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Lupron belly -- will it go away?

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Posted 6/30/2019 4:04 PM (GMT -5)
My last six-month Lupron injection was in February. In the first three months of Lupron treatments I gained 25 pounds. I needed to put on some weight, but not that much. Even worse, it all went right to my mid-section. I've never had weight in that area before, so I'm pretty convinced the Lupron is driving it, based on what I've read here and elsewhere. I am now watching what I eat and exercising but the weight remains. As time goes by, the Lupron wears off, and the testosterone returns, should I expect some of that belly fat to disappear?
Posted 6/30/2019 4:22 PM (GMT -5)

MotownPaul said...
.......As time goes by, the Lupron wears off, and the testosterone returns, should I expect some of that belly fat to disappear?

Only if you cut down on what you're eating, and continue seriously exercising!

Good luck,,with your belly fat and your undetectable PSA.
Posted 6/30/2019 5:22 PM (GMT -5)
Paul, I am 3 months ahead of you having had my last Lupron shot in November, so I’m speaking from experience, although everyone is different. With that said....

Yes, Lupron drives belly fat. Worse, it screws up your lipids. My Triglycerides rose to 501, from around 200. I’ve always had an issue with TG, but not like this, in view of the fact that while I was no angel, I wasn’t eating terrible. And high TG goes hand in hand with belly fat, it’s a sign of “metabolic syndrome.”

I saw a Hematologist about a month ago for a non PC issue and we talked about it. She said that the belly fat will more easily come off, as the Lupron slowly leaves your body, but , in her exact words, “you still have to put in the work”. That means eating healthy, low carb, portion control, AND regular exercise

After being frustrated fir quite a while as you probably are now, I decided to try intermittent fasting. I go at least 16 hours a day, some days as much as 18 hours, with nothing but BLACK coffee (no sugar or substitute) and water. Then I eat more or less what I want, within reason, the other 6-8 hours. Especially nothing after 8pm (sometimes 9, but rarely).
I’ve only been doing it for a week, it’s not hard and I’ve lost 4.5bpounds, and also my belly is clearly less mountainous. I’ve also been doing 30 minutes of brisk walking (15 minute mile or less) and weight training for 20 minutes

So you might want to give it a try. But your T will have to start coming back for it to have a really big impact, most likely. 3 months after my last shot my t was 7. 3 weeks ago it was 68. And I’m 3vmonths ahead of you. So the message is do the work, but also be patient. If you work it, it will happen.
Posted 6/30/2019 5:39 PM (GMT -5)
Does everyone pretty much get fat and have trouble with their lipids when they are on Lupron?

Does this also occur with Degarelix?
Posted 6/30/2019 8:40 PM (GMT -5)
Mentor, see my post in your thread for detail. Not everybody gets the belly fat but it’s very very common with both meds. Best thing is to maintain a healthy diet and do a lot of exercise while on either of these drugs it’s hard to avoid the belly fat but it’s not impossible
Posted 7/1/2019 4:41 AM (GMT -5)
I too gained 25 Lb on Lupron. But now lost it all and am still losing. Simple plan. No carbs, no sugar, no alcohol. Exercise an hour a day 6 days a week. Eat 1200 calories a day. I lose 2 to 3 lbs. a week on this regimen. Of course I have cheat days all the time. But it still works.
Posted 7/3/2019 6:11 AM (GMT -5)
When the leuprolide shuts down your hypothalamus, it no longer produces a hormone that tells your kidneys how much water to leave in your blood stream, so they default to allowing an increase in water retention ("water weight gain") and you gain some 'water weight'.

The pituitary no longer produces a hormone that regulates your "base metabolic rate" (how many kcals you burn just being alive) so your 'base metabolic rate' drops and you gain weight. Same thing for where any excess kcals go, so the excess goes right to visceral fat. sad That means that you have to drop your kcal intake as soon as you start leuprolide chemo or you gain fat weight as well as water weight.

