Prednisone and weight gain?!

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tdemiter
tdemiter Posts: 45 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
On Friday I was prescribed an antibiotic and prednisone for a severe sinus infection. I have taken this antibiotic before. But not prednisone. It is a 12 day dosage, starting off with 60 mg per day and ends with 40 mg a day. Since my last weigh in on Thursday morning, I have gained 7 pounds!

I read online that while taking prednisone one can retain a lot of water. Has anyone experienced this before? How can you combat the weight gain? How long is the medicine in your system? Does the weight come off afterwards?! I still have 7 days left!!!! :-/

Thanks!

Replies

  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    prednisone can cause weight gain...if it's rapid then you should call your doctor as you may be having an alergic reaction to it...but water weight gain is normal. When you stop taking it, the water will get flushed..it's just water, it's not fat so don't stress about it. I'm on it right now and put on about 7 Lbs of water in just about a week. It can also increase appetite so you have to be careful there, but if you're staying in your calories, then it's all water retention.
  • micheleb15
    micheleb15 Posts: 1,418 Member
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    Have you logged the entire time you have been on Prednisone? As long as you have not eaten more than usual, it most likely is water and will come off when you stop. I have taken it before a few times and never had any issues with it. I figured it took longer than 12 days to affect my body.

    Also, have you changed anything else? Different workouts, time of the month is coming soon? Could be a number of factors other than just the Prednisone.
  • lucan07
    lucan07 Posts: 509
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    The prednisone you are on is a low dose and would not be the cause so quickly so for a week or two I would not worry I was on it for years at 4-5 x that dose.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    The prednisone you are on is a low dose and would not be the cause so quickly so for a week or two I would not worry I was on it for years at 4-5 x that dose.

    ^^also this...I didn't really pay attention to your dosage OP.
  • tdemiter
    tdemiter Posts: 45 Member
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    Ok, thanks! I haven't changed my workout that much. Still walking like the past couple of weeks because of being sick. And my food intake hasn't been less because of being sick. I feel and look very bloated.

    I understand that weight fluctuates a couple of pounds from day to day....but 7 pounds? I'll just avoid the scale for a couple of weeks. lol
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    You'll lose it. I gained 5 lbs on it last time (in December) and a month later I was 5 lbs lighter after eating horribly during the Holidays (I didn't have a scale so didn't weigh myself in the meantime).
  • _liftnlove
    _liftnlove Posts: 194
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    The prednisone you are on is a low dose and would not be the cause so quickly so for a week or two I would not worry I was on it for years at 4-5 x that dose.

    I disagree. Medications affect everyone differently. I was on a similar dosage and gained 8 lbs in 6 days, and I can assure you it was NOT my diet. As soon as I stopped the medication it came right off though. It is just water weight..finish the meds and don't stress too much. :)
  • Mini_horse_lover
    Mini_horse_lover Posts: 178 Member
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    When I was young (7) I was put on 80mg of Pred a day due to a liver problem and put on 30kgs in a year.
    You will notice some weight gain but if you keep eating healthy/exercising often you should be fine. :)
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    When I was young (7) I was put on 80mg of Pred a day due to a liver problem and put on 30kgs in a year.
    You will notice some weight gain but if you keep eating healthy/exercising often you should be fine. :)
    Prednisone is a steroid, and long term use can cause steady weight gain. That said, the OP is likely doing the dose pack that starts off with a higher dose and then weans off over time. This short term use and rapid weight gain is likely just water and will drop off easily.
  • tdemiter
    tdemiter Posts: 45 Member
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    When I was young (7) I was put on 80mg of Pred a day due to a liver problem and put on 30kgs in a year.
    You will notice some weight gain but if you keep eating healthy/exercising often you should be fine. :)
    Prednisone is a steroid, and long term use can cause steady weight gain. That said, the OP is likely doing the dose pack that starts off with a higher dose and then weans off over time. This short term use and rapid weight gain is likely just water and will drop off easily.

    Thanks!
  • tdemiter
    tdemiter Posts: 45 Member
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    The prednisone you are on is a low dose and would not be the cause so quickly so for a week or two I would not worry I was on it for years at 4-5 x that dose.

