Prednisone and Weight Loss
 

Hi. I am new to the site and was wondering if anyone else has had a significant weight gain while on prednisone. And if so, were you able to lose the weight? I have a chronic condition that is controlled by a daily dose of prednisone. I was on a 150 mg taper on and off for over 4 months and now I have to take 10 - 20 mg daily. I have gained 40 pounds in 6 months. I have always ate healthy and still continue to do so. Unfortunately, I am still gaining weight even though I have limited my calories and I work out everyday. The doctor says that as long as I am on the prednisone I will continue to gain weight, that is the nature of prednisone. I am determined to lose weight - it just isn't as easy as I had expected. Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

I've taken prednisone but only in a week or two week dose at a time i've never taken it continuously. I get it when my asthma is especially bad and its notmally 30gs a day. I've never noticed any weight gain on it at all but I expect I've never taken it long enough to notice.
What sort of calorie level are you on at the moment? COuld your doc suggest anything else to take instead which wouldn't make you gain?

My doctor says that even maintaining your weight while on prednisone is an achievement. I have several doctors and they all have been unhelpful as to the weight gain. I am on a 1000 - 1200 calorie diet - low fat, high protein, high fiber. I eat every few hours (small meals) to keep from getting too hungry. I work out everyday - cardio, aerobics, and weight training. I am just so frustrated that I have nothing to show for all the workouts and the diet (going on 3 months and counting).

Originally Posted by Anne1977:
Hi. I am new to the site and was wondering if anyone else has had a significant weight gain while on prednisone. And if so, were you able to lose the weight? I have a chronic condition that is controlled by a daily dose of prednisone. I was on a 150 mg taper on and off for over 4 months and now I have to take 10 - 20 mg daily. I have gained 40 pounds in 6 months. I have always ate healthy and still continue to do so. Unfortunately, I am still gaining weight even though I have limited my calories and I work out everyday. The doctor says that as long as I am on the prednisone I will continue to gain weight, that is the nature of prednisone. I am determined to lose weight - it just isn't as easy as I had expected. Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

:hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug: :hug:
I just saw your post. I am on Prednison (30 mg every second day)...

I am losing weight! I think that the lower the dose the easier it is. right after my Stem cell transplant for leukemia I was on 100 mg every day. I gain 20 pounds, had "moon face" everything!!! I hate the drug!!!!!! its the:devil:
but when I got off of it the weight came off rather quickly. then I had to go back on it. which is where i am now.

When I got the news that I would have to go back on it I bought "dealing with prednisone" by eugine zuckerman ~~~ really really helpful I suggest you get it. Basicly, watch salt intake(this is big), drink LOTS AND LOTS AND LOTS of water!, watch fat intake and exercise. Keep cals low. I noticed that the day after I "pig out" I have put on some weight~ those days usually see me eating veggies all day :)~
Also talk with your doctor and see if he can lower your dose (or increase it but have you take it only every other day....) he may be able to experiment with you to see if a lower dose will still be effective...

I also found out that the Birth control pill with increase the effect of prednison...I brought this up with my doctor but he said he didn't think so...but it is written on the sheet that the pharmacist gives you with all the directions and stuff....try to get one and read it...Oh also on that sheet I found out that prednisone make you sensitive to carbs, so keep them low

hope I helped PM if you have questions!

Prednisone is the :devil:

I have been on prednisone for 3 yrs. Gained 50 lbs. and was hungry all the time. I have liver failure and my general doctor had told me that I would never lose weight on prednisone. I was on 40 mg. daily for most of the yrs. and now am on 20 mg. daily. I started seeing a hepatologist who thankfully set me straight. He told me I had to lose the weight or I would not qualify for a liver transplant. He also told me to "get on a low-carb diet and stick to it". I started my low-carb diet June 24,2005 and have now lost 84 lbs. in 11 months while still taking the prednisone. This has been a life-saver for me. I had pretty much given up and resigned myself to always being obese due to the prednisone, but it doesn't have to be that way. The best part is that with the weight loss, my liver enzymes are down four-fold and it may be a long time now before I have to get a transplant. Good luck to you and know that it is completely possible to lose the weight on prednisone, some doctors are just discouraging and don't know all the facts.

First of all I want to say I'm new here and I love the site so far :D

I actually have lost weight on prednisone twice! Last summer I was on prednisone (80mg start!) and I decided to not gain weight by eating less than 1500 calories and exercising. I'm 17 by the way, 5'4 and 107 at the time. I also need to mention that I've been struggling with an eating disorder since I was around 14. This time I wanted to lose in a healthy way and I did.

