Ready to Rant: Lupron Is the Fucking Devil’s Juice

Becky Noback is a born and raised Las Vegan learning…

I was officially diagnosed with Endometriosis on November 11, 2017. Since then, I’ve progressed to Stage IV Endometriosis, had a second laparoscopy, was diagnosed with fibroids, tried more pills and IUDs than I care to admit, had my tubes flushed, and got on the #EndoDiet. I’m now attempting to claw my way back to some semblance of normalcy.

I’ll admit that I don’t know as much about this condition as other Endometriosis patients out there (some who’ve had to wait decades for diagnosis and others who’ve had as many surgeries as they’ve had years of severe pain). But there is one thing I can tell you…

Lupron is the fucking devil’s juice.

Five separate gynecologists (five!) told me that the Lupron injection—a synthetic gonadotropin-releasing hormone used in men to treat the symptoms of prostate cancer and in women to treat symptoms of Endometriosis—is the gold standard for Endometriosis treatment.

Following a preliminary diagnosis of Endometriosis in October 2017, I had my first laparoscopy. During my two-week post-operative checkup, my gynecologist prescribed the three-month Lupron shot. Because I was brand-new to the world of Endometriosis, or any chronic illness for that matter, I didn’t really know what what I was in for.

I told myself that my gynecologist had my best interests at heart.

Casually, he told me that the side effects of the Lupron injection would be similar to the side effects of the birth control pills I’d taken before. Mild mood swings, light acne, five pounds gained or lost—overall, nothing too abnormal to worry about. This man was not only my mother’s gynecologist but the first gynecologist I’d seen, ever. I first saw him when I was 13. (I was complaining about having especially heavy and painful menstrual periods then, but I didn’t know any better than to put blind faith in this dude and what he was shilling me.)

My first dose of Lupron was injected on December 15, 2017.

On that same day, I went to the movies, had a burger for lunch, and went about my normal 26-year-old life. I thought that I would finally receive relief. Life was going to be nothing but rainbows and sunshine. After all, this shot is supposed to be the gold standard for Endometriosis treatment, right? What did I have to worry about?

Before long, the hot flashes started. Then came the soaking night sweats…Sciatic pain followed. I felt a shooting pain from my left hip to my knee. My thigh felt as if it were tightly wrapped in flaming barbed wire.

The suicidality that I had worked so hard to stifle came back swinging.

I cried, laughed, and became red-faced and enraged at the drop of a hat. I lost weight like I never had before. And, even though my skin cleared up, I started to shed abnormal amounts of hair in the shower each morning.

Luckily, my employer allows me to work from home as needed, but it got to the point where I only felt well enough to make it into the office for one half-day per week.

I no longer had control over who I was anymore.

When I went to my doctor to complain about the side effects, he basically told me that I was shit out of luck (because the shot would be active for another two months). I could wait it out or cry about it.

I’ll admit that the Lupron injection stopped the Endometriosis pain. Sure, I had a litany of awful side effects to deal with, but at least the dull stabbing pain just behind my hipbones was gone. A silver lining? I guess.

I participated in an interview with a local news station in February. In the interview, I told them that if I had been adequately warned about the side effects of Lupron, I’d have preferred to just stick with the Endometriosis pain. Advil at least took the edge off of that, but there was no respite, therapeutically or pharmaceutically, that I could find from Lupron and its side effects.

Three months in, my Endometriosis pain returned.

My first period after my three-month Lupron course was one of the worst periods in my life. (That’s saying something when periods with Endometriosis are already hellish.) The Lupron may have worked itself out of my system, but the side effects lingered for close to a year following my initial dose.

If you’re thinking about taking the Lupron injection, I sincerely urge you to do your research. Everything I’ve said here is my anecdotal account of what it did to me, personally.

I’m not saying Lupron isn’t helping some women out there, I’ve just seen countless stories similar to mine. Do your research and talk to your gynecologist (and your primary care physician) about the side effects of Lupron and how to control them.

Remember: The No. 1 goal here is to keep your best interests in check at all times. If you don’t like something your doctor is telling you, get a second opinion.

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