How long after stopping ADT did your libido and erections return?

Recovery timelines after stopping ADT can vary significantly from person to person, with some men experiencing improvements in energy and sleep within weeks to months, while libido and erectile function may take longer to return - sometimes several months to over a year. It's encouraging to hear that energy levels and sleep are already improving, and many couples in the community have shared similar experiences about reconnecting after treatment ends.

You don’t say what stage of prostate cancer you have. Makes a difference.

I had been diagnosed with stage 4A with lymph node involvement. My psa throughout the treatments have been undetectable. Three months after prostatectomy they were 2.9 and 3.4 two weeks apart. The pathology of my tissues revealed 5 percent Gleason 5, but mostly 4s and 3s. My score after biopsy and before surgery was 4+3 with psa going from 5.4 to 6.6 to 9.8 in the 4 months from biopsy to surgery. They also found traces of intraductal carcinoma along with the acinar carcinoma. My oncologists, radiological and medical are happy with my response to therapy and are expecting a good outcome, as am I!

I also have stage 4a with lymph node involved, but I am staying on the Abiratetone, prednisone and LUPRON as long as the work !!! My PSA has been stable at .01 for 3 years now !!!

Timothy, have you taken a break to see if the meds and other treatments worked? Have you considered what to do if the meds stop working? If I was in my late 70’s or older I probably wouldn’t care so much about the ADT effects, but, we were still very sexually active when all this happened. I’d like to get back to that, and get my muscle tone back, and stop being g freezing all the time. lol.

I'm in the same boat as Timothy, with Gleason 5+4 (9). I had 26 sessions of radiation and I've been on Lupron for almost two years. PSA at <0.01 for the last 18 months. I plan to stay on Lupron as long as it works. My wife and I were still sexually active until about 3 weeks into the Lupron. I do miss it, a lot! (I'm 61) But my fear is that my aggressive cancer will come back if I take my foot off the throttle. I was told that my cancer is treatable, not curable. Has anyone out there been told differently? I've never even considered the possibility of going off of Lupron.

My doctors told me my treatments are curative. That the three pronged approach of Lupron/Zytiga/ and radiation has a near 80 percent cure rate. Removing one of the treatments would create a treatable response. If my numbers do start to rise I will undoubtedly go back on some form of ADT while we weigh options. I feel like staying on ADT is like sitting in limbo, forever wondering. It might just be me, but I’d like to know if it worked and I’d like at least part of my old life back, my muscle tone, my stamina and especially my boner! I’m completely healthy otherwise. My PCP told me I was his only patient in my age group not on some type of medication, then all this happened. I think he jinxed me. But, I’m feeling confident about my plan’s success and will take any future punches if and when they come.

Michael Hughes, No I haven’t !!! My wife is only 55 and I’m 67 and we haven’t had sex in 3 1/2 years !! Not good , I know !!! My cancer went to a lymph node and so it’s metastatic!!! My cancer is very aggressive Adenocarcinoma, so I decided to stay on the meds until they stop working !!! As far as treatment I had 44 rounds of radiation then put on meds !! There no way to prove I don’t have cancer ( wish there was ) if I come off meds my PSA would have to be checked monthly, not every 4 months , because I know it has returned in less time than that !! Initially I was given a 50% chance of living 5 years , the longer the less % , so I told my Dr I wanted to stay on the meds as long as they work !!!

Richard M, I miss sex to , my wife is 55 and I’m 67 !! I’m staying the course of all my meds until they stop working!! I see no other option with Adenocarcinoma with lymph node involvement!!! Just trying to live as long as I can , aren’t we all ??? Originally I was told there is chance of surviving longer than 5-6 years and also told the chance of it returning are high !! Live On

I am in stage 4 also metastatic prostate cancer , the pet-scan showed cancer cells in the abdomen area plus lymph nodes . I had 44 sessions of radiation and since then I am taking Abiratone, prednisone plus Orgovyx’s. I also have irregular hartbeat and that takes more pills , 12 a day But I have to say , next to all the side effects, I feel ok . Us mentioned before, sex is non existent anymore . My biggest issue so far is my sleeping patterns I dried all kind of methods with pills from my psychiatrist plus my regular doctor, unfortunately there has been little progress.