This year I had a MAJOR adverse reaction to a medication that I was put on and I was put on prednisone again (80mg start) (I was about 110lbs) to quiet my immune system's. I have had MANY drug adverse reactions and doctors don't understand why. I lost about 10lbs VERY easily even though I was on prednisone and very inactive. Then when I started to feel better I noticed that by eating up to 1500 I still lost..the strangest thing is that I got to 93lbs in a few weeks..but I was eating much more..

I started binging because I wanted to stay at 95 and I didn't gain..well the next day I did but only about a pound and then later I gained 2 more. However now I've gained 2lbs overnight! I'm really trying now to not eat so much..but i got used to it. I really watch how much sodium I eat and I try to drink tons of water which helps take out the water weight. That's my best advice to keep from gaining weight..watching the sodium intake.

Other than that I know I am lucky to not gain (major) weight from prednisone.. I think my body just reacts different to it. But I still have the "moon face" and all the other horrible side effects :( I will be on 35mg by Monday (yay!).

It was wonderful to find this thread! I have a dear friend who has been on Prednisone for a very long time (over 6 years) and though her doctors assure her that she can't lose weight on it, she's determined to find a way. :)

Does anyone else have any information on losing weight on Prednisone? I know she'd appreciate it. :D Thanks!

I was on prednisone for a year and I gained 40 pounds in 2 months , I had no clue what my body was in for . I no longer take it , but since I have been diagnosed with R A I take it for only a week at a time when the swelling and engery level gets too low. I wish I had known in 2003 what my body was in for when I had to take it. I am determined to never take it full time again and I think losing weight will be a BIG help.

Hello! I've been on various doses of prednisone for several years. When I was younger I got the moon face but didn't gain weight, but a few years ago I was very very sick and had high doses injected, and that's when I started gaining weight. Tough stuff.

I'm currently taking a 5mg dose at bedtime. My dr hopes it will help with morning stiffness. It isn't helping but because of my weight and side effects already experienced, I am afraid to take a higher dose. I already have the "moon face" and family has commented on it during the holidays. I'm determined not to let it get the better of me. Since I am already taking Humira and Napropsen, I hope my prednisone days are numbered.

Question...I have been getting VICIOUS leg cramps that wake me several times a night, that seemed to start when I started predinsone, does anyone else have this problem/side effect?

Yes, I had that and restless legs but I have been on prednisone for a more than a year and don't notice it as much anymore.

yes , I got the leg cramps in the begining of taking them. I no longer take any I am going for a 2nd opinion.

Prednisone and Dieting
 

Hi everyone,

I'm new to this site. I just found it two days ago. I've only been on Prednisone for two weeks for Sarcoidosis. Since I didn't want to gain weight, my doctor told me to get on a low-carb diet. I did. I researched many books from the library and found one that helped me decide how I can keep from eating sugar and salt. The book is entitled, Living the Low Carb Life, by Jonny Bowden, M.A., C.N.S. The foreword is by Barry Sears, Ph.D., the author of The Zone. It helped me decide how to proceed with controlling and losing weight. I can't say how much I've lost so far, but I don't feel any water retention or feel as though I'm eating too much sugar.

From perusing this book, I looked at Ultra-Metabolism by Mark Hyman, M.D., Syndromew by Marriette R. Mogul, M.D. and a few other diet books. Do some research. You'll find what is right for you.

Good luck,
SFDora

I was started on Prednisone a week ago for a bulging cervical disc. I am drinking lots of water and have lost weight so far but my appetite has not been good. They started me on 60mg and they are tapering it down. Thank goodness nasty stuff.I'm on 40mg right now.

I'm glad to hear that others are losing weight on prednisone. I've been very discouraged because I've been following a low carb diet and I"m gaining weight still. How low did you all have to go to lose? I'm keeping it under 40 grams per day.
Thank you

Prednisone and Weight Loss
 

Reply to Padame,

I try to keep my carbs down below 54 carbs per day. It's hard to do since I need to eat a banana everyday due to my blood pressure medications. However since I've been on this low carb diet, my blood pressure has been an average of 100/70. I hardly eat eggs. I eat more tofu than I can stand. I eat tons of vegies and fruit. I exercise daily in and out of the house. Everyone is different. So is everyone's metabolism.

Maybe you need to reevaluate what you are eating. Have you tried researching through some low carb diet books? Maybe check out your local library. There are so many reason why you may be gaining weight. It also depends on medications you are on. That's just a guess.

SFDora

Low Carb diet and Prednisone
 

Hi everyone,

I went to the doctor Monday. I weighted in at 167. I lost 9 lbs! My feet, knees, or back doesn't hurt anymore. That could be because of the Prednisone, too.

