Being put on Prednisone

eep223
eep223 Posts: 624 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
It's only for a week or so, to help manage an inflammatory problem, but I'm nervous about the weight gain and bloating. I've never been on it before. Can anyone speak to your experience? If I continue to count my calories, exercise, and drink plenty of water, I should be fine, right?

Replies

  • jme6976
    jme6976 Posts: 49 Member
    Yes lots of water and be aware that it can affect your mood. It makes me super irritable! I hate the stuff but sometimes the only think that works
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    I've taken it a number of times. It makes me SUPER SUPER cranky. I've never noticed weight gain from it though, although that is a known side effect. The longest I've been on it was 21 days.
  • allisonrinkel
    allisonrinkel Posts: 224 Member
    If it's short term, you *likely* will not put on any weight. Long term users gain, but it's not usually tons of weight. Best of luck!!
  • eep223
    eep223 Posts: 624 Member
    Thanks, folks!
  • Shellyyy7928
    Shellyyy7928 Posts: 78 Member
    I was on 50mg for 5 days - it sucked. Super hungry and super cranky. But I found that I had so much energy! So I was able to do a lot more excersize than I usually would. I did gain 3.5 pounds, but 2 weeks after I was down 4 so it evened out.
  • Akimajuktuq
    Akimajuktuq Posts: 3,037 Member
    It's only a week. I was misdiagnosed with asthma and was given prednisone (wish I'd known then what I know now...). I remember feeling a bit more energetic but that's about it.

    However, did you know that diet can resolve health problems? Better than drugs. True story.
  • lcfairbairn74
    lcfairbairn74 Posts: 412 Member
    I put on a lot of weight with Prednisone but I don't think you will.

    Firstly, you are only on it for a week. So it's short term and shouldn't be an issue.

    Secondly, the main reason people put on weight with steroids is because they increase your hunger. To stupid levels! Now, you are tracking your food so you will be aware of what you are eating, so this shouldn't be too much of an issue.

    Whenever I was on Prednisone, I also had a tendency to retain water, so if you do notice a shift on the scales, it may be this. Give it a week - mine was usually gone by then!

    We are all different, but that was my experience on them!
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    For a short term like that, anything you might see will be water weight and temporary.

    It can cause increased thirst and urination, so be ready for that. It can cause mood swings. For me, that swing only went up. I felt AMAZING on pred. Within a half hour of taking it, I'd be smiling like the Cheshire Cat. Not high or loopy, just happy. Euphoric. I loved it. :laugh:
  • godds6
    godds6 Posts: 22
    I agree with everyone... as long as you are conscious of what you are eating and don't let the extreme hunger/munchies it can cause interfere, you should be fine. But like everyone else said, watch out for the moodiness. My husband doesn't like me very much when I'm on prednisone, especially when it's long term ;)
  • runzalot81
    runzalot81 Posts: 782 Member
    You'll be fine. I had to do it for a week or so because my asthma was getting out of control. During that time, I often found myself at the gym at 4 am because I was so wired! :glasses:
  • melissarina
    melissarina Posts: 113 Member
    I've been on it short term twice (for asthma). Didn't notice any side effects from taking it. Not sure about weight gain, because I couldn't go back to the gym until I got my asthma under control - if I had any weight gain, it was probably minor, and probably due to my lack of exercise (I was pretty much couch-bound).

    All the best for you :) Hopefully you won't be on it for long.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    You will probably gain. I was at my highest last December after being on it for a week. I had a doctor appointment and got totally shocked by the number of the scale. But you'll lose the weight very easily too... Seriously I lost 5 lbs over the Holidays while eating like a total pig, before starting my weight loss process, so I'm guessing it was all steroids weight.
  • eep223
    eep223 Posts: 624 Member
    It's only a week. I was misdiagnosed with asthma and was given prednisone (wish I'd known then what I know now...). I remember feeling a bit more energetic but that's about it.

    However, did you know that diet can resolve health problems? Better than drugs. True story.

    I obviously wouldn't be on this site if I wasn't focused on healthy diet already, but thank you for your concern. I think I'll stick to the advice of my doctor until I get my test results back and go from there.
  • trinity9058
    trinity9058 Posts: 149 Member
    I take when I have a lupus flare coming on and it hasn't caused me to gain weight but my doctor told me to stay away from sugar and simple carbs while I was taking it so I did. I felt pretty good on it too. I only take it for five days at a time though.
  • agirlscamaro
    agirlscamaro Posts: 175 Member
    I have to take this every so often when I get a bad case of poison ivy. I hate the stuff personally but it does work. I had a steroid shot this weekend and gained 4lbs in 2 days. I took a fluid pill and stayed near a bathroom in addition to drinking a lot of water. I lost the pounds so it's all good. So maybe asking your doctor for a fluid pill might be an option but I don't know how that might impact your condition/health.

    I hope you feel better.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member


    However, did you know that diet can resolve health problems? Better than drugs. True story.

    For what it's worth, my asthma is allergy based. No diet or exercise is going to solve that.

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