PREDNISOLONE-anyone taking these?
Has anyone taken these for a long period?
For the past 4 years I've been taking these to clear my chest due to asthma/chest infections and I'm aware of some of the side effects but the one which I'm wanting to know about is the weight gain.I was 11.5 stone before I started and now I'm touching 14 stone.The problem is is that ALL my weight gain is on my stomach and lower back.Everywhere else is skinny i.e my arms and legs but I look pregnant because I look out of proportion.
How do I get rid of this and if it purely IS down to steroids how long do these effects last?
For the past 4 years I've been taking these to clear my chest due to asthma/chest infections and I'm aware of some of the side effects but the one which I'm wanting to know about is the weight gain.I was 11.5 stone before I started and now I'm touching 14 stone.The problem is is that ALL my weight gain is on my stomach and lower back.Everywhere else is skinny i.e my arms and legs but I look pregnant because I look out of proportion.
How do I get rid of this and if it purely IS down to steroids how long do these effects last?
0
Comments
I was told that it was an exceptionally strong drug, and that I needed to be weaned off it.
Week 1 - four tablets once a day,
Week 2 - three tablets once a day,
Week 3 - two tablets once a day, and
Week 4 - one tablet once a day.
While it depends on the strength (and I can't remember what mine was) it certainly doesn't sound like the kind of drug you should have been taking for four years.
I'd suggest you need to go back to your GP to ask whether they're happy for you to keep taking this drug.
(Incidentally, it was incredibly effective for the eczeme. Almost total coverage of arms, legs, back, chest and hands cleared up 99% within the month. I now just use a little cream if I have a new outbreak - which is usually small and localised.)
The distribution of the weight gain is down to the way you are made and is not unusual in people with "apple shaped" body fat distribution who eat too much and do not exercise enough.
The solution is to eat less and exercise more but if the drug is increasing your appetite you may find the former more difficult than many people, many people who take it for long periods of time find that they need to be very disciplined about their diet, to avoid weight gain.
Do not stop taking this drug without first talking to your doctor.
If I could go back to 2008 I would choose NOT to take tem, I strongly believe that they cause more damage than what they treat.
A moderate dose made her poorly.
Even on a low dose she was wobbly, with increased appetite and drinking and actual urinary incontinence. Plus her fur fell out and it raised her liver values.
Am I inspiring confidence?
She is now on inhaled steroids to mitigate side effects.
So far none of it has helped
I took this for four months for cohens disease. I gained weight and my face became quite swollen, I also had terrible sleep issues with it. When I was being weaned off it, that's when the night terrors, bad dreams, sleep deprivation kicked in. Be careful coming off the stuff, that's all I can say
I'd have a chat with your GP. 4 years is a very long time to be taking oral steroids and as long as you can cope without them I would look at aiming to stop them eventually.
But be warned - you must NOT just decide to stop taking them one day. Because they are steroids your body decides it no longer needs to make any steroids (because you are providing them in tablet form), so when it does come to stopping them you need to do it very gradually over a period of weeks. If you decide you want to stop them, you'll need to see your GP so they can advise on the best method of cutting down and so they can monitor your body's response to steroid withdrawal.
I know you take pills orally but the oral steroids from inhalers inhaled into the mouth which I am on long term as are many asthma sufferers. If I have a chest infection I have to have the pills above and YES they have given me weight gain and a change in my body shape which is a pain BUT I have been on the 5:2 diet (checked with GP first ) and have managed to lose most of the weight I put on but my shape is still different. My bloody shoulders are like a blokes!!
Are you taking these in pill form or inhaler? I didn't realise you could take them long term? I take fostair a steroid inhaler twice a day and the prednisolone when I have a chest infection . See my post above. The 5:2 diest has really helped control my appetite and I have lost most of the weight I gained
Thanks for ALL the replies.
I'm not taking them "long term" as in constantly.Every so often I take them because I get lots of wheezing and crackling on my chest due to asthma/hayfever so about once every month or longer I take a small course but I have osteopenia,weight gain,mood swings,and thinning skin because of them.I also take the steroid inhalers too.
I also do shift work but I don't do ANY exercise at all which I know I should be doing to break this vicious circle I'm caught up in.
There's no harm in taking long term inhaled steroids for asthma - this does less damage than the effects of untreated asthma would do. However taking oral steroids for a long time can have serious effects like diabetes and osteoporosis, so aren't recommended for more than a few weeks at most.
I do sympathise with you as I know how hard it is to exercise as when I do too much am shattered and it makes my asthma worse. It is getting that fine line between doing enough exercise to help the asthma and not overdoing it. I can't recommend the 5:2 diet enough as it has helped my asthma , energy levels and weight gain and appetite control too . I know when I have a binge day, I am sluggish and my chest is really crackly bringing up flem etc...... you know the scenario :eek:. Right now I am trying very hard to keep off another dose of steroids (finished a week ago! ) I have amoxicillin with them too.
I have gained weight all over, but more than anywhere it is around my middle.
I do know of other people who have been on them for longer than me, and at higher doses too, but I know it is not good and can lead to all kinds of problems. However, what do you do when taking them helps, but being without them means you are incapable of even walking.
Yes, the weight gain is purely down to the steroids, (well it was for my husband) they are very powerful tablets indeed.
Three months later, my husband is almost his old self again; however, the recovery length will certainly differ from person to person.
Take care, and try not to worry, there is light at the end of the tunnel:).
I have ulcerative colitis, and I take a short course of Prednisolone whenever it really flares up, to bring down the inflammation. I keep some in reserve, so I can start taking them immediately.
I wasn't able to take Asacol or anything similar long-term to control the colitis, due to the severe side effects I experienced while taking such drugs.
Weight gain is a well known side effect. Firstly, steroids increase appetite so people eat more but, secondly, steroids tend to cause an increase in body sodium/loss of potassium so there is a resulting significant amount of fluid retention and bloating, notably in the face (''moon-face''). There is also a redistribution of weight so that most of the weight gain occurs in the abdomen.
It is usually easy to detect somebody on long term steroids. The typical moon face, large trunk/skinny arms etc. Skin tends to become papery, stretch marks are prominent as are bruises.
Abrupt withdrawal of steroids can be catastrophic because the body has almost shut down its production of its own natural steroids through suppression of adrenal glands in response to a dependence on the increased artificial steroid intake. Gradual weaning is absolutely vital.
High steroid intake can also cause psychotic or manic behaviour but I have only seen this occur in patients on a couple of occasions. High dose steroids can lead to potentially life threatening infections as the immuno-suppressant effects reduce the body's ability to fight bugs. Diabetes is common but this is usually resolved when the steroids are stopped. In fact, most of the side effects of steroids can be reversed after stopping them but it takes quite a while to lose the weight and this will need subsequent strict dietary management.
There are about 20 or more significant side effects of steroids but they are also brilliant drugs for short term treatment of inflammatory conditions. