Appetite

[Lilykristymichael]

After 5 months on Ibrance andvArimidex I am finding that nothing tastes good to me. Has anyone else experienced this?

[Betbop]

I've been on Ibrance and Faslodex for 2 yrs now and nothing tastes good anymore.

[Lilykristymichael in reply to Betbop]

Thanks for your reply.

[Barbteeth]

Hi there

I’m the same as Sandra...17 rounds of Ibrance...food doesn’t taste different I just have lost my interest in it...poor appetite therefore feel tired all the time

We’re all different...sorry you’re struggling

Barb xx

[mariootsi in reply to Barbteeth]

Barb,

My primary care doc perscribed Remeron,(Mirtazapine) for me to increase appetite. It works.

It also helps with anxiety.

[Lilykristymichael in reply to Barbteeth]

Thanks.

[Lilykristymichael in reply to Lilykristymichael]

Very good to know. Thanks,

[MacroMom]

For suggestions on stimulating low appetite and foods to counteract side effects, I really like Rebecca Katz's cookbook "The Cancer-Fighting Kitchen". Great recipes with photos (I love the bone broth and "Anytime Bars") and the first section is all about improving appetite through flavoring and foods that help with side effects. She also has an online cooking class.

[Lilykristymichael in reply to MacroMom]

Thanks for the info.

[NShaft]

I've found that after 8 rounds of Ibrance and Letrozole my taste has improved. Initially my taste was sort of numb though sweet things still tasted good. I do notice that I no longer want to eat some of the things I enjoyed in the past. Hopefully yours will improve.

[Mindysooty]

Hi, yes, I've experienced this. 6 months in and my mouth mid to end of each cycle just feels strange - not really sore, just like a weird coating which does affect my taste buds. I recently had a moussaka which used to be my fave food ever but it just didn't taste of anything which was very disappointing because I love my food :). I just don't feel like eating anything some days - started off my journey really good with the diet eating up to 10 fruit and veg a day, juicing etc but I've veered off course lately because I really just don't fancy anything.

[JBirdnut]

No appetite at all while on Ibrance and also on Afinitor. Doc prescribed an appetite enhancer...Megestrol Acetate. It is used for patients with no appetite or people with anorexia.

Worked for me. Only had to take it twice. Appetite improved greatly.

[Kathyquilts]

I couldn’t taste at all, except for things like coffe, which tasted awful. I put hot sauce on everything. I lost 26 lbs. I needed to lose, but that was rough.

Palliative care had me take zinc. It helped some.

[Lilykristymichael in reply to Kathyquilts]

I might try that. Thanks.

[Red71]

I had no appetite for the first 3 months and lost about 10 pounds. My appetite is back but things don’t always taste as good. I enjoy breakfast and lunch but by dinner I’m tired and am just not that interested in food. I force myself to eat a bit of protein and vegetable or salad. Ice cream tastes really good and I used to be so so about it!

[Southside25]

I've been on Ibrance/letrozole for 20 months and it has significantly affected my taste. It comes and goes. I can rarely taste sweet and sometimes, literally, nothing tastes like anything. I had lunch out at a favorite casual restaurant that has a great grass-fed burger, wonderful sweet potato fries and a dynamite buttermilk coleslaw. Couldn't taste a thing, it was like eating cardboard. So depressing! Sometimes there's a sense of taste, but like 50% of what it used to be. I had a couple of days last week when I could taste sweet, and it was wonderful. I ate a bunch of fruit and a donut! It was heaven....then it's gone. Savory, highly seasoned foods are generally okay, but delicate or subtle flavors are gone with the wind. At least it keeps me from eating sugar since I can't taste it so that's good, I guess.

[Lilykristymichael in reply to Southside25]

Exactly. Thanks.

[Teddielottie]

I’m the opposite... I have to watch I don’t eat too much ! ... my taste buds are unaffected , but I try to eat a balanced diet ! I too have a husband who likes to cook ... maybe that makes you appreciate the food more !

He is away on business tonight ...so I did something quick and simple just for me ...sliced avocado with lemon juice , sea salt and black pepper on toasted gluten free granary bread . Love ripe 🥑 and it’s good for you !

I cooked chicken , rice and gravy for my elderly dog . Priorities lol! x 🐶

[Tam-56]

Like Mindysooty, I feel like there is a coating on my tongue preventing me from experiencing taste. I have been on Ibrance and Letrozole 17 months. I do get a reprieve, however, about 5 days after I finish a cycle for a week or so. That’s when I can enjoy foods again. There is something about avacado though, I seem to be able to taste it anytime!

[Lilykristymichael in reply to Tam-56]

Very interesting. Thank you.

[Lilykristymichael]

Thank you.

[Hidden]

Food is blah.

[Sister3nkc]

Yes, same here. I have been on Ibrance/letrozole for almost 5 years (4 years 9 months) and it definitely decreases taste. I have not seen it improve with time. Sorry...

Namaste

[Mindysooty in reply to Sister3nkc]

4 years and 9 months!!!! wowzer, that's amazing (apart from the declining taste buds). Here's to many more - long may the treatment continue to work for you xxx

[Sister3nkc in reply to Mindysooty]

I am grateful.

Every.single.day.

Namaste

❤