Weight Gain/loss While on Aromasin

 

On 10/29/2008 Ilive4houndstuth wrote:

Whew!  I cried when I read every one's messages. I am not alone!  I have been on aromasin for 3 years and will be on it the rest of my life.  My cancer came back last spring.  But the thing that has been concerning me the most is not my prognosis, it is this huge man belly I developed over the past 2 years!  I have had surgeries, and some down time, but I do not eat more than 1500 per day. That is funny, I have never been an ice cream eater, and now I have it every day, within reason..someone else noted that too.   When I hear that you are all working so hard to try and get rid of it with no success, I am somewhat relieved, that it is not just me, but concerned because now I realize I will be dealing with this huge gut, and these horrendous hot flashes for the rest of my life. 

 I am so thankful for everyone's input, how lucky I was to happen upon this site.

 

 

My extra weight appears a little on my waist, but mostly hips and ass - thighs a bit too.  What surprises me is that everytime I ask the doctor if weight is a side effect of aromasin - they say no.  My treatments put me into menopause so I assume that too is part of this - but hopefully someday things will turn around or I will learn to love my extra flab. 

I wish you great success with your cancer.

 

On 10/30/2008 dellano wrote:

 

On 10/29/2008 Ilive4houndstuth wrote:

Whew!  I cried when I read every one's messages. I am not alone!  I have been on aromasin for 3 years and will be on it the rest of my life.  My cancer came back last spring.  But the thing that has been concerning me the most is not my prognosis, it is this huge man belly I developed over the past 2 years!  I have had surgeries, and some down time, but I do not eat more than 1500 per day. That is funny, I have never been an ice cream eater, and now I have it every day, within reason..someone else noted that too.   When I hear that you are all working so hard to try and get rid of it with no success, I am somewhat relieved, that it is not just me, but concerned because now I realize I will be dealing with this huge gut, and these horrendous hot flashes for the rest of my life. 

 I am so thankful for everyone's input, how lucky I was to happen upon this site.

 

 

My extra weight appears a little on my waist, but mostly hips and ass - thighs a bit too.  What surprises me is that everytime I ask the doctor if weight is a side effect of aromasin - they say no.  My treatments put me into menopause so I assume that too is part of this - but hopefully someday things will turn around or I will learn to love my extra flab. 

I wish you great success with your cancer.

Your response concerns me.  Here's why.  I too went into early menopause from chemo, or so we thought.  I was on Tamoxifen for 8 months, I had gained about 20 pds from when I was diagnosed until I was done with chemo.  My Dr. thought it might be the Tamoxifen.  Since I had not started my period, he figured I was probably in complete menopause, so we did the hormone level test, which did confirm that I was in full menopause.  He switched me over to Aromasin in January.  About one month later, I started bleeding, and soon it became regular, just like a regular period. Have you had any bleeding since the aromasin? 

Well, I should have never been put on aromasin,apparently the hormone levels can show a false positive or whatever.. that is probably the main reason my caner returned, I should have been on Tamoxifen AND had a hysterectomy.  That was 2 years ago.  I just want  you to double and triple check with your doctor about your menapausal state.  It is worth asking

 

I gained enough weight from 5 years of Tamoxifen to almost equal another half person of the person I was.  Then my cancer returned anyway, and I was supposed to start Arimidex after my surgery.  I declined because it seemed everyone, including doctors, became focused on my weight, not my cancer.  I was not eating abnormally, and even spent lotsa bucks down at Duke Diet and Fitness in Durham.  Lost some there, but not a significant amount, because it is not just a simple matter of calories in vs. calories out!   It is also mostly around the middle, and my face.  My face became so moon-like one of my docs thought I maybe had Cushings disease.  (I don't.)  My cancer spread to my bones - it's all over, and now I am on Aromasin, and within a month felt more weight coming on.  As if the cancer isn't enough already, the weight gain is really a blow to self-esteem.  Good luck to everyone.

