you're in pain, especially pain without a clear diagnosis. You've asked a very important question. I hope you eventually get the great doctor you deserve.

I'll give my two cents based on my experiences with Lupron. I'm a transman roughly the same age as you and I took Lupron before my eventual hysterectomy, to combat pain caused by uterine fibroids and endometriosis. I was taking a standard dose of testosterone when I took Lupron.

Lupron is what I would consider a "hardcore" medication – one that doesn't treat your body lightly and shouldn't be taken without understanding exactly what you're getting into. The bottom line is that Lupron doesn't simply mimic surgical menopause: it can have very different side effects. And side effects caused by Lupron do not necessarily go away when you stop taking Lupron. It may take months for them to go away.

When I compare my experience with Lupron-induced menopause vs. surgical menopause, I would say that typical menopausal symptoms like hot flashes, night sweats, brain fog, joint pain and body aches, etc. were similar in both cases. Well, the aches and pains were more severe with Lupron, which seems to be a common complaint.

However, and this is a huge however, the psychological side effects of Lupron were far more severe than anything I experienced from surgical menopause. Before taking Lupron, I had mild to moderate general anxiety. Post-surgical menopause, I have slightly higher levels of anxiety than I used to. Lupron itself was an absolute horrorshow.

Taking Lupron prompted severe anxiety, including weeks of near constant panic attacks, depression, and full-blown mania. These derailed my life and took months to start to dissipate after the Lupron wore off. It was a terrifying experience.

If you have any history of anxiety, depression, or other mood disorders, I would advise against Lupron. Even if you don't, I would advise you to be careful if you do end up taking Lupron. Be vigilant about identifying possible mood symptoms and, if possible, alert your friends or family members so that they can keep an eye out for changes as well.

I highly recommend giving these blog posts a once-over:

http://mooshinindy.com/2010/06/06/lupron-just-say-oh-hell-no/
http://mooshinindy.com/2009/12/06/the-ugly-lupron-truth/

I think we're both too new to send PMs, but I'm happy to answer any other questions you have. And if you feel comfortable posting your location, I might be able to recommend a doctor to you. Take care!

Quote from: FTMax on February 15, 2016, 07:37:44 PM
Good luck at your appointment. These days, many perfectly healthy people get hysterectomies for personal reasons. Trans or not - you are able to make that choice for yourself. It is completely unrelated to anything trans, but this is a link to the Childfree sub->-bleeped-<- where they've compiled a list of friendly healthcare providers who will perform reproductive surgeries with little/no issue. I'm sure you could find someone on this list who would be open to helping you out:

https://www.->-bleeped-<-.com/r/childfree/wiki/doctors

Hey, thanks! i'll take a look.