Posted 1/15/2013 8:05 AM (GMT -5)
I came across Dostinex in a presentation by dr. Meyers on www.HRPCA.org:
A Presentation by Charles E. Myers Jr., M.D. to the Kettering Medical Center Prostate Cancer Support Group on April 25, 2002
"The next drug on the list is less well known, and it’s called Dostinex. This drug is so potent you only have to take one tablet twice a week. What it does is block the production of a hormone called prolactin.
...
about the only side effect you’ll see -- other than the loss of prolactin itself -- is that during the first week some men can get a little diarrhea, which then subsides. A very safe drug with many health benefits.
So what does prolactin do in men? The higher your prolactin, the lower your sex drive. The more prolactin, the more body fat you have. Prolactin also works with testosterone to fuel enlargement of the prostate, development of prostatitis, and also to lessen the response to hormonal therapy. None of these things are very desirable. I have found that Dostinex is very useful in reducing the growth rate of prostate cancer without causing any significant side effects. So it’s become a standard part of my armamentarium as a tool to slow the growth of the disease."
, and in more recent responses by dr. Strum:
STRUM RESPONSES TO QUESTIONS RELATING TO ADT FOR PCRI CONFERENCE 2012
.
"Prolactin, for me, is a substance neglected in the Rx of PC.
Prolactin actions:
1) acts synergistically with LH to stimulate testosterone secretion from testicles by
increasing the number of LH receptors in he testis;
2) influences adrenal androgen formation;
3) enhances testosterone uptake by prostatic cells;
4) alters intra-prostatic androgen metabolism
5) increases uPA to dissolve ECM (extracellular matrix) and facilitate spread of CA
6) enhances angiogenesis
7) decreases libido
8) decreases cognitive function
...
Often I will use ADT4 which employs ...
and a prolactin inhibitor like cabergoline (Dostinex)."
I am still using Zoladex and (generic) finasteride, so I would think I should have Dostinex as well. I guess the patients involved might not be metastatic-CRPC, as I am. Currently I am using an oral chemo combination, but no Dostinex yet.
Anybody who knows more about it ?