What should I expect with my Dad (94) starting hormone therapy?

My Dad had Luprone (?) several years ago as he was too old for surgery, too fragile. (Later I've heard about the debilitating effects of surgery and am glad he did not have surgery) He got some Moobs (Man boobs) seemed gentler may have had hot flashes. Eventually they were stopped, and his PSA stabilized. He is something of a miracle, living so much longer that anticipated, but so far still not on Lupron, and peeing every hour on the hour, but not in his pants mostly. The Lupron bought him time.

My neighbor went through hormone therapy. Basically they gave him female hormones to shut off his testosterone. You will see his skin and muscles soften from the meds, but otherwise he should feel OK.

Asking questions of the doctors are vital to understanding every aspect of Side effects and outcomes. My dad's doctor was very good at explaining and answering all of our questions. I went with my parents to all the appts so there were many ears to hear and also questions asked. I thoroughly support asking all questions until you and your dad are comfortable with going forward with it all. The implant worked for my dad for about a year but then his PSA started doubling quickly and they needed to act aggressively right away. Not sure why dad chose the implant but I think so they didn't need to travel to get the injections. He also did the cryoablation surgery before any implants, radiation or chemo was started. He did have some side affects with the implant....hot flashes was one he talked about but nothing too drastic. Hope Al of us have given you food for thought. I pray for your dad that whatever you and choose, it helps.

An article in the Philadelphia Inquirer on this topic just popped up in my inbox:
inquirer/health_science/267106001.html
A recent study that followed 66,000 patients for 17 years found that hormone replacement therapy (androgen deprivation therapy) had little or no benefit. Some of the side effects of the treatment can be diabetes, bone thinning, weight gain, etc.

If my dad was 94 and facing any kind of treatment that might have undesirable side effects, I'd have a VERY frank discussion with his doctor about the prognosis and expectations vs impact on quality of life. If this therapy will give him more quality time, that one thing. If it will mean multiple doctor's visits and debilitating side effects, that's quite another. I'd ask very bluntly about his life expectancy with and without treatment and I'd insist on equally blunt answers. Many doctors avoid such discussions. They focus on 'fixing'.

My dad is 87 and was diagnosed with prostate cancer a few months ago. Because he is on an anticoagulant, no biopsy was done. His VA medical team opted for hormone therapy, a semiannual injection of 45 mg. Eligard (leuprolide acetate), a testosterone suppressor.

I researched this medication online to see what side effects were possible, perused prostate cancer forums, and asked the doc lots of Qs.

Dad's first shot was in March, and so far there have been no side effects. His doctor prescribed a supplement to beef up his calcium and D intake, and he's already doing well on antidepressants. His PSA going in was just over 800, and now it is around 29.

I don't know your dad's exact circumstances or whether the hormone regimen will work for him, but I like this approach for my own dad. His quality of life may be preserved for quite a few years, as opposed to the misery of chemo and radiation.

Best of luck to you and your dad.

My dad did have hormonal therapy for his prostrate cancer too. He chose the implant under the skin. It was done in the office and would be in place for a year. He could have it done again but it didn't really work for him and he needed radiation and then eventually chemo. With all of these things it gave him about 6-8 more years. He just passed away about 3 months ago. He fought hard and long.

First, these are all basic questions for the doctors.
Second, you can google the specific drug he's being given to see side effects etc, and get a wider source of answers than from this forum.
Third, hormone therapy for prostate cancer takes a couple of different forms but is all intended to slow the growth of the cancer without the use of surgery or radiation, by suppressing testosterone -- either its production or its effects. Fourth, the different forms have different effects on different people, so you can't predict. He might feel fine on them; he might not like it.
Most of all -- I'm sorry your dad is going through this but wow he has made it to ninety-four. We all die of something and it looks like maybe this is the way he is going to go. If the treatments make him feel bad he might prefer not to have them, after all.
My dad is in his nineties and ready to go -- not depressed, but truly, calmly, honestly accepting that death is coming. He wants no treatment whatsoever for his bladder cancer [until he will need palliative pain relief, that is] because he sees it as merely postponing what should naturally happen next.

Is he a candidate for Hospice care at this point ?