Prostate cancer treatment can be lifesaving, but it can also cause many side effects. Your doctor might recommend lifestyle changes, medications, and procedures to help you reduce these side effects.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in males in the United States, besides skin cancer. People often have an excellent outlook when the cancer is caught in its early stages. The survival rate for prostate cancer is among the highest of any type of cancer.

Some of the most common treatments for prostate cancer include:

  • radiation therapy
  • surgery
  • hormone blocking therapy
  • chemotherapy

You may develop side effects from these treatments that affect your sexual or urinary health, as well as general side effects like fatigue or mood changes. Read on to learn how to reduce these side effects.

The following are some of the most common side effects of prostate cancer treatment.

Pain around your pelvis

Pain is a potential side effect of surgery to remove your prostate and some other treatments like radiation therapy.

Urinary dysfunction

Radiation therapy or surgery can cause problems passing urine. You might feel:

  • as if you want to pass urine all the time
  • like you have a bladder infection
  • a burning pain
  • a weak flow of urine
  • unable to pass urine

Erectile dysfunction

Erectile dysfunction is a possible side effect of some prostate cancer treatments, like surgery to remove your prostate or hormone therapy.

After surgery, you’ll have “dry” orgasms since you no longer produce semen (which also means you can no longer initiate a pregnancy). For some people, orgasms might be less intense or cause pain.

Hair loss

Radiation therapy may cause pubic hair loss. Chemotherapy can cause hair loss on your head and other parts of your body.

Bowel dysfunction

Radiation therapy can cause many problems with your bowel function, such as:

Low testosterone and related side effects

People who receive hormone blocking therapy may develop side effects due to low testosterone levels. Lower levels of testosterone can lead to:

  • low sex drive
  • growth of breast tissue
  • mood changes
  • hot flashes
  • fatigue
  • loss of muscle mass
  • loss of bone density

Fatigue and tiredness

Hormone blocking therapy, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy can cause fatigue. Fatigue tends to worsen as treatment continues, but it often gets better gradually after treatment ends.

Sore skin and mouth sores

Radiation therapy can cause sore skin around the treated area. Chemotherapy has a broad effect on cells in your body that replicate quickly and can cause skin and mouth sores.

Neuropathy

Chemotherapy medications can damage the peripheral nerves in your limbs. This is called chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy. It often causes symptoms like tingling or numbness in your hands and feet.

Nausea and vomiting

Decreased appetite, nausea, and vomiting are among the most common side effects of chemotherapy.

Depression

Depression is a potential side effect of hormone therapy.

Bone pain and associated side effects

Hormone therapy can make you more prone to:

  • loss of bone density
  • increased bone fractures
  • loss of muscle mass
  • loss of strength

Here are some of the home remedies that can help you manage prostate cancer symptoms.

Pelvis pain

Some people find taking a warm or cool bath after surgery or radiation therapy helps reduce pain. It’s important to speak with your doctor before applying either heat or cold.

Urinary dysfunction

Urinary dysfunction often improves as your body recovers. Performing pelvic floor exercises called Kegels may help you improve symptoms of urinary dysfunction. Drinking plenty of water may also help with some bladder problems.

Erectile dysfunction

You can help improve symptoms of erectile dysfunction by giving your body plenty of time to rest. Eating a balanced diet that prioritizes nutrient-rich foods and reducing stress in your life can also potentially help reduce your symptoms.

Bowel dysfunction

You can help improve bowel dysfunction by:

  • avoiding triggering foods that cause symptom flare-ups
  • trying to eat mostly bland foods like white rice
  • increasing your fiber intake

Fatigue

The best way to treat fatigue is by resting more often than usual.

Sore skin

You can help relieve sore skin by:

  • wearing loose-fitting clothes and choosing natural fibers over synthetic fabrics
  • gently washing your skin using mild, perfume-free soap and warm or cool water, not hot water
  • gently patting your skin dry with a soft towel and avoiding rubbing your skin
  • avoiding scented lotions around your sores
  • avoiding using talcum power

Low testosterone

Your testosterone levels will continue to increase once you finish hormone therapy. You can support your body’s recovery by resting as much as possible.

The following medications may help you reduce prostate cancer treatment side effects.

Pain

You might receive pain relievers to reduce pain after surgery. Your doctor may recommend over-the-counter medications like nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or stronger prescription medications.

Medications for urinary symptoms

Your doctor might prescribe medications like anticholinergics or alpha-blockers to help relax your bladder and allow your bladder to fill more before it feels full.

Erectile dysfunction

Your doctor might recommend PDE5 inhibitors for treating erectile dysfunction. These medications include:

Nausea and vomiting drugs

Your doctor may recommend medications to reduce nausea and vomiting, such as:

Depression

Your doctor may recommend antidepressants to treat depression linked to your cancer treatment if lifestyle strategies alone aren’t effective.

Hot flashes

For hot flashes, your doctor may prescribe:

The following medical procedures might help treat complications of prostate cancer treatment.

Urinary incontinence surgery

If conservative treatments aren’t effective, your doctor may recommend surgery to improve urinary incontinence.

Your doctor may fit you for an artificial urinary sphincter, which involves putting an inflatable ring around your urethra that’s controllable with a pump.

Surgery is only used when other treatments have not worked since it comes with an additional risk of complications, like infections or mechanical failure.

Erectile dysfunction

If other treatments aren’t effective for erectile dysfunction, your doctor may recommend penile implants. These procedures allow you to achieve an erection using either an inflatable or mechanical device.

Penile implants come with some risks, like severe bleeding or scarring that affects your ability to urinate.

Laser therapy for rectal bleeding

Laser therapy can help treat rectal bleeding caused by radiation therapy. It’s often an effective treatment but can come with a small risk of side effects like scarring and painful skin.

A combination of medications, home remedies, and surgical procedures can help reduce the symptoms of prostate cancer treatment. When conservative treatments aren’t effective, surgery may be an option.

Your doctor can best advise you on which side effects you may develop and how to best manage them.