I've not eaten any bread, rice, white potatoes, snack foods. For breakfast, I'm eating tofu or fat free cholestrerol-free eggs (most of the time). I eat this with vegies of every type. I don't eat cereal of any kind. My doctor said if I eat wheat, I will gain weight. I also don't eat salt or sugar, except some honey in my tea. Lunch is usually salmon, shrimp, or chicken with vegies. Dinner is more of the same. I use a lot of variety with my vegetables in the evening. I find that I get full eating 3 or 4 vegies during the meal. I drink water, water, water, and more water. That is my diet so far. I try to stay away from orange juice because it's has too much acid for me and I fear oral thrush.

I hope that helps whoever asked about diet.

SFDora

Thank you for all of the information. I have been on and off Prednisone for years, I especially love the moon face and hump on my back!!:devil: This time no weight gain!!!! I eat fruit instead of chocolate and salt... at least on my good days. Keep up the hard work!

Near and Dear.
 

:dz: :stress: :tantrum: :tantrum: Dear All,
Boy, am I glad that I found this forum! That question is one I've been struggling with for years now. I gained about 100 lbs. while on significant doses of the stuff. After the doses were finally dropped down to around 5mg. or so, I lost about 25lbs. right off the bat. But the rest? Stuck on me like superglue!

I spoke with a doctor about my current frustration level---which has been fairly high lately, and this is what he said: "Yeah, the body can be pretty stubborn when it comes to losing the fatstores that come with the prednisone. There's not a whole lot we can do about that now. Maybe surgery. . .":mad: :devil: :?::tantrum: :stress: :hot: Gee, he could have mentioned that EARLIER.

I personally have been about ready to give up on it all, but. . . what the heck?! I'll give it another go ahead. Some people do have the ability to lose the weight afterwards, but it's pretty tough.

Peace All,
the DragonLady

still losing, slowly but surely
 

down 18 pounds since January 20. Still on the prednisone and the Humira and the Naproxen. I am looking forward to ONEderland!!! ;)

Teresa

Im on prednisone also and gained weight
 

I love that I found this thread. I have gained about 11 lbs since being on that med. I have been diagnosed with Rhuematoid arthritis and am also on Methatrexate. My prednisone is being tampered off and I am taking 15 mgs then 10 next week. Is it still possible to lose weight instead of gaining and is the low carb diet the best to combat this? Any and all advice is most welcome.

yep- I have been on predy several times. Usually for 6-8 weeks at a time. I sually gain about 20lbs when all is said and done. Last time I "only" gained 10 but for the first half I was following the Carb Addicts Diet- I think when you are on steroids especially you really have to limit the carbs or you will crave like there is no tomorrow.
I mean, pred encourages weight gain by screwing up insulin levels so the only other way to control it is to have very low carbs :)
You guys are right- it IS the devil. I especially love the buffalo hump, moon face, restless legs, spacey brain and insomnia. Oh yeah, and eating like a horse! I usually eat about a third of what my dh eats, on pred I can beat him in an eating contest! lol

The low carb diet is essential. I'm not sure if I have it exactly right but I think that the effects of the prednisone don't allow your body to build muscle normally. So to counteract that you need to supplement with protien - so, a low carb, high low-fat protien(chicken breast, egg whites, many fish, etc.) is where it's at. Good luck to you.;)

But what if you can't do low carb because of kidney problems? I've been on prednisone for almost 2 yr and I'm still struggling to lose weight. I've had to increase the dose lately, too.

You may want to ask your doctor about the South Beach program, and how few carbs are "safe." I eat around 100 g of carbs a day, and the carbs I pick are the "good" carbs South Beach talks of - whole grains like brown rice, quinoa, non-instant oatmeal, whole wheat... This has really helped me with cravings and such on and off prednisone and other steroids.

Predisone the drug I love to hate. This drug has put me through the ringer. I started 5 months ago for acute renal failure @ 80mg a day along with about 10 other meds. The effect on my body was not pleasant. I had to take med leave of absence from work it was so bad. Pains, aches, sleeplessness nights, tongue sores, acne...the only good thing was I lost about 30lbs.
Now my doctor has started weaning me off the meds...all the weight they said I would gain is coming. I have the moon face, fat is just went straight to my belly(pants that fit last week are now snug). I've gained about 13lbs.
I'm trying to do everything just to maintain that gainage. I hope once I'm at lower doses that the weight will come back off. Right now I'm doing 30mg a every other day than next week will be 20mg every other day .....
What I find frustrating is that since I have renal failure I've been told to have a low protein and high carb diet. Most foods that would be good for me to eat are off limits to me such as spincach, broccoli, and a host of other foods..while foods you normally wouldn't not be told to eat is exactly what i'm being told to eat...lots of pasta, bread,and only 3 ounces of lean protein a day.
I have to tell you. Predisone in my experience is ****. I dont really know if I knew then what I know now if I would have allowed myself to take this medication, but when your choices are drugs or dialysis....I think I have experienced every side effect this drug has with the exception of hallucinations and depression(which if this weight keeps goind up may change).
Does anyone know once your off the drug how long it takes for the moon face to go away or when the weight loss melts away.