    I disagree. Medications affect everyone differently. I was on a similar dosage and gained 8 lbs in 6 days, and I can assure you it was NOT my diet. As soon as I stopped the medication it came right off though. It is just water weight..finish the meds and don't stress too much. :)


    Thanks...I hope it melts off! I am watching my sodium intake and eating more potassium!
  • MrGonzo05
    MrGonzo05 Posts: 1,120 Member
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    Just don't use it as an excuse to overeat. Even if you do, 12 days will be recoverable, even if you spend it gobbling cheesecake like Pac Man.
  • 6550mom
    6550mom Posts: 206 Member
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    When I was young (7) I was put on 80mg of Pred a day due to a liver problem and put on 30kgs in a year.
    You will notice some weight gain but if you keep eating healthy/exercising often you should be fine. :)
    Prednisone is a steroid, and long term use can cause steady weight gain. That said, the OP is likely doing the dose pack that starts off with a higher dose and then weans off over time. This short term use and rapid weight gain is likely just water and will drop off easily.


    Yep, likely water weight and will come off after a low-dose, short-course. Might take a week after you stop, or will start coming off as you continue to taper the medicine.

    I was also on prednisone- mega doses for years. I worked out 2x per day to only gain 25 pounds a year (average gain is 2X that, apparently). I still have half of the weight to lose that I gained on it. But, it didn't happen with short courses- took years.
  • ninerbuff
    ninerbuff Posts: 48,692 Member
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    Corticosteroids side effects include water retention. It's needed for repair of tissue.

    A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
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    Been in fitness industry for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
  • wildbutterfly777
    wildbutterfly777 Posts: 17 Member
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    Wow, you asked the exact same question that's been bothering me for a couple of days! Severe sinus infection, antibiotics and Prednisone for 10 days. I feel like crap and can't work out, my usual workout, because my head feels like it's going to explode when I bend over. I was stupid and weighed myself this morning only to find that I have gained 5 pounds in a week. Yay! Well that's just great! After reading the replies I am desperately hoping this is water. I haven't been tracking anything but the cold meds, antibiotics and steroid have done a number on my stomach and I haven't been super hungry so I don't think I have been overeating. I'm going to attempt the workout again today and see if I can suffer through it. This sucks, I'd rather have the 72 hour flu and be done with it!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    I read online that while taking prednisone one can retain a lot of water. Has anyone experienced this before? How can you combat the weight gain? How long is the medicine in your system? Does the weight come off afterwards?! I still have 7 days left!!!! :-/

    Thanks!

    Oh yes!! It made me blow up like a water baloon. I don't know how to combat it, but it did go away pretty quickly after I stopped taking it.
  • Justwatchmerun
    Justwatchmerun Posts: 21 Member
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    It can definitely cause water retention and weight gain (mainly due to increased appetite), but as you're only on it 12 days I wouldn't worry :) I've been on it for 8 years, and once I wasn't on really high doses I stopped gaining weight from it, so you'll be fine as you're stopping soon :)
  • uchuha
    uchuha Posts: 2 Member
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    I completely agree with Justwatchmerun. I've been on it for two years now, and yes, it certainly has changed my calorie math, but that doesn't mean it can't be controlled.

    I started out at 87kg, and lost 6kg over the first month (this was on a very high dose 80mg/day). Then I slowly started putting the weight on again, until about 15 months in (February) when I weighed 90.5 kg. Then I doubled-down on cycling and training (~2hours per day) and was able to loose 4kg which put me a little under where I started.

    Anyhow, the last few months have been a little stressful, and involved a trip to see family in the US so I was back up to 93 last week. I've gotten serious about counting and exercising again now, so hopefully that won't last for very long.

    The long and the short of it is that as Justwatchmerun points out the weight gain is really only with chronic use, and you can beat it.
  • hoyalawya2003
    hoyalawya2003 Posts: 631 Member
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    I was put on it while pregnant. I had gestational diabetes, and it made by blood sugar levels go crazy, so I would think it would affect weight as well. Just keep on keepin on, and realize that your WIs while on it have an *

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