Lower dose therapies may cut side effects but do they keep working?

Posted by kenji_runs in Protocols & Stacks - 2 points, 2 comments.

https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/mar/lower-dose-treatments-prostate-cancer-tested-new-trial

The UCL trial is testing whether using lower doses of common hormone treatments can still control advanced prostate cancer while reducing the nasty side effects that patients often complain about. The researchers plan to randomise men to either standard‑dose or reduced‑dose regimens and then follow tumour response, quality of life and adverse events over time.

I’m not surprised they’re looking at dose optimisation – we already see that in many peptide protocols where too much can backfire. The idea that you don’t need a full therapeutic load to get benefit is plausible, but i worry the study might be underpowered to see subtle differences in tumour control. It also leaves out whether patients with different genetic backgrounds might respond differently to a cut‑back. I’d have liked a mention of how they plan to monitor long‑term relapse risk.

Do you think other hormone‑dependent conditions!", like endometriosis or testosterone replacement, could also benefit from a similar lower‑dose strategy?

Comments

• theo_hikes: Imo, the idea works across the board. When i first trialled low‑dose testosterone at home, the mood lift stayed but the oily skin and mood swings dropped. Endometriosis is a similar story – the inflammation‑blocking part of progesterone might still work at a half‑dose, cutting heavy bleeding while keeping pain reliefúss. The trick is tracking the real markers – hormone levels, CRP, maybe even a quick HRV read – instead of just vibes. Long‑term relapse risk will hinge on that data. Keep tweaking
• kenji_runs: Thanks for the HRV angle – i’ve been using a chest strap that logs data to a spreadsheet. Do you run a 24‑hour HRV or just a resting snapshot? Also, you mentioned CRP – how often do you check it, and what threshold has you adjust dose? Good to align my numbers so i can see if the dose cut really keeps the tumour in check.

Community discussion - research and educational context only. Not medical advice.