Bernard, for sleeping I started using cannabis. First my own butter and now I go to a local dispensary. About an hour before bed I take a calm/relax blend of thc and cbd, then a full indica gummy at bedtime. Sleep great, zero side effects. If you’ve never been to a dispensary they will help you, or bring one of your kids.

Michael Hughes, 80% cure rate with metastatic prostate cancer ??? And Drs told you this ??? Unfortunately Michael that’s not true at all , not even close !! I’m not a Dr by no means !!! Tho there is a small possibility, very small of being cured !!! Unfortunately you, me and anyone else in our position are never cured !!! Metastatic prostate for the most part will return and well it won’t be nice !! I have Adenocarcinoma, and it’s highly aggressive !!! 35% of people with less aggressive cancer have it return , might be 10 to 15 years , but it comes back nastier than b4 !!! As of right now there is no way of finding out one way or another !!! Wish there was , there’s not even a blood test , tho you would think there should be by now !!! As cancer travels thru lymph nodes and blood !!! Listen nobody wants to know more than me , but no Dr should ever tell you that you have a 80% cure rate , that’s not fair to you !!! And to be completely honest, they are full of shit !!!

I think the actual number from clinical studies is 77.8 or 78.7, can’t remember. I will find the info they gave me. My treatment plan from my med-onc uses the term curative and it was explained to my by him and three rad-oncs. Doctors associated with MD Anderson, Fox Chase and Cleveland Clinic all said the same thing. Why would they lie to me? Why would they give false hope? So far they’ve been right about everything. Now, cured within the cancer world means 5 or 10 years out from treatment. Recurrence is a strong possibility down the road, I accept that reality. But for now I choose positivity. If it proves otherwise, I will choose positivity again. So, thanks for the encouragement.

Michael, I’m not trying to get you down or give you false hope !!! I’m going to tell you exactly what I was told, I have a 50% chance of living 5 years and for every year after, subtract 10% for each year after !!! So Yes you can live longer than 5 years !!! But you are throwing that cure or curative word around to much !! You do have a chance at being cured and so do I , but it’s a slim chance but better than none at all !!! Problem is , that lymph node or nodes that have been involved !! I had a second biopsy of my prostate and it was clear !! I had 44 rounds of radiation to the prostate and lymph node , but it takes 1 to 2 years for that radiation to work , and that gives that lymph node all that time to put out the smallest amount of cancer cells to your blood or other lymph nodes!!! Problem is, there’s no way of knowing, no blood test and they don’t go around and test 50 other lymph nodes !!! So YES we are in Limbo , but I’d rather be there for now and stay there for as long as possible!!! That’s why I CHOSE to stay on the meds for as long as I can and in time I will find out one way or the other !! Drs try to get you off the meds after 2 years to see what happens !!! They have no idea what’s going to happen, and personally I don’t want to find out there way !!!

I had a prostatectomy on Nov.19,2019. Pathology results were 5+4 Gleason 9 PT3A staging. Surgical margins were negative with no lump node invasion. The next 3 years my PSA was zero. On my 3rd anniversary of my surgery my PSA rose to 0.03. My Urologist referred to Oncologist. A PSMA PET scan did not detect any metastatic or local cancer. Oncologists performed 8 weeks of radiation on my prostate bed. Waited 3 months for radiation withdrawal. Then a new PSA test result was 0.75 higher. The oncologist scheduled another PSMA Pet scan which did not detect any metastasis or cancer anywhere in my body. I went on Formation for 3 months and my PSA went to zero. After 3 months, my Urologist placed me on Eligard. In August 2024 , I went on a combination treatment of Eligard and Xtandi. Side effects of fatigue , hot flashes and loss of muscle mass are tolerable. My PSA remains less than 0.01. I am 76 years old. My medical team is great. My prognosis at the time of biopsy was 2 years if i did nothing. I am example that there is hope for an eventual management or cure of this cancer.