Prednisone...how do you do it?

shandy82165
shandy82165 Posts: 184 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm taking a short, 3 week course of prednisone and it's making me ravenous. I want to eat everything, all the time. Anyone have any strategies for calming the craziness?

Replies

  • Momepro
    Momepro Posts: 1,509 Member
    Very low cal munchies, air popped popcorn, rice cakes,carrot and celery sticks... Fillung, but not too calorie laden so you can have handy and graze all day.
  • shandy82165
    shandy82165 Posts: 184 Member
    Yes, that's what it feels like! Like my blood sugar is crashing, and I get that shaky feeling. It's horrible!
  • shandy82165
    shandy82165 Posts: 184 Member
    Momepro wrote: »
    Very low cal munchies, air popped popcorn, rice cakes,carrot and celery sticks... Fillung, but not too calorie laden so you can have handy and graze all day.

    That's a good strategy, thanks. I've been trying to keep to the same foods and snacks as usual, but last night I went over by more than 1000 cals on all my low calorie snacks!

  • mram3582
    mram3582 Posts: 2,482 Member
    nothing would work for me except sugar...the vertigo and shakiness would absolutely not reside unless I was drinking a coke, cookie, juice...something just loaded with sugar...it was the worst drug I have ever had to take. Not to mention all the other side effect I had.
  • shandy82165
    shandy82165 Posts: 184 Member
    Maybe i'll try something sugary, i've been trying to make the snacks high in protein because that's usually how I would deal with a low blood sugar issue. But maybe a sugary snack might help? I'll try anything at this point!
  • dejavuohlala
    dejavuohlala Posts: 1,821 Member
    Prednisone is so weird my husband is on high dose reducing and is losing weight and also had no appetite, he also has diebetes and his sugars are way high now, best of two evils when drugs are needed.
  • tripitena
    tripitena Posts: 554 Member
    edited January 2018
    I am currently taking prednisone among other rx. I am focusing strenuously on eating as carefully as possible but its still hard. I eat a LOT of greens. Raw or steamed or filled with other veggies and rolled like wraps.... It seems for me the Act of eating is pressing for me more than What I'm eating. I eat crunchy carrots so much I may turn orange. That crunch is satisfying. Good luck.
  • BuffyBourbon
    BuffyBourbon Posts: 126 Member
    I've frequently been prescribed prednisone for asthma flare ups, and have discovered that if i can get my doctor to prescribe methylprednisolone instead i actually have better recovery from the flareup, without the crazy ravenous feeling. It does make me feel speedier and i get less sleep on it than i do on the regular prednisone, but for me it's worth it, i can't stand that always hungry / sugar crashy / shakey feeling i get on the prednisone. Depending on your doctor and what you're taking it for the other stuff might not work for you, but it's worth asking your doctor about anyway and seeing what they say.
  • crackpotbaby
    crackpotbaby Posts: 1,297 Member
    BuffyBourbon wrote: »
    I've frequently been prescribed prednisone for asthma flare ups, and have discovered that if i can get my doctor to prescribe methylprednisolone instead i actually have better recovery from the flareup, without the crazy ravenous feeling. It does make me feel speedier and i get less sleep on it than i do on the regular prednisone, but for me it's worth it, i can't stand that always hungry / sugar crashy / shakey feeling i get on the prednisone. Depending on your doctor and what you're taking it for the other stuff might not work for you, but it's worth asking your doctor about anyway and seeing what they say.

