Far too many men are needlessly taking a dangerous prostate cancer drug

Avoidable Dangers

Three and a half years ago I first told you about the serious dangers linked with a class of prostate cancer drugs known as GnRH agonists.

Since then, these drugs have been prescribed to many men who never even needed them.

Now here comes the FDA to the rescue with an announcement of a “preliminary and ongoing review which suggests an increase in the risk of diabetes and certain cardiovascular diseases in men treated with GnRH agonists.”

Which is exactly what I told you years ago.

But did you catch the keyword in the FDA quote? “Ongoing.”

Seems agency officials have not yet come to any official conclusions about the dangers of Lupron, Zoladex, Trelstar and other brands in this drug class.

In the meantime, the agency advises doctors to manage cardiovascular risk factors “according to current clinical practice.” And a handy checklist is provided:

Smoking? Sure–got drugs for that.
High blood pressure? Got drugs for that.
High cholesterol? Got drugs for that.
High blood sugar? Got drugs for that.
Overweight? Got drugs for that.

So if you’re taking a GnRH agonist, your doctor might end up giving you a stack of prescriptions in order to follow the “current clinical practice.”

But before you plunge down the Big Pharma rabbit hole, here’s the question you MUST get your doctor to answer: Do I really need to use this potentially dangerous drug that lowers my testosterone?

For thousands upon thousands of men, the answer is no.

Urologist Dr. Mark Soloway, told HealthDay News that there are “hundreds of thousands” who are taking a GnRH agonist simply because their PSA level had a slight rise.”

Dr. Soloway: “I think hormone therapy can be delayed for months to years in some of these men.”

Keep in mind, Dr. Soloway is not what you’d call an alternative medicine kind of guy (he’s the chair of urology at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine). He absolutely believes in using this drug to treat prostate cancer. But he absolutely believes it’s being misused in many cases.

Trans Atlantic

I recently received this question from an HSI member name Steve: “I happen to be on Lupron for prostate cancer and would love to get off of it. I would be interested in hearing about the safer ways to manage it.”

Step one, of course, is for Steve to get some straight answers from his doctor about exactly how necessary it is for him to use Lupron. Like many men, he may find that the “watchful waiting” technique–without drug use–is the logical way to go.

Step two: Steve can check his March 2010 issue of the HSI Members Alert where he’ll find an article titled “Wipe Out Prostate Cancer Without Touching a Single Healthy Cell.”

This article details the remarkable advances made by Columbia University researchers who have tested a formula that fights prostate cancer with a combination of an Amazon rainforest herb and a root extract from Africa. Together, these two botanicals have been shown to actually repair DNA damage that leads to cancer.

This is a perfect example of the cutting edge alternative medicine advancements HSI members read about every month. Learn how you can be among the first to get the lowdown on groundbreaking cures the mainstream media routinely ignores.

To Your Good Health,

Jenny Thompson

Sources:
“FDA Drug Safety Communication: Ongoing Safety Review of GnRH Agonists and Possible Increased Risk of Diabetes and Certain Cardiovascular Diseases” FDA Safety Announcement, 5/3/10, fda.gov
“As FDA Eyes Prostate Cancer Drugs, Experts Urge Caution” Steven Reinberg, HealthDay News, 5/4/10, healthday.com