Has anyone tried anabolic steroids to assist with weight gain (specifically muscle mass rather than fat)? I just searched the forum and could find no threads discussing this (well not using the term anabolic anyway).

My Alex lost so much weight and muscle mass, during treatment that getting up off the floor is now something he has to think twice about. If weight gain is such an issue for so many people recovering, then why is the only advice from health care professionals to take on more calories? To me the issues such as lack of taste and smell, nausea or physical restrictions such as ulcers, swallowing problems and strictures warrants more than a simple "eat more" solution.

Has anyone faced issues such as cardiovascular problems as we sanction high calories to gain weight and do not for the moment concern ourselves with fat or sugar content?

I can't imagine why anyone who has survived any form of cancer would risk the side effects, which range from unpleasant to deadly, of anabolic steroid use. There is information online from the National Institute on Drug Abuse, part of the National Institutes of Health, at their website at www.steroidabuse.gov.

Your concern for the quality of the calories ingested is a good point. But when one is recovering from oral cancer, the advice is to eat what you can and don't worry about sugar and fat content. It is seen as a short term solution. Alex is still in recovery and as you have read in other posts, recovery times vary with each patient.

I love to cook and prior to Clark's OC, he loved eating the food I prepared. He just had his 3 year anniversary from diagnosis and surgery. He is just now beginning to get interested in food again. Eighty percent of his taste has returned and he enjoys most foods. Some things are forever changed, now he hates garlic which he used to love.

In the last three years, I introduced to my husband a huge variety of foods, tastes and textures to try and spark his appetite hoping that he would regain his interest in food. He appreciated my efforts but he needed the time it took to "get there".

There are really good cookbooks on preparing pureed foods available online through Amazon. If you decide to buy, your purchase can benefit OCF, too.

Good luck and hang in there!

Karen,

Some of us "guys" on the forums have had to be put on testosterone replacement therapy after treatment due to some of the side effects of radiation & opiate pain medications. Androderm is a steroid that will help gain weight/lean muscle mass and is readily available by prescription by your GP.

What they will do is test your testosterone levels (normal range is 250-800) and if you are low they'll give you an option of either muscle injections or the dermal patch.

Now there could be several factors to consider if Alex is testing low on his testosterone. First he's just out of treatment and it can take a while for his body to heal on it's own. Heavy pain meds will cause the body to stop or constrain it's natural testosterone production and even after he's been off the pain medications he could still test low until his body adjusts.

Radiation can also damage the hypothalmus and pituitary gland which are responsible for testosterone production in the body but as a man ages his testosterone production will decrease as well.

Before making that decision I would make sure you know what the testosterone tests show because adding a steroid into the mix will have it's drawbacks.

First and foremost if you are introducing a testosterone replacement into your system, your body will stop producing it on it's own. 2nd you'll get ALL of the gifts that come along with adding this hormone to your system.

Andro or any steroid will help put on weight, I packed on 50 lbs in just a few months and looked awesome...BUT I was a hormonal wreck at the same time. Steroids will cause all kinds of emotional issues not just "Roid Rage". Once you start taking a replacement if you ever want to get off of it, it's a process much like getting off of a pain medication and you will go through the withdrawel process.

I'm helping a friend of mine right now who's trying to cope with her husbands testosterone replacement induced mood swings and side effects, they are not pretty.

Personally I've never felt better and I've been off the patches for six months or so. My body iw finally feeling "back to normal" and I'd rather never have to go back to them.

Anyway hope that helps.

Eric

Really I'd suggest a good eating program and weight lifting to gain weight. There are other techniques that can be used to help promote testosterone production in the body as well naturally. Wearing boxers, eating right, exercise and other "stimulation" in regular intervals should do it

ooohh I need to be VERY clear about the steroids. I am talking about medically prescribed and monitored steroids - not buying online or black market stuff and DEFINITELY not at the doses used and abused by body builders and atheletes.

The therapeutic dose recommended to us is 1/8 to 1/16th of the dose commonly abused and is a short term course (8 weeks + 8 weeks) under the care of a specialist. The use of steroids to assist recovery in wasted patients (patients with severe weight loss) is a legitimate use and has been trialled in patients with HIV, on dialysis and with cancer (though not oral). In this setting, adverse effects are minimal and we believe (as does the doctor)the benefits outweigh the risks.

Thanks Anita for sharing your own experiences - I know I am a bit impatient and your time frames remind me to slow down a bit. Unfortunately, my Alex rejects puree on principle (an admission of illness)and solid food seems to cause nausea and vomiting. This concerns me a great deal as it suggests there is some failure of his digestive tract that may relate to 9 months of liquid only diet (2000 calories administered overnight pumped through his PEG). He is able to chew and swallow many things with a great gulp of water, but he doesn't want to and 3 mouthsful seem to be his limit. Hoping an increase in appetite (side effect of steroids) and an improvement in taste (side effect of steroids) may stimulate him to try 4 mouthsful and then 5 ....

Also, whilst I might be the world's greatest supporter of Alex as well as his worst critic, I am equally the world's worst and most unmotivated cook. Cookbooks are used to prop the computer monitor up aren't they?

Eric
My computer is broke and I am on Alex's and he is chomping at the bit to kick me off so will make this very quick.

I take all your advice on board and thank you for your cautions. The reasons (weight gain rather than testosterone level normalisation) allow for a small and short term dose, so mood swings should not be an issue. However, we have been warned about it and will definitely keep an eye out. Trials at the dose we are talking about suggest a mood improvement if anything.

Alex is dead impressed with your weight gain and we hope to have a similar experience

Update: Alex went ahead with injections once a fortnight. Alex is due for his third injection next Tuesday. We were told there would be no real effect for the first few weeks so not to get discouraged if nothing happened.

The night before last, I asked Alex to weigh himself, although neither of us expected any weight change. 61.2kgs (134.9lbs)!!! I knew something good had happened when he got quietly off the scales and took his pants off before getting on again. He has been stuck round 58-60kgs (128-132lbs) since July when he recovered from 48kgs. He was 58.8 (129.6)when we began the injections 5 weeks ago which means he has gained 2.4kgs (5.3lbs). But the best thing is the mood improvement and the will to try. He was literally bouncing all over the place last Saturday night when he managed to eat 2 baby dim sims without ill effects, and then announced he was walking home he felt so good. We still have some way to go but this is a very exciting development.

Eric, we won't make your 50 lbs on the doses we are on but Alex is very happy nonetheless. Also gratified to be experiencing only positive side effects so far