When your pituitary quits producing human growth hormone (due to the leuprolide chemo) you can no longer build muscle and your hippocampus quits producing neural stem cells to replace dead or injured neurons. That gives you "mild cognitive impairment".

The lack of testosterone has jack to do with most of the undesirable side effects of leuprolide chemo, despite that many of us blame that for our challenges.

I gained 20 pounds on leuprolide chemo, lost 24 when it wore off, have gained back 7 since that - mostly muscle, thank dog. Not looking forward to a repeat, but will do what I must to stay alive. smile
Posted 7/3/2019 6:46 AM (GMT -5)
Trail Guy that's one of the best explanations I have seen about SE's of Lupron. Thnx 👍

Larry
Posted 7/4/2019 11:57 AM (GMT -5)
[The lack of testosterone has jack to do with most of the undesirable side effects of leuprolide chemo, despite that many of us blame that for our challenges.]

I looked up "Low testosterone levels in men" in the Healthline web site and these are some of the points displayed:

Testosterone helps maintain a number of important bodily functions in men, including,
1) sex drive
2) muscle mass/strength
3) fat distribution
4) bone density
5) red blood cell production

Because testosterone affects so many functions, its decrease can bring about significant physical and emotional changes.

Sexual function:
.reduced desire for sex
.fewer erections that happen spontaneously such as during sleep
.infertility

Physical changes:
.increased body fat
.decrease strength/mass of muscles
.fragile bones
.decreased body hair
.swelling/tenderness in the breast tissue
. hot flashes
.increase fatigue
. effects on cholesterol metabolism

It goes on to talk about Sleep Disturbances and Emotional Changes.

I have experienced most of these SE from my 6 months of ADT treatment as have many others in their posts to this forum.
According to Healthline and other medical web sites that are easily accessed on the internet, low testosterone is hugely responsible for most of the undesireable side effects of leuprolide chemo.

Dave
Posted 7/4/2019 12:09 PM (GMT -5)
Had the same problem. Solution: after ADT, and after I realized that the weight was not going away despite recovery of T levels, a very rigorous no carbs, no alcohol diet. Took four months, but it worked -- returned to the same weight range I had when I graduated from college. Since then (five years ago) no worries. Exercise alone will not touch this problem, at least not in my case. Exercise probably irrelevant. The good news is the weight gain is in a sense "artificial," three - four months of focus will probably get you back to your base line. Best wishes! ... NewspaperLover
Posted 7/4/2019 2:58 PM (GMT -5)
join weight watchers and follow the plan without cheating and it'll go away.
Posted 7/5/2019 6:06 AM (GMT -5)
I too can use Google smile

From https://www.drugs.com/sfx/lupron-side-effects.html

Lupron side effects

• bone pain, loss of movement in any part of your body;
• swelling, rapid weight gain;
• a seizure;
• unusual changes in mood or behavior (crying spells, anger, feeling irritable);
• sudden chest pain or discomfort, wheezing, dry cough or hack;
• painful or difficult urination; or
• high blood sugar - increased thirst, increased urination, hunger, dry mouth, fruity breath odor.
Rare but serious side effects may occur. Call your doctor if you have:
• pain or unusual sensations in your back, numbness, weakness, or tingly feeling in your legs or feet;
• muscle weakness or loss of use, loss of bowel or bladder control;
• heart attack symptoms - chest pain or pressure, pain spreading to your jaw or shoulder, nausea, sweating; or
• signs of a stroke - sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of the body), sudden severe headache, slurred speech.
Common Lupron side effects may include:
• hot flashes, sweating, acne, rash, itching, scaly skin;
• mood changes;
• headache, general pain;
• vaginal swelling, itching, or discharge;
• breakthrough bleeding;
• weight gain;
• decreased testicle size; or
• redness, pain, swelling, or oozing where the shot was given.
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur.
Less Common
• Fast or irregular heartbeat
Rare
• Bone, muscle, or joint pain
• fainting
• fast or irregular breathing
• numbness or tingling of the hands or feet
• puffiness or swelling of the eyelids or around the eyes
• skin rash, hives, or itching
• sudden, severe decrease in blood pressure and collapse
• tightness in the chest
• troubled breathing
For males only (adults)
More Common
• Arm, back, or jaw pain
• bloody or cloudy urine
• blurred vision
• chest pain or discomfort
• difficult, burning, or painful urination
• difficulty with moving
• dizziness
• frequent urge to urinate
• headache
• increased urge to urinate during the night
• muscle pain or stiffness
• nausea
• nervousness
• pain in the joints
• pale skin
• pounding in the ears
• slow or fast heartbeat
• sweating
• troubled breathing with exertion
• unusual bleeding or bruising
• unusual tiredness or weakness
• waking to urinate at night
Rare
• Pain in the groin or legs (especially in the calves)
Incidence Not Known
• Altered mental status
• cardiovascular collapse
• double vision
• visual changes
• vomiting