 

On 10/30/2008 dellano wrote:

 

On 10/29/2008 Ilive4houndstuth wrote:

Whew!  I cried when I read every one's messages. I am not alone!  I have been on aromasin for 3 years and will be on it the rest of my life.  My cancer came back last spring.  But the thing that has been concerning me the most is not my prognosis, it is this huge man belly I developed over the past 2 years!  I have had surgeries, and some down time, but I do not eat more than 1500 per day. That is funny, I have never been an ice cream eater, and now I have it every day, within reason..someone else noted that too.   When I hear that you are all working so hard to try and get rid of it with no success, I am somewhat relieved, that it is not just me, but concerned because now I realize I will be dealing with this huge gut, and these horrendous hot flashes for the rest of my life. 

 I am so thankful for everyone's input, how lucky I was to happen upon this site.

 

 

My extra weight appears a little on my waist, but mostly hips and ass - thighs a bit too.  What surprises me is that everytime I ask the doctor if weight is a side effect of aromasin - they say no.  My treatments put me into menopause so I assume that too is part of this - but hopefully someday things will turn around or I will learn to love my extra flab. 

I wish you great success with your cancer.

Oh my gosh, I just went back to my oncologist last week and she told me the meds were NOT causing my weight gain either...  I have never had issues with my weight in my life until I went on these meds.  

Hmmm, seems coincidental that we all have gained weight since being on the meds, even the side effects say "unexplained weight gain"...

 

I'm glad to hear I am not the only one completely frustrated by the horrid Aromasin weight gain.  I ws on Tamoxifen for 24 months then made my oncologist switch to Arommain.  The leg cramps and migrane headaches were just too much.  Plus I read so many times that the success was much better when Tam was used 2-3 yeaars followed by 2-3 years of Aromasin.

 Well ,the weight gain in the last 11 months is ridiculous.  I started taking the Aromsain exactly the same month I started training for the 3Day last year.  7 months later, at the end of the 3Day after walking ovver 600 mile I had only lost 8 pounds!  I walked 4 days a week and lived off spinach salad for months. 

 Now that the 3day si oer, I ahve gained 14 pounds in 4 1/5 months.  All in my mid section.  It's impossible to stay ahead of it.  And of course, my oncologist doesn't think the Aromasin has anything to do with it...or the numbness in the fingers or the headaches or the depression.  I read the medication inserts.  Don't any of them red them? 

 I'm thinking of switching back to Tamozifen just to get away from the weight gain.  I'm frustrated beyond belief.

Hang in there ladies!

hi, looks like I can join the club, I am showing exactly the same effects. I was on Tamoxifen for 2 years and now on Aromasin for almost 6 months. I thought I could escape the weight gain, but it seems to be worse now than when I was on the Tamoxifen. I also work out at least 4 times a week and I watch everything that I eat. I am not losing anything and now I have even started a slow gain of about 3 lbs. It is frustrating. I also have seen an increase in my hot flashes with Aromasin. if anyone can help me discover the secret of not gaining weight on this pls let me know .... caryle   

Yes I have been on aromasin for about a year.  I have gained about 6 pounds.  I walk 30 min every day and eat healthy

 

I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2001. I was on tamoxifen for about 3 years and then changed to aromasin. I stayed on it until January of this year. It never crossed my mind that the aromasin caused weight gain, but after I stopped taking it, I have lost 12-15 pounds. I could'nt figure out why I was losing weight, but after reading these posts, I think it must have been the aromasin. I did have a sort of craving for ice cream for a while (that's strange, too). I eat right most of the time and starting walking 3 miles a day. BTW, my cancer seems to be gone. Good luck to you all!

I asked my onocologist about my weight gain since I've been on aromasin.  She said it could be water weight.  I have gained my weight in exactly the same place....around my midriff.  I walk 30 minutes most days and watch what I eat.

 been on aromasin for 2 years...started to gain weight so I go to a trainer 3 times a week...no weight loss. I have a massive mid section that just should not be there. My doctor said this wasn't a side effect .....reading this I think he must be mistaken! Also suffer bone pain from it so have to have anti inflams. At 52 I don't expect to be skinny but this is depressing.