Prednisone/illness

DanniB423
DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
edited November 20 in Health and Weight Loss
I have an ear infection and the doctor gave me azithromycin which did not cure it. Today she gave me amoxicillin and prednisone and is confident it will do the trick. I read that a steroid can make you super hungry( or feel hungry) and retain water. I'm going to resist weighing in next week so I do not get discouraged and wait until it any extra weight falls off the next week. Anyone else had experiences?

Replies

  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    I was on prednisone last week for five days. I continued at my rate of 1 lbs/week loss. Did not retain Any water or feel hungrier. Maybe longer periods of time cause those symptoms
  • gainthatmuscle
    gainthatmuscle Posts: 50 Member
    I have not had that experience. hope you get better.
  • Queenmunchy
    Queenmunchy Posts: 3,380 Member
    Prednisone made me not eat or sleep for a week and want to constantly run laps. It's cocaine, I swear!
  • Vune
    Vune Posts: 674 Member
    I was on prednisone for a year. I didn't gain more than two pounds, but I got the puffy moon face.
  • slaite1
    slaite1 Posts: 1,307 Member
    Just remembered I did have to pee CONSTANTLY. And I'm someone that is in the bathroom every half hour as it is. I was waking up multiple times to go.
  • discretekim
    discretekim Posts: 314 Member
    Yeah it gave me energy when I took it too.
  • DanniB423
    DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
    Thanks for the input guys:)
  • DanniB423
    DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
    I'll be on it for 10 days.
  • blondx7
    blondx7 Posts: 1,683 Member
    I was on an extremely high dose of prednisone for a month or two when I was sick in high school. Like, hundreds of mgs. I couldn't walk before the prednisone. I gained 40 pounds in 1.5 months. Look on the bright side sweetness, it could be so much worse.
  • blondx7
    blondx7 Posts: 1,683 Member
    Also, I only slept every other night at the time. But like I said, super high dosage. They gave me the first one through an IV.
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    I was on Prednisone and gained my weight in that time....
    Now there were two factors playing in that time

    I had an increased appetite because of the Prednisone
    I was totally sedentary from one day to another because i was injured.
    And i was depressed/mad/bored as hell so i ate what i could eat.

    So my weight gain was because eating surplus!

    So dont give in you will gain weight...not the prednisone makes you gain weight but the eating because of your giving into your increased appetite
  • ALovelyChange
    ALovelyChange Posts: 21 Member
    I basically lived on prednisone as a toddler and without a doubt I've always been over weight.

    I have a ear problem as well and was prescribed the awful drug today AS WELL as a water pill/blood pressure pill. I was advised to keep my sodium under 2000mg a day and to increase my potassium to 3000mg a day.

    Everyone is different on this drug, so perhaps if you are uncomfortable with the drug you should speak to your doctor or a dietitian.

    Best of luck :)
  • DanniB423
    DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
    edited June 2015
    blondx7 wrote: »
    I was on an extremely high dose of prednisone for a month or two when I was sick in high school. Like, hundreds of mgs. I couldn't walk before the prednisone. I gained 40 pounds in 1.5 months. Look on the bright side sweetness, it could be so much worse.

    You are so right. I am glad you are better. I was not trying to be dramatic over a 10 day dose. I know it could be so much worse and I am grateful. But when my doc said it I was like ah that is the one that makes you bloated and all wonky! Lol. And after barely losing after trying hard this week on the other meds I was just feeling down. Thanks!
  • DanniB423
    DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
    ALovelyChange wrote: »
    I basically lived on prednisone as a toddler and without a doubt I've always been over weight.

    I have a ear problem as well and was prescribed the awful drug today AS WELL as a water pill/blood pressure pill. I was advised to keep my sodium under 2000mg a day and to increase my potassium to 3000mg a day.

    Everyone is different on this drug, so perhaps if you are uncomfortable with the drug you should speak to your doctor or a dietitian.

    Best of luck :)

    Thank you! Good luck to you as well.
  • DanniB423
    DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
    TheOwlhouseDesigns wrote: »
    I was on Prednisone and gained my weight in that time....
    Now there were two factors playing in that time

    I had an increased appetite because of the Prednisone
    I was totally sedentary from one day to another because i was injured.
    And i was depressed/mad/bored as hell so i ate what i could eat.

    So my weight gain was because eating surplus!

    So dont give in you will gain weight...not the prednisone makes you gain weight but the eating because of your giving into your increased appetite

    I will be strong against the urges! Thanks for the tips:)
  • ljk0615
    ljk0615 Posts: 160 Member
    I was on it for five days a few weeks ago and I did feel bloated and I did retain some water. Took a hot minute for it to go away too.
  • DanniB423
    DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
    ljk0615 wrote: »
    I was on it for five days a few weeks ago and I did feel bloated and I did retain some water. Took a hot minute for it to go away too.
    This is my assumption for what may happen. I am not stepping on the scale for two weeks. Lol
  • Angiefit4life
    Angiefit4life Posts: 210 Member
    I have an autoimmune disease and was on 80mg for 6 months. Had moon face and all. Just watched what you eat (all in moderation) and get better soon.
  • actuallyalanafit
    actuallyalanafit Posts: 1 Member
    ljk0615 wrote: »
    I was on it for five days a few weeks ago and I did feel bloated and I did retain some water. Took a hot minute for it to go away too.

