Hopped up on prednisone and puffing up quickly!

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He1loKitty
He1loKitty Posts: 212 Member
in Motivation and Support
Has anyone else been prescribed prednisone and gained a bunch of weight? I'm battling a severe allergic reaction and my doctor prescribed prednisone. It's helping but I'm already bloated and puffy!! Does it get any better?

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  • lizzybathory
    lizzybathory Posts: 229
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    Ugh, I hate Prednisone. I've only ever taken it short term, for a severe allergic reaction. The reaction was gone within a week, but it took a few weeks to get off the Prednisone.

    I don't have advice, but I do have sympathy. Hate that stuff. I hope you don't have to be on it for long!
  • He1loKitty
    He1loKitty Posts: 212 Member
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    Thank you! I won't be on it for too long and I'll just view it as a bump in the road. Thanks for the sympathy. :smile:
  • stillhere1981
    stillhere1981 Posts: 119 Member
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    Steroids always make me gain weight too. Hang in there!
  • mimismommy11
    mimismommy11 Posts: 80 Member
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    I just completed a short course of prednisone for the first time in my life and gained almost 7 pounds pretty quick. After I quit taking it, I lost everything I had gained in less than a week. Prednisone sucks, but it sure did make me feel better. Hope the side effects are short lived for you. :flowerforyou:
  • oneloopygirl
    oneloopygirl Posts: 151 Member
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    It should be temporary (the puffiness and bloated) as long as you don't give in to the other nasty side effect of prednisone - increased appetite. Nasty little meds. Sometimes necessary, but the side effects are terrible.
  • Legs_McGee
    Legs_McGee Posts: 845 Member
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    I took a high dose of prednisone for a few months in college to help with an autoimmune disorder (Immune thrombocytopenic purpura). I was very thin and trying to gain weight, so I don't know how much of it was prednisone related - I do remember having a lot of puffiness, especially on my face. It went away as soon as I stopped taking it.
  • nomorecakeKP
    nomorecakeKP Posts: 13 Member
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    I can relate. I've been on Prednisone since 2005 for lupus. It's a real obstacle when it comes to weight loss. I've found I can't lose no matter how hard I try until I get below 20 mg a day. If your dosage is short-term you'll be fine once you stop taking it.
  • He1loKitty
    He1loKitty Posts: 212 Member
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    Thank you everyone for the support. My appetite is out of control and working out seems more difficult, but it's temporary so I won't sweat it. Nomorecakekp, I hope you find the right balance between managing your lupus and meeting your fitness goals. :flowerforyou:
  • marvybells
    marvybells Posts: 1,984 Member
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    i am currently trying to get off prednisone. i took 60 mg (20 mg, 3x's a day) after taking it for only about a week but the week prior had taken a medrol pack so it has been in my system for at least two weeks. my doc insists that i can taper down one whole pill at a time, but i am having a really rough time. i don't have any puffiness or bloating yet but i do have weird cravings for sugar & salt. and am having other horrible side effects. chest pain, sweating, headaches, feelings of muscle weakness. it is horrible. i don't know how anyone can tolerate this drug.
  • xMermaidx
    xMermaidx Posts: 142 Member
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    I've just stopped taking it two days ago, just short of four months on it, started off on 60mg. I had episodes of insane hunger from hell and just went through two weeks of being totally careless. I've turned it around this week but still dealing with the damage I caused.
  • kimerz7
    kimerz7 Posts: 16 Member
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    It really is a miserable drug. I've also just finished a round of it two days ago. I started at 40 mg tapered off over 8 weeks. Unfortunately, I also did an 8 week cycle about 3 weeks before the second one started. My symptoms (Crohn's disease) start back up again as soon as I stop but prednisone is so bad for you! I gained over 20lbs during the last 4 months and had the uncontrollable hunger. I'm a little worried about your chest pain and other symptoms. You might want to place a call to your doctor's nurse just to make sure those are okay side effects. It can really wreak havoc on your body.
  • whiskeypony
    whiskeypony Posts: 4 Member
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    it does get better - although I still have a decent buffalo hump on my shoulders from a 3 year stint of prednisone from seven years ago. The moon face dissolved pretty quickly, though.

    I've found that drinking an abnormal amount of water - like two gallons a day - helped keep the weight loss away the last time I had to take it.

    Good luck!

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