I'm still on it after over 2yr. I don't notice the moon face as much anymore but I still have weight to lose. My problem is sarciodosis(lungs), high blood calcium and the resulting kidney damage. My doctor told me I would need it for life. I went up in dose earlier this summer and am afraid I will have to go up again. Sure wish there was another way.

Prednisone and the Holidays
 

Hi-

I am really glad I found this forum. I had been "trying" to lose weight for a long time now. I was diagnosed with pemphigus vulgaris an autoimmune disorder in 2005. Off and on meds til this last flare put me back on prednisone for couple of months now and the weight gain is too much. The side effects are staggering and I am now being forced to finally deal with my weight.

I am also taking imuran and immunosuppressant and caught a cold. Down to 25mg pred now from 80 flare this past August. At first doing ok cause I could work out, but due to the cold I was floored and just had to sleep and couldnt exercise. I gained like 20 pounds! I'm now at 148 but am used to and feel most healthy and beautiful at 125.

It took a while to do all this signing up with fitday, 3fc blogs and on the forums- but I need to begin understanding the numbers part and monitoring more. Sodium blew me up like a puffer fish and moon face got me too. I have managed to fight the acne this time- anyone interested in the products I use (combination of prescription and healthfoodstore natural cream) email me personally. I use Nu-Salt in place of salt. I drink tons of water a day and have to take naps, multi-vitamins/herbal supplements to deal with all theside effects.

I was starting to look like a linebacker and getting that hump in my back- really scary along with the moon face. With the holidays coming up and family- I am determined to not be so bloated and not to eat and gain.

I work out with the original old Firm tapes and think now I have to do this everyday. I worked out yesterday and my body wasnt so swollen and puffed up looking- what a relief!

Everyone stay strong and keep at it- have a wonderful holiday- off to work out now...

I was put on prednisone briefly this past spring because they thought I had ITP. My platelets are almost dangerously low and the doctors were convinced I had ITP so they wanted to put me on a much larger dose for two months. I argued that I was almost certain that what I have is not ITP and insisted on further testing. The subsequent testing determined that I did in fact not have ITP at all. That made me angry. They were more than willing to subject me to two months of that **** and then, when that showed no improvement, they were going to remove my spleen. Nice.

The two weeks I spent on the prednisone was enough for me, thanks. Insomnia and an appetite that increased threefold were not things I was happy about. Thankfully I wasn't on it long enough to get the moon face and the other niceties that seem to accompany prednisone use.

So here I am eight months later, test after test (cat scans, two bone marrow biopsies, IGIV infusions, etc.,) and they still have no clue why my platelets are so low. I have noticed that since I started eating right and working out everyday that my count seems to hover above the danger zone where they are forced to give me platelet infusions.

I just hope they can get it together and figure out what's wrong with me before it kills me. Seriously.

KJ

Originally Posted by :
Boy, am I glad that I found this forum! That question is one I've been struggling with for years now. I gained about 100 lbs. while on significant doses of the stuff. After the doses were finally dropped down to around 5mg. or so, I lost about 25lbs. right off the bat. But the rest? Stuck on me like superglue!

Same here. I went without weighing/being weighed for a long time, and found that I went from 145 lbs to 210 in a matter of months. No wonder my back hurts. And it's in weird places. My pants size at 145 was 9, and a few years earlier, not on prednisone, I weighed 165 and wore a size 14. Strangely, at 210 I wear smaller pants than I wore at 165 lbs (size 12)! That's because it's all in my middle/face/back I suppose. Moon face like you wouldn't believe. I scream and run when I see a camera. "Buffalo hump" and distended stomach. Of course a bit in my legs and arms, but apparently not much. Oh, and my boobs have gotten HUGE. Probably contributes to the back pain but it disturbs me a lot less than the buffalo hump. ^_^

It really depressed me a lot because I had been jogging and lifting and exercising a lot,and at 145 I was in the best health of my life. A year and a half later, I'm in the worst health of my life. I used to be able to eat anything, but I'm starting to watch everything now that I'm still on prednisone. It also messes with my moods, disorders my thoughts, and kills any semblance of willpower I might have. Without it, I have no problem eating well and exercising and so on, but even if I were not on it anymore I've gained so much that it's a huge problem now. People don't even recognize me anymore. Heck, I don't recognize me... For now I'm still taking walks as much as possible (can't run or walk too much due to back pains from weight gain), lifting weights, and just as importantly, weaning myself off soft drinks (which I used to be able to drink without gaining weight) by drinking stuff like crystal light, green tea, and water.