    It’s because prednisone is a catabolic steroid that causes your cells to release a bunch of sugar into your blood stream all at once.
  • Chieflrg
    Chieflrg Posts: 9,097 Member
    I quit it. It's some nasty nasty stuff to be on long term.
  • squeeeyk
    squeeeyk Posts: 165 Member
    I did a 10 day run on it when getting tested for RA. Omg that drug sucks. I wanted to eat all the things. I did gain, but went back to losing after discontinuing. I'm now doing LCHF, specifically keto, to help inflammation without drugs.
  • MonaLisaLianne
    MonaLisaLianne Posts: 398 Member
    Prednisone is awful. EVERYTHING suddenly tastes soooo good. Even frozen Encore veggie lasagna tastes like a gourmet meal. It does give me huge amounts of energy & incredible focus. It could become a real problem if I needed it more often that every few years (for my asthma). Good luck.
  • Sarc_Warrior
    Sarc_Warrior Posts: 430 Member
    The mood swings are the worst....
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    BuffyBourbon wrote: »
    I've frequently been prescribed prednisone for asthma flare ups, and have discovered that if i can get my doctor to prescribe methylprednisolone instead i actually have better recovery from the flareup, without the crazy ravenous feeling. It does make me feel speedier and i get less sleep on it than i do on the regular prednisone, but for me it's worth it, i can't stand that always hungry / sugar crashy / shakey feeling i get on the prednisone. Depending on your doctor and what you're taking it for the other stuff might not work for you, but it's worth asking your doctor about anyway and seeing what they say.

    Huh, this is how I reacted to pred when on a 10 day course late last year - hyperactive energiser bunny, wicked insomnia, low appetite. Packed on water weight, but actually lost fat while on it, even eating at maintenance (my body was doing weird things at the time, so the weight loss may not have been the pred). One thing it did seem to do, at least I'm blaming it, after coming off my heart rate was higher, and has taken over a month to come back down fully.
  • BuffyBourbon
    BuffyBourbon Posts: 126 Member
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    BuffyBourbon wrote: »
    I've frequently been prescribed prednisone for asthma flare ups, and have discovered that if i can get my doctor to prescribe methylprednisolone instead i actually have better recovery from the flareup, without the crazy ravenous feeling. It does make me feel speedier and i get less sleep on it than i do on the regular prednisone, but for me it's worth it, i can't stand that always hungry / sugar crashy / shakey feeling i get on the prednisone. Depending on your doctor and what you're taking it for the other stuff might not work for you, but it's worth asking your doctor about anyway and seeing what they say.

    Huh, this is how I reacted to pred when on a 10 day course late last year - hyperactive energiser bunny, wicked insomnia, low appetite. Packed on water weight, but actually lost fat while on it, even eating at maintenance (my body was doing weird things at the time, so the weight loss may not have been the pred). One thing it did seem to do, at least I'm blaming it, after coming off my heart rate was higher, and has taken over a month to come back down fully.

    My doctor, back before he retired, told me that he had some patients of each sort - some did way better on prednisone, some did way better on Mederol, and that it had to be something related to genetics but that he'd never seen any studies done. He'd just experienced it enough that he'd warn us if we had all the hunger / shakiness symptoms to call and he would prescribe the other variety to try out. Apparently the medications are very very similar.
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    BuffyBourbon wrote: »
    Nony_Mouse wrote: »
    BuffyBourbon wrote: »
    I've frequently been prescribed prednisone for asthma flare ups, and have discovered that if i can get my doctor to prescribe methylprednisolone instead i actually have better recovery from the flareup, without the crazy ravenous feeling. It does make me feel speedier and i get less sleep on it than i do on the regular prednisone, but for me it's worth it, i can't stand that always hungry / sugar crashy / shakey feeling i get on the prednisone. Depending on your doctor and what you're taking it for the other stuff might not work for you, but it's worth asking your doctor about anyway and seeing what they say.

    Huh, this is how I reacted to pred when on a 10 day course late last year - hyperactive energiser bunny, wicked insomnia, low appetite. Packed on water weight, but actually lost fat while on it, even eating at maintenance (my body was doing weird things at the time, so the weight loss may not have been the pred). One thing it did seem to do, at least I'm blaming it, after coming off my heart rate was higher, and has taken over a month to come back down fully.

    My doctor, back before he retired, told me that he had some patients of each sort - some did way better on prednisone, some did way better on Mederol, and that it had to be something related to genetics but that he'd never seen any studies done. He'd just experienced it enough that he'd warn us if we had all the hunger / shakiness symptoms to call and he would prescribe the other variety to try out. Apparently the medications are very very similar.

    Yeah I was all prepared to be a ravenous beast and...I wasn't. Actually had to work at hitting maintenance cals. I suspect my NEAT was also pretty high, cos energiser bunny (which may be why I lost weight, a lot of that would have been stuff not picked up by Fitbit). Coming off it was pretty vile though.

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