Tamoxifen and insulin resistance

andrearose

Hi all --

I've been on tamoxifen for about 18 months. I had gestational diabetes, which means I now get a diabetes test yearly. Last year my test came back fine (5.5 hba1c). This year -- ins spite of exercising 4-5 hours/week, no alcohol and barely any sugar -- I have prediabetes.

I'm convinced the tamoxifen has exacerbated this problem. I've felt hungry and thirsty since the first month on it.

Has anyone out there had a similar experience? What did you find most helpful?

I'm also wondering if switching to OS/AI would help. Thanks for any insight

Metta

Hi Andrea, I'm in the same boat: prediabetic and on Tamoxifen. I'm sure you've read about the connection between tamoxifen and diabetes. I tried to reverse my prediabetes for years before diagnosis (there is a correlation between insulin resistance and breast cancer), and fortunately have always been able to get my A1C down with exercise, like 30 minutes a day. But after chemo and steroids every week for 3-5 months, my A1C was higher than ever, 6.0.

Your 5.5 A1C was actually pretty close to prediabetes. The range has changed a bit from year to year; some docs even consider anything over 4.8 to be abnormal. So that 5.5 was technically fine but could have been a wakeup call.

It's frustrating as hell. I'm not overweight, I run or exercise four hours a week, I don't eat a ton of sugar (though I could do better), and I've been gluten-free/low-carb for five years--yet the darn number keeps creeping up. Yes, I think Tamoxifen is partly to blame.

See if your doctor will prescribe Metformin. My friend is on a clinical now, just wrapping up, that is studying Metformin's effects on breast cancer recurrence. So far it looks promising. I started Metformin six months ago. It brought my A1C down a little, and I know I can bring it down even more if I exercise 30 minutes every day.

Another tip my doctor gave me: weight lifting. Muscle burns more calories even during rest. Have I done this yet? No! It's humiliating to do push-ups when I can barely do one. But I might take a HIIT class or CrossFit to see if that motivates me.

Let me know if you find any solutions! I'm going to fight it for as long as I can.

andrearose

Hi Metta!

I had seen that study but the thing that kind of puzzles me is that it says older women -- I'm only 44 and feeling like kind of a failure! It's funny -- I got nervous about the 5.5 but my primary care physician insisted it was fine. UGH. It's totally frustrating and I really appreciate your responding I think I will call my onc and ask about metformin. I'm just nervous about starting another drug and potentially developing resistance to it since I'm on the "young" side. I definitely need to keep tweaking my diet -- I do tend to sneak in an ice cream with my daughter here and there...Would you mind sending me any info you have about that clinical trial?

Hugs,

Andrea

ksusan

If it helps: Metformin seems to have some support for decreasing breast cancer.