Is anyone taking prednisone

NTLMAC13
NTLMAC13 Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Struggling to lose weight since my kidney transplant. Anyone struggling with prednisone?

Best Answer

  • Adventurista
    Adventurista Posts: 1,774 Member
    Answer ✓
    :::nods::: then side effects might be ongoing...

    For me, prednisone triggers a roaring appetite. Warm broth soup helps my tummy feel satisfied.

    Did they give you food or liquid restrictions; those govern. Beyond that, would look for ways to increase size and lower cals, fats, sugars and salts... that takes some exploring, however, it sounds like something to tackle since pred med will be ongoing... maybe consider it a challenge or puzzle to solve, and go for it. ♡

Answers

  • SuzySunshine99
    SuzySunshine99 Posts: 2,989 Member
    I have an auto-immune joint disorder. I don't have to take prednisone all the time, but when I have a flare, I have a round of it standing by. The first major flare I had, which led to my diagnosis, I was on prednisone for over a month.

    Luckily for me, I didn't have too much trouble with it in the short term, but I know it can cause weight issues, mainly for two reasons. It causes you to retain a lot of fluids. This is not fat gain, just water retention, but it definitely shows up on the scale and makes you look/feel puffy. There's not much you can do about this except drink lots of water and avoid high-sodium foods that are going to make it worse.

    Prednisone can also increase your appetite. If you're feeling hungry all the time, try to find lower calorie foods or drinks that can help you feel full without going overboard on calories. Raw fruits and veggies, low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese, or just some tea or coffee to keep you going until your next meal.

    How long do you need to be on prednisone? Hopefully, you can be weaned off of it at some point.
    Do you have a lot of weight to lose? If you are still recovering from transplant surgery, you might want to talk with your medical team about losing weight while still in the recovery process.
  • NTLMAC13
    NTLMAC13 Posts: 2 Member
    The rest of my life unfortunately. Ive gained 12 pounds this year but need to lose something like 30-40. Very frustrating.
  • Vune
    Vune Posts: 674 Member
    NTLMAC13 wrote: »
    The rest of my life unfortunately. Ive gained 12 pounds this year but need to lose something like 30-40. Very frustrating.

    Some transplant clinics allow stable patients to discontinue prednisone treatment. I took it for a year after I had my transplant in 2000, then they used me as a guinea pig to see how the new gen medications at the time worked without it. It doesn't work for everyone, but I will be 24 years out in August on only tacrolimus and mycophenalate. There are many reasons why they would keep you on it, too, but it might be something to bring up with your treatment team, especially if it has a negative impact on your health in other ways.

    If you did dialysis, like I did, you had a pretty strict diet. Now is the time to eat all those fruits and vegetables you were denied in failure. That'll add volume to your meals and help with the messed up hunger cues.
  • azcoolmom
    azcoolmom Posts: 4 Member
    Unfortunately one of the aspects of taking prednisone is that it ramps up cortisol. I always tend to gain weight when my cortisol is elevated…like from stress. And it has little to do with appetite, it’s just my body’s response to stressors. I also gain if my calorie intake drops below 1,000 calories. I guess my body goes into survival mode.
    I try to stay around 1200 calories, and eat low carb. Happy to offer encouragement as you weather this :)
  • hyperbeth1
    hyperbeth1 Posts: 70 Member
    I had to take it after a bad bout of covid in 2021. I retained water and was super puffy. I came off of it (while leaving a super toxic relationship) and the weight came off. That's why they say those with higher cortisol levels have trouble losing weight. Taking prednisone increases cortisol. Hope you feel better soon.
  • claireychn074
    claireychn074 Posts: 1,604 Member
    NTLMAC13 wrote: »
    Struggling to lose weight since my kidney transplant. Anyone struggling with prednisone?

    I’ve only had to be on it for a few weeks at a time, but I prepare by having higher volume foods in the house. I remove cakes, biscuits and chocolate (which I am usually fine to eat in moderation but can’t always when on steroids) and I keep bowls of prepped veg, like carrots, in the fridge. I find munching on crunchy raw veg helps with the hunger signals and it is filling. I have porridge for breakfast, have cooked frozen meals for lunch (stuff like cottage pie, fish pie, bean casserole) and do tonnes of veg with my evening meal.

    Ultimately it’s about tracking and trying to control the hunger, but I don’t always get it right. I do hold water when I’m on high doses and that I just try to cope with, as I know it IS only water - not fat.

    Is there a patient support group in your area? You might find people who have gone through the same illness / transplant as you, and they might have better tips about what works. Good luck!

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