I have a lot more like this ^ as I have been researching leuprolide chemotherapy for going on 7 years. This chemotherapy shuts off the hypothalamus gland and the pituitary gland. So what does that do besides stop the production of testosterone? A whole bunch of stuff, intro at Wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hypothalamus

"Is Lupron considered a chemotherapy drug?
Lupron® is an “antineoplastic agent”, meaning that it is a cancer chemotherapy drug. Like all antineoplastics, Lupron® is harmful to both cancerous and non-cancerous cells — particularly to pregnant women and developing fetuses."

This stuff has jack (nothing) to do with testosterone and it cannot be addressed with a patch - especially stuff like a heart attack, type 2 diabetes or a pituitary stroke/bleed.
Posted 7/5/2019 7:37 AM (GMT -5)
Trail Guy, I was looking through your list and counted 22 of them that I am experiencing right now. I just met up with 6 of the guys and gals I was at the hope lodge with. One of the guys that has been on Lupron for 6 yrs with metastasized cancer now has several fractures because of what Lupron has done to his bones. Another guy who's been on it for 8 yrs just had to have a heart valve replaced. The body doesn't like it when we put drugs in our bodies that cause things not to work the way they are suppose too. This also goes for women one of the gals is experiencing some of the same SE's with her drugs that have reduced her estrogen down to almost nothing in her battle to fight breast cancer. We all sit around chatting about the good old days when we couldn't wait for 9 o'clock on fri and sat nites to go out dancing now most of us are in bed by then! 😜😜 But like we said we are still here to get together and enjoy each other's company and we are still here to enjoy of families and friends and when we think about that we are pretty darn fortunate. 👍👍
Posted 7/5/2019 8:39 AM (GMT -5)
I suspect the side-effects of Leupron have a lot more than "nothing" to do with having little to no testosterone in the system, but I'm certainly not an expert. A good experiment might be to compare the side-effects of men on Leupron/Xtandi to those of men on Xtandi alone.
Posted 7/5/2019 10:42 AM (GMT -5)
I actually lost weight for my first year on Lupron (but I also changed my diet and increased exercise when diagnosed). However, during my second year Zytiga was added and I went through chemo. With this, I got fat in places I never had fat before like my pubic area. I have been off the ADT since November so not quite a year and my testosterone is coming back but not yet to normal range. I've lost some weight (just over ten pounds so far) but it has been a slow process. I was hoping once I was "off the sauce" the fat would fall off quickly. It hasn't been the case. As others have mentioned, even off the ADT you've got to continue to work at your diet and exercise, it likely won't magically (like I had hoped) go away.

Post Edited (schoolpsych) : 7/5/2019 9:45:52 AM (GMT-6)

Posted 7/5/2019 11:31 AM (GMT -5)
I lost my Lupron weight (30 lbs) in about three months through diet and exercise, though I never stopped exercising even while on Lupron. if your testosterone is low it will be near impossible to lose weight.

I also now gain weight in my pubic region and in other places I didn't before. pretty sure that's because i'm old.

the most effective exercise to lose weight is the push away. you know push that plate away smile
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