    Yep, me too. Just came off my last dose. Totally bloated and causes insomnia and leg cramping for me. Weirdness.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,985 Member
    Prednisone for an eat infection? Unless it's more than an ear infection I must say this is really similar to chasing sparrows aray with cannons :o Did your doctor test at all if it's a bacterial infection before giving you antibiotica? Quite often, those can be viral, and then all the antiotics don't help at all. But back to pred: I'm just shaking my head about this! I was on it for just 5 days when I had an asthma attack which refused to get better. I didn't know what it was as I felt too sick to do research. When I stopped I felt completely confused, scared, shaky, as if I was standing next to myself for three days. Nobody warned me of that! If your doctor is throwing seemingly random medication at you then maybe it's time to look for someone else.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    DanniB423 wrote: »
    I have an ear infection and the doctor gave me azithromycin which did not cure it. Today she gave me amoxicillin and prednisone and is confident it will do the trick. I read that a steroid can make you super hungry( or feel hungry) and retain water. I'm going to resist weighing in next week so I do not get discouraged and wait until it any extra weight falls off the next week. Anyone else had experiences?

    Hang in there and do what you doctor says. Ear infections can be nasty too, so take care of yourself.

    This too shall pass. :)
  • BrianaDuBois
    BrianaDuBois Posts: 48 Member
    Pred can cause increased hunger, thirst and urination. All are common side effects of the med. There might be a red sticker on the bottle with that information depending on who your pharmacist is or what sort of policies they use for making important information very clear.
    Thankfully, it's given in short courses and you'll likely notice the dose is tapered (ie. Take two a day for three days then one a day for two days then a half for two days) so you're weaned off of it.
    Don't worry about it too much. It's a short course and it'll be over soon.
  • DanniB423
    DanniB423 Posts: 777 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    Prednisone for an eat infection? Unless it's more than an ear infection I must say this is really similar to chasing sparrows aray with cannons :o Did your doctor test at all if it's a bacterial infection before giving you antibiotica? Quite often, those can be viral, and then all the antiotics don't help at all. But back to pred: I'm just shaking my head about this! I was on it for just 5 days when I had an asthma attack which refused to get better. I didn't know what it was as I felt too sick to do research. When I stopped I felt completely confused, scared, shaky, as if I was standing next to myself for three days. Nobody warned me of that! If your doctor is throwing seemingly random medication at you then maybe it's time to look for someone else.
    I've had the ear infection for almost two weeks. The first round of antibiotics I tried did not help at all. So this time she gave me the pred. Plus a new antibiotic to try together.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,985 Member
    But your doctor didn't test if it's a bacterial infection at all, or if it is what kind of antibiotic works for this infection?
  • blondx7
    blondx7 Posts: 1,683 Member
    DanniB423 wrote: »
    blondx7 wrote: »
    I was on an extremely high dose of prednisone for a month or two when I was sick in high school. Like, hundreds of mgs. I couldn't walk before the prednisone. I gained 40 pounds in 1.5 months. Look on the bright side sweetness, it could be so much worse.

    You are so right. I am glad you are better. I was not trying to be dramatic over a 10 day dose. I know it could be so much worse and I am grateful. But when my doc said it I was like ah that is the one that makes you bloated and all wonky! Lol. And after barely losing after trying hard this week on the other meds I was just feeling down. Thanks!

    You weren't being dramatic! Your issues and concerns are totally valid regardless of what others have experienced, including me! I was just trying to be like look it could be so much worse! I completely understand how you feel. Any week without loss is very frustrating.
  • BobSassafrass
    BobSassafrass Posts: 85 Member
    yirara wrote: »
    But your doctor didn't test if it's a bacterial infection at all, or if it is what kind of antibiotic works for this infection?

    Viral ear infections are extremely rare in adults, plus they dont usually last beyond a week. In addition I'm guessing the OP had discharge and fever, both clear signs of a bacterial infection. It would be a waste of money to culture for resistance every time someone came in with an ear infection, when the drugs work on >90% of common infections. Just to give some insight into the doctor's point of view.

    The prednisone is simply to reduce inflammation and offer relief from the pain/itching. It is not a requirement for the treatment so to the OP, you don't have to take it. But prednisone does have the least salt-retaining effects so it shouldn't make you gain water weight, and for such a short period of time it's unlikely you will get much of the other symptoms.
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