breast cancer/Tamoxifen/weight gain

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martique
martique Member Posts: 3
edited March 2014 in Breast Cancer #1
Hi, I have been on tamoxifen for three years. I have slowly gained 50 lbs since my treatments surgery, chemo, radiation, and tamoxifen. When I was diagnoised, I was under weight and my oncologist said he gave me steriods when I had my chemo. I am now three years into the tamoxifen and I told him last month that I wanted off of it because of the weight gain. He said he did not want me to go unprotected because I am a high risk so he put me on Evista. It made me eat like crazy so I am back on the tamoxifen. I am probably more than 50lbs now. I do not know because I am afraid to weight myself. I do walk three miles a day (once or twice a week 6 miles). I go to a figure salon three times a week and I am just now starting to join a nautilus center for two times a week.
I was told after my chemo that there were more calcification clusters in both breast and they would watch them. I asked about them again after my radiation they told me that they were gone. I then began tamoxifen. When I think of the calcification that were there, I tell myself that I can not go off the tamoxifen because if the calcifications are cancer they will grow. I am wondering if the clusters they saw could have been cancer and the chemo and radiation shunk them. Maybe after the tamoxifen they will come back? I am driving myself crazy worring again. I am 47 now. What will happen next diabetes (my father died from it) . I am wondering if I should go off the tamoxifen. What would you do? My husband has also been diagnoised with advanced prostate cancer with a high gleason score. My best friends breast cancer has metastasized to her lung,bones, (spine and ribs). I feel guilty because I am worrying about my weight when they have cancer but I hate being overweight. It is getting hard for me to breath even. Anyway, I hope someone will respond as what they would do. I hope I will understand how to get to get to the responses to read. This chat thing is all new to me.

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  • lindatn
    lindatn Member Posts: 229
    #2
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    Are you over eating because of stress? Tamoxifen makes loosing weight very difficult but not sure 50 pounds of weight gain can be caused by the Tamoxifen. I have been on it for two years and weigh the same as before. We are health nuts, no meat, no diary, and no sugar but for a little honey in my tea. We share something else in the fact that my husband was dx with with unoperable prostate cancer before I finished treatment. He did do radiation but his PSA was 60. That is not a error. In any case we have gone to ND Drs for treatment, which is herbs and diet. His psa is .03. He refused Lupron after three shots. You might find stress management would help the most with the weight problem or going with a different approved drug. Evista is not approved. I too consider going off of Tamoxifen as I seem to have so much pain in my hips and joints. I quit for two months last spring and felt wonderful but was afraid of the cancer reaccuring so went back on it. Linda
  • sassysally
    sassysally Member Posts: 150
    #3
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    Ask your Dr. About Arimidex. It is the drug of choice after not doing well on tamoxifen.
  • martique
    martique Member Posts: 3
    #4
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    I can't take Arimidex yet because I am premenopause.
  • inkblot
    inkblot Member Posts: 698 Member
    #5
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    Hi martique:

    I don't know what to advise as I've not taken Tamox. It's always a personal choice in taking anything at all. If you feel the benefits outweigh the risks then only you can decide to stop or continue. It isn't something anyone else can advise you about really. Do remember that it's ok to disagree with our doctors on certain issues. Don't succumb to pressure from your doc if you feel, deep inside, that this therapy isn't right for you. That's what medical doctor's do...advise and prescribe pharmaceuticals which they believe may be best for us. Also know that some women have experienced recurrence and/or mets while taking Tamox. Everyone responds differently and feels differently about these things. Do your homework and research on both sides of the issue and then see how you feel about it.

    As to what my friends and other's here have experienced: Some women seem to do quite well on Tamox. while others are prone to leg pains, headaches, increasing sweats and some complain of weight gain, some hair loss and eye problems. If you go back through older posts here, you'll find all of those listed as problems which women (and/or their docs) have reported as due to Tamox.. As with everything in cancer the question is: "What's truth and what's conjecture/guesswork"? As usual, there are no clear answers, so we're back to deciding on an individual basis.

    It definitely isn't healthy to be overweight. Cancer cells love fat, so my advice would be to try a trial period off the Tamox. and give losing the weight your best shot. Maybe a couple of months, to be decided by your doc and yourself, of course. If the weight comes off easier while off the Tamox. with no real ramp up of weight loss efforts, then you can safely assume that the weight is more difficult to lose while on Tamox. or that it may in some way be responsible for the weight gain? Afterward, you can decide whether to return to the Tamox. or not. Were you ER/PR negative? That has bearing on what your options may be if you decide to forego the Tamox. altogether. Discuss it all in detail with your doctor(s). If you're not comfortable that your doc is really listening and isn't willing to do any research, if needed, in order to best advise you, then see someone else for another opinion about it.

    There is available, by rx, a progesterone cream, which is rubbed on the skin (forearms or leg area) twice a day. Some of these products are made from the Wild Mexican Yam while others are made from soy. Having had bc, steer clear of the soy, if you should chose to try it after talking to your doc about it. The proges. creams are "bioidentical" which means that the extraction process yeilds an identical molecule to the progesterone our adrenals produce naturally. (Provera is the chemically synthesized version but comes in a pill and dumps all the dosage into your system at once...whereas our bodies naturally release small amounts through out the day. Also the chemical version has other additives which some may not want in their bodies). Typically, you'd need a simple, non invasive saliva swab to determine your current levels (or a blood test, as your doc prefers)before you'd be given a script from your doc for the cream. Many pharmacists compound (customize) it per the docs script (in milligrams). Compounding, by good pharmacists with lots of general compounding experience, will net a more pure cream, without any additives, perfumes, etc.. Just the pure progesterone in a clean, healthy base. Something to think about, depending upon your path. report and your docs advice. It's "supposed" to help not only with fatty deposits (getting into the wrong places like around the waist, etc.), but some protection for the bones against osteoporosis, uterine cancer, libido problems, helping with night sweats, as well as smoothing out moods. Some women use it for relief of PMS symptoms. I haven't used it but know several women who do and they swear by it. But again, it's a personal choice and needs your docs input and advice.

    Keep up the walking as it's a great thing to be doing for yourself! Try not to go overboard with the exercise regimens all at once though. Just ease your body into something light, to build endurance, muscle and cardio conditioning and go from there. Just my cautious thoughts about that.

    Good luck to you and don't make yourself nuts over the weight. Sometimes, it's not about how much we're eating but "what kinds of foods" we're eating which can cause weight changes. A consult with a nutritionist may reveal a lot to you which may be helpful. Whatever caused it, it CAN come off, I'm sure, with a slow, steady effort, without starving yourself or going onto wacky and sometimes dangerous fad diets. You'll find your answer to what to do about the Tamoxifen, with patience. In the meantime, try to get plenty of rest and spend some time in meditation, or whatever relaxes you, every single day, eat healthful foods and take the best care of you possible. You haven't come this far only to get the heebie jeebies due to weight gain, right??? It'll all pan out, just trust yourself and your judgment.

    Love, light and laughter,
    Ink

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