Originally Posted by :
I was starting to look like a linebacker and getting that hump in my back- really scary along with the moon face.

Yeah, it's awful. And I crave sodium, which needs to stop. Well, I need to stop giving in to the cravings, anyway.

But anyway, good luck to anyone else trying to lose it. I'll be watching my carbs and sodium. [*sigh*]

I wish more people would post more often on this subject. We just need a lot of encouragement. I'm hungry it seems all the time when I have to go up in dosage. And doctors aren't much help, especially if they are thin themselves. They have no idea.

Yeah, I can't tell you how many times I've searched the internet for info on "weight loss + prednisone" =0(

on a positive note, though I haven't been near a scale in a few weeks, I have totally eliminated excess sugars from my diet (I craved soda like mad) and trying to watch the sodium, and I have a lot less bloating and my double-chin, which appeared suddenly out of nowhere, has almost disappeared, which means it was probably mostly water anyway. At any rate, glad to be rid of it. The belly is gonna take some real work though...

Cutting out sugar has helped me with my hunger, and I know as well as anyone the constant hunger that prednisone causes, so I imagine it might have something to do with insulin levels and so on as well making me crave more and more sugary things. I know water is best, but it's too big a leap for me right now to just drink plain old water so I've switched to crystal lite and stuff like that, calorie-free and sometimes they have vitamins in them too.

I just tried a 2 day Atkins Fat fast and feel awful. I'm trying to find something to diminish the hunger.

sucks that you feel awful. since trying to cut carbs i have absolutely no energy and just want to sleep or mope around all day long. argh.

I really did get the REAL flu. MY DD and DH had is before me. Only good thing is you don't feel like eating!

I was so glad to find this post. I was diagnosed with infiltrative lung disease in Nov. and have been on high dose Prednisone since. I work out two hours a day and keep my calories under 1800 but my weight is starting to creep up. I was becoming terrified to eat. I'm going to try the low carb diet, I just have a question, I don't really like meat that much, don't eat eggs, what else counts as protein?

I really like soy milk and soy products. But some people don't. Beans are good, too. I've been on prednisone for amost 3 yr. and slowly have lost 20lb with 40 to go.

I have just recently been diagnosed with sarcoidosis. I haven't been given prednisone yet but I am sure that will be the medicdation of choice when I go to the pulmonologist. I have lost 30 lbs because of this illness but it appears i will be putting it back on plus some in no time. My concern is the effect it has on your glucose levels. Has anyone developed type II diabetes while on prednisone? It looks like I will have to look into low carb, exercise and ALOT of will power. I need to feel better first. Any one else with sarcoidosis that can enlighten me to my fate?

I've had saricoidosis for 30 yr. and ignored it for 25. Now I have been taking prednisone for amost 3 yr. I sure wish they would give you more advice about diet when they put you on it long term. I'm very thankful that so far I have not had diabetes and I don't follow a low carb diet because of kidney problems from high blood calcium.

Originally Posted by jean1960:
My concern is the effect it has on your glucose levels. Has anyone developed type II diabetes while on prednisone? It looks like I will have to look into low carb, exercise and ALOT of will power.?

That's not why I was put on it, but I'm still on it and finally starting to lose. All I can say is pay attention to your sugar intake especially, because sugar tends to be associated with midsection weight gain, and prednisone encourages weight gain around the midsection, therefore you need to watch the carbs. I gained 9 inches in my waist on prednisone in less than a year! I've read that it can encourage type 2 diabetes also, so that's another reason to watch things. And I found that I craved sugar like mad, though since january I've cut out all added sugar, regular soda, fruit juice, cookies,cakes, and so on. prednisone is the reason i'm on this board, i was never overweight before it. I'm not sure if it directly affects glucose levels, I think I've read that it does, but I can just say to be careful with your carbs. Also it can make you feel hungry constantly. like a bottomless pit, though I've found it's better when I'm closely watching my carbs, eating more vegetables and lean proteins, etc. It's supposed to also cause muscle atrophy so lifting weights to avoid this is good. My back muscles got very weak for a time until I started lifting and exercising again.