Swollen belly months after a Lupron shot, anyone? UPDATED

Hi, did anyone have trouble with a swollen stomach / bloated abdomen after stopping Lupron shots? My stomach is still swollen seven month after ONE shot. Please help!

((KeyLimePie))



Have you mentioned the swelling to your physician? Did s/he have any suggestions? Could the swelling be from something other than the Lupron shot? For instance, what was the reason you took Lupron? Endometriosis can sometimes cause swelling as can fibroids. Additionally, some have swelling from ovarian cysts.

I would encourage you to talk to your doctor about what is going on so you can get to the bottom of this!

in there! s

The swelling is definitely a result of the Lupron. It occurred within 48 hours of me taking the Lupron. I took the Lupron to prepare for a hysteroscopic myomectomy. The fibroid was only 2.5cm so it never caused any swelling. My uterus is and was normal size and I've never had any issue with my ovaries. I do NOT have endo. I have had four sonograms by two different doctors and a CT scan by another. All show that my uterus is not enlarged. The swelling in my abdomen is water retention.

Good heavens, of course I have shown the swelling to my doctor! Since all those tests were negative, she tried to suggest that maybe my stomach muscles or ligaments were stretched out - ! But the CT scan showed my muscles are fine. Your ligaments of course do not suddenly stretch out overnight. This swelling is much smaller than a pregnancy. She told me to try wearing Spanx. I am 93 pounds! You have to understand, a doctor that prescribes Lupron will never admit that it caused your subsequent health problems.

So I went to another endocrinologist (NOT reproductive) to have my thyroid, pituitary, etc. tested. Just got the results yesterday. My bilirubin number was 1.2. This implies liver damage CAUSED BY A SEX HORMONE or CHEMO DRUG. See bilirubin on Wikipedia.

It is important to point out that my liver was tested last May and I was told it was fine. Then I took the Lupron in July. =(

((KeyLimePie))

I am sorry you are dealing with all of this and now liver damage. I hope your doctors will be able to put you in touch with an excellent liver specialist who will be able to help you. My goes out to you!

I answered your post on the DIEP site about swelling. Sounds like I should see an endocrinologist too since no one else has any answers for me. My swelling started 4-5 days after my 3 month shot. I had several one month shots before that and never had any side effects until the 3 month shot. I've had swelling for 4 months now. CT shows that everything is normal. This is driving me crazy and I want to get to the bottom of it!

A little more insight - the following warning is on Lupron:

"During treatment with LUPRON DEPOT and norethindrone acetate, immediately tell your doctor if you have a sudden loss of vision, double vision, or if migraine headaches occur. You should notify your doctor if you experience fluid retention, epilepsy, asthma or worsening of asthmatic symptoms, heart or kidney problems."

Norethindrone acetate is progesterone or Aygestin, also known by many other names. It is sometimes given with Lupron to mitigate bone loss or possibly hemorrhaging.

Great, so this is where my fluid retention came from! Well, I notified my doctor and she didn't admit it might be related to the Lupron and Aygestin! Nor did she offer any solutions.

Has anyone recovered from fluid retention caused by Lupron? If so, how did you do it? Or how long did it take to go away? (Thank God I don't have the vision loss.)

To my knowledge, I didn't get progresterone with the Lupron shot. I'll double-check that, but I'm pretty sure I didn't.

I have seen that abdominal swelling is a rare side effect of Lupron, but I can't find anything about how long to expect this side effect to linger - especially since it's been 1 month since Lupron should have worn off. I see my gyn today for a post-op visit after my hysterectomy and I'll ask more about it plus a referral to an endocrinologist. I'm determined to get to the bottom of this!!!!!

Have your blood pressure and liver checked (bilirubin), your thyroid, and maybe your kidneys and estradiol level. Reduce salt intake and drink plenty of water.

I see a gastroenterologist tomorrow and the endocrinologist the next day, so will let you know what they say. (My CT scan was normal too.)

This is deeply disturbing. Please keep in touch as I really want to compare notes with you! And hopefully someone else will weigh in on this problem.

Thanks and Good Luck!!!

Did you have bloodwork come back abnormal on any of those things? I just had surgery 1 month ago and I would think that they checked all that out with the pre-op bloodwork. I'll check to be sure. I definitely want to stay in touch as we try to figure this out! Thanks!

My blood pressure and bilirubin are up. Both were normal before I took Lupron. Water retention and blood pressure are related. Bilirubin suggests liver damage, which can cause fluid to build up in your abdomen. I also have kidney stones now which I think stem from taking calcium supplements while i was on Lupron.