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Letrozole side effects - weight gain

Polgara
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Hi, 

Could anyone please tell me how common weight gain is with Letrozole and whether it settles down after a while on them, or just continues?

I have been on them for only two weeks, and have put on a good stone in weight, all around the midrif. Which is annoying as I had been going to Slimming World and had managed to lose this amount!! So now all that good work has been undone in two weeks. I cannot afford to keep putting on weight as the side effects of that would be too awful. As far as I can tell all the hormone treatments have the same kind of side effects, a Macmillan nurse suggested trying a different brand, would the fillers cause weight gain? 

I am going to try the Predict tool, and see what extra percentage of survival chance these pills are supposed to give me. Luckily my cancer was tiny and hadn't spread and they got it all. If I am just going to get fatter and fatter (and I am already a chubster) I would have to seriously think about whether to continue taking them. 

Any advice gratefully received.

Thanks  

  •  

    Thanks for getting in touch on the Online Community, I’m Sue one of the Macmillan Cancer Information nurses on the Support Line. I can see you’ve also joined the Breast cancer forum group and hope you are finding this helpful. Having the support from others who are experiencing similar things can make such a difference.

    I’m sorry to hear you are struggling with weight gain since starting Letrozole, especially as you’ve worked so hard and managed to lose this.

    Unfortunately, one of the side effects of this type of medication can be weight gain, this can happen because of how the drug works by reducing the levels of oestrogen in the body, which can result in some people putting on weight and can affect between 1 and 10 %.

    There are 2 other types of hormone therapy (aromatase inhibitors) belonging to the same group of medications as Letrozole, called Anastrozole and Exemestane. Whilst these work similarly to each other and also have side effects, including weight gain, it’s certainly worth discussing with your hospital Consultant or Clinical Nurse Specialist whether an alternative aromatase inhibitor would be suitable for you, as some people find changing brands can make a difference. We’d always encourage you to talk to your hospital team if you are struggling with any concerns or new side effects, as they will be able to medically assess you and can offer you the right support.

    Your Consultant and Specialist Nurse will also be able to help you with using the Predict online tool, as it’s important to have the support and clinical expertise of a medical professional with doing this. This tool can be used as recommended by NICE for guidance about individual treatment decisions and risk recurrence.

    It sounds like you are already eating healthy, which is also important as part of trying to lose weight, we have some further information about this and keeping active which you may also find helpful. Penny Brohn UK also offer some useful advice about eating well during cancer treatment.

     

    I hope this information is helpful for you.

    Best wishes

    Sue, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist 

    You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email. 

    Ref/ AP

    Sue Cancer Information Nurse Specialist
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