Decapeptyl, aka Lupron’s evil cousin, had me, my husband, and a few fantastic friends running around town today from pharmacy to pharmacy trying to find it & buy it. Last week, I had arranged with a friend in Budapest to order a few boxes of these injections for me since tomorrow, I will be heading there. Plus the price is much cheaper in the EU than here. Sounded like a fantastic & responsible plan, right? Well, late this morning I received a message from her saying that instead of a 0,1 mg dose, in Hungary, they only sell 3,5mg doses! Excuse me? What the heck size of an injection is that? I can’t even fathom. Ouch!
I don’t want to know much less think about it, so, in a frantic ‘last-minute interrupt your day rat race’ my team of last minute helpers combed the pharmacies in town to find any ampoule they could. I need 28 shots of this stuff. We found a total of 9 in different places. Already like a junkie, I have enough to hold me over until I can find some more, somewhere, out there….
So why all the frantic running around? I start the injections, aka second phase, on Monday, while I’ll be in Hungary at an artists forum; in the land where apparently they sell decapeptyl in horse syringes! We’re stopping on the way in Croatia to see if they have any NORMAL dosage ampoules of this stuff. This whole thing is probably one of those lost in translation thingys anyway. Oh well… life overseas… keeps you on your toes, that’s for sure.
So why is decapeptyl an evil cousin? Hands down, and I mean hands down, every woman who I know who has used this type of medication has had crazy funky weird side effects (fatigue, forgetfulness, unable to complete sentences, intense heat flashes, extreme emotions). Mrs. Granola here is slightly on edge about it, but, praying that I’ll not have such a freak show experience. Please receive this post as my advance payment on an apology, just in case I turn into a IVF Wookie. These meds (Lupron or Decapeptyl) literally shut down the ovaries – putting them into an Adamic/Abrahamic type of deep sleep. It’s basically a chemically induced menopause. Thankfully, for only a few weeks before then using a different stimming injection to turn them into 18-year-old like ovaries, literally overnight. From 60 to 18, all in less than one month at age 33! Who wouldn’t go nuts? Maybe the IVF Wookie really does exist???
BTW, I’d love to hear about any Lupron/Decapeptyl side effects in the comments section.
Tomorrow is also my husband’s 34th birthday and instead of taking some time today to go shop for his birthday goodies, I was running around town looking for these “make you crazy” injections. I’m not such a big birthday person but I was really looking forward to buying him some funny things like: caffeine hair growth shampoo, OLD spice deodorant, teeth whitening toothpaste and stuff like that which can be turned into a joke about getting older. We’re silly like that.
4 more days till phase 2! Here we go, hang on.
Pregnantly Paused 
Oh, lupron, how I do not miss you. 😉
My side effects were fairly minor…headaches, hot-flashes, tired, but the worst was the emotions. I cried all. the. time. for a month straight. It was all worth it though and I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Praying you have minimal side effects and are able to gather the medication in time.
thanks Tanya!
I’m really glad to find this entry (I googled decapeptyl and crying, sadly enough), and Tanya’s response. I am on my 7th day of decapeptyl for IVF, and like Tanya, I’m having very few (none, really) of the other side effects – no headaches, not tired, no hot-flashes, to the point that I was afraid that I was doing the injections wrong or that they weren’t working. But now I can’t stop crying – I’m totally a mess! Crazy thoughts like maybe I can’t actually handle being a mother, like this is all a bad idea. Was just looking for some reassurance from the interwebs that it’s just the hormones. Thanks for the reminder that this is simulated menopause – I’m guessing that “I really shouldn’t have a baby,” is an emotion that should naturally accompany menopause. Good luck, Mish! And thanks, Tanya, for the reminder too that it is all
totally worth it!
I heard that exercising helps a lot with the side effects. I’ve been keeping physically busy lately, working out & dancing a lot… maybe that’s why I’m still calm?