Tamoxifen & Weight Loss
Njkeen16
Posts: 5 Member
Hello All, I'm new to the group, and wondered if anyone seems to struggle with weight loss when on Tamoxifen? I've been on it for just over a year now and although Im much more active than I used to be, Im finding it SO hard to lose the lbs! I'm mostly an eater of non processed foods and dont eat dairy products.
Ive heard of so many people putting on weight with Tamoxifen, but surely you can lose aswell??! Any tips appreciated!! Thank you!
Ive heard of so many people putting on weight with Tamoxifen, but surely you can lose aswell??! Any tips appreciated!! Thank you!
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Replies
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Hi I have been on Tamoxifen since October 2012. I have managed to,lose weight but VERY slowly. I really can't afford to over eat at all as the weight goes on very quickly. I have upped my exercise as well. Unfortunately the old saying 'eat less move more' is the only thing works for me. Good luck0
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I recall the oncologist telling me that some women do lose weight when taking tamoxifen but no one I know did (unfortunately I know a lot of BC patients). At one point I had gained 50 pounds and the only thing I found that worked for weight loss was a high fat - moderate protein - low carb diet. That allowed me to trim down quite a bit and the rest of the weight (15 lbs) came off pretty easily once I finished taking tamoxifen. The weight loss and maintenance strategies I used before BC just didn't work anymore so you might have to try a few different things to see what works for you now.
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I have before and after pictures of me when I was on Tamoxifen. My face was big and round while I was on the drug. Yes, it is easier to gain weight on the drug so you have to be very careful. Don't forget to get your eyes checked while on Tamoxifen. It screwed up my eye site. It can sometime causes cataracts. After menopause they can put you on Letrozole if the Tamoxifen is bothering you. Both drugs created difficulties for me. I think letrozole caused me to have a bit of a stroke but apparently both drugs can do that. Also get your cholesterol checked as Tamoxifen can affect that too. Aspirin is supposed to also help stop reoccurrence but they don't tell you that. Google aspirin/ advil and breast cancer.0
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Thank you for your thoughts ladies!!0
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I just saw this post....I have been so hesitant to take Tamoxifen, but I did not realize that this was also another side effect! I have a really hard time losing weight anyway...ugh, this is one more reason NOT to take it!0
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Hi there. I started tamoxifen in Feb 2013. I am bound and determined to not let it win the weight battle! I'm ready to fight! If anyone has any tips, I'm open to them.1
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I've been taking Tamoxifen now since July 2013. It does seem harder to lose, but definitely not impossible. The biggest struggle for me is that craving I get for sugar. I am trying to balance that with a lot of fruit, and it is helping. I am maintaining right now, and some weeks am showing a loss, so you can do it, just have to work twice as hard as pre-Tamoxifen. Has anyone else been recommended to stay on it for 10 years. At my last checkup, that's what my oncologist recommended. Is that crazy??0
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I was told ten years as well. Apparently studies have found that ten years is better than five. That gives me nine and a half years left!0
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I'm 10 days in to Tamoxifen...I was told 5 for sure with the option of 10 years...guess we'll be playing that one by ear...0
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Well, guess I'm glad to hear I'm not alone in this 10 year journey 0
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Wow! Ten years is a long time. I know they can divide the dosage into two times a day instead of one time a day and that seemed to work better for me at the time I was on it. I am off it prematurely- because it did not agree with me- but I wouldn't recommend going off it.0
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I had a negative estrogen cancer diagnosis and did not have a preventative maintenance anything to go on was pretty down about it for awhile but I am leaving my healing in GODS hands and that's all I have . So that being said I am 50 years old and I have problems LOSING the weight as well, so on or off meds extra weight is just HARD to get rid of.. I think if we keep at it with consistency the stubborn weight will eventually come off, do you agree ????0
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Absolutely agree!!0
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Yes, losing weight as we get older is hard. Consistency is the key.0
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i am newly diagnosed and started taking Tx 2 weeks ago. yes that is what the latest recommendations are, 10 years hormonal therapy. after i am in menopause i will likely be switched to a different medication [AI].
i was diagnosed at 50, back when my mother had BC 12 years ago, she was 78. i think as younger women are finding BC thru early detection, they are being prescribed 10 year HT since our life expectancy is so much longer than prior generations of BC survivors. not sure if this is true, i would ask your MO0 -
Anyone taking Arimidex? I am 54 and I had DCIS tumor and had one breast removed. Now I am on Arimidex possibly for 5 years. My weight started going up last year prior to the cancer (April 2014) but since has gone up more. It is more emotional eating esp at night. I presently have a cough leftover from a cold and it scares me that something is in my lungs. Or I see stuff on my face and think skin cancer. Do these fears ever go away?0
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My cancer was ER+, gained 20 lbs on chemo and just started Tamoxifen 2 weeks ago. Adjusted my eating habits and amped up my workouts since I need to get the chemo weight off before I can tackle my pre-cancer excess weight. Seeing results after two weeks of hard work.0
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KNAMsMum, I've gone through the fears a lot over the past year, since I finished my last radiation treatment, a headache must mean a tumor, etc, but my doctor said that as time goes by, I won't worry as much. Hoping she is right, and we both stop worrying so much soon 0
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I thought I was going to die in 2001. It's now 2015.0
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Congrats Gorger
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I still get scared at every freaking pain, and every mammogram and every pap
I just try to workout everyday and to be HAPPY and not worry !! 0 -
I lost 100 pounds while taking tamoxifen, partially because it made me nauseous in the beginning. I also had high BP, depression, anxiety, and was a pre-diabetic, so I HAD to make changes to my lifestyle and diet to be able to eat and feel better. I began to walk and do yoga. IMHO, some of us tend to overeat because of the anxiety and depression cancer leaves behind (and is also a side effect of tamoxifen). I tend to stop eating when I get depressed and anxious, so for me eating enough has been a struggle. Everyone is different. You need to do what is necessary for your health overall, including mental. The cancer is gone, hopefully forever, and we all need to live as if our life is a gift. Treasure your gift. It may not be exactly the gift you had planned, but it is a gift none the less.3
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I wish there was a "like" button on this.0
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I am on Femara & have bone pain which makes it hard to exercise. I would love to have a group of MFP friends with BC diagnosis. I am 60 and use that as an excuse as well. Need to get healthier.0
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I started on Tamoxifen Dec 2019, went through menopause during that first year, and then waltzed into the pandemic up 10 lbs. A year later and I’m up another 8! I’ve been walking 30-45 min daily, doing gentle Pilates 4-5 days/week, and no change. Time to really focus on what’s going into my mouth! I don’t want to get obsessive about what I’m eating — I just want to be more aware.1
