Do aromatase inhibitors (like anastrozole) cause weight gain?

Oh wow. I hope that you don’t have any more side effects.

It will be 2 weeks for me tomorrow. Feeling slower mentally and physically. Seems like a challenge to push through each day to not give into the physical slowdown, especially in the afternoons. Drinking more coffee, added a daily energy drink and sometimes give into a short afternoon nap to reenergize. Definitely getting less accomplished per day then I am used to which is depressing to me. Hope you don't experience this. Wondering if age plays into how the body reacts since sounds like from what I have been reading here it varies from nothing to severe. Also wondering if my body will adjust somehow and that I may regain some of what I have lost. Can hope, right? Trying to keep my eye on the big picture about why I am taking this and not give up on it but I have 4 years more to go on it, so really hoping for adjusting to it! Be well everyone.

Has anyone experienced a change in bowel habits from taking letrozole?

@mugs24cancer , I am hoping someone who takes or took letrozole will chime in, but I definitely had big changes after starting AI.
@blue850 , I am crossing my fingers that your body adjusts to the new drug but please bring it up to your doctor if it doesn’t get better. Although naps aren’t ALWAYS bad. Lol

Thanks. I am glad I found this forum. It is very helpful to communicate with others going or haven gone through same thing.

I'm on anastrozole, but yes, used to be very regular. Also had a few days of diarrhea. This seems to be one of the side effects that comes and goes, swinging between constipation and loose stool. I take a probiotic daily and if needed ginger tea with probiotic in it already. Bigalow makes a good one, just before bed. MiraLax is an effective and benign choice too.

Thank you so much for your reply! I seem to be regularly irregular but more diarrhea recently...almost wonder if it is IBS. I do Good Belly probiotics daily, also some Celestial Seasoning ginger mint wellness tea with probiotics, and Benefiber which I think is like Miralax. I follow a GERD diet and walk almost 2 miles everyday. Walking seems to be my “way out” to try to keep stress and anxiety at bay. I just need to get off the worry wheel. Take care!

@mugs24cancer : I have been on Letrozole for 10 weeks now. First 2 weeks some mild hot flashes, then the bone and joint pain set in. Varies, but 2 days/week pretty intense, 1 day/week almost non-existent, the other days variable. Has not stopped me from most activities, but I’m walking slower because I’m taking shorter strides with the hip/butt pain. No weight gain yet, no digestive issues, no brain fog, occasional slight fatigue. Still, I am not happy about facing almost 5 years of this. Will discuss Zometa infusions with oncologist in a few weeks.

I have been taking Letrozole for 9 months now. I have chosen it as my only treatment for stage 4 bc in my bones. It shrunk the tumors and now I am in remission without new growth or mets, but I have noticed in the past month a change in bowel habits. I am constipated and bloated followed by diarrhea. I was camping and riding in the side by side this past weekend with my husband when I started having stomach cramps and had to find a bathroom quick! I have been home the past couple of days and today is the same. The only constant is the Letrozole.

I can tell you this is not uncommon for a lot of drugs. The way it was explained to me was keeping everything regular prevents the see-saw effect of constipation and then diarrhea, for me it is Mira lax, every night. For my husband it is dulcolax every afternoon. Please talk to your doctor, no one should have to live this way. I went through what I refer to as death cramps. Have you talked to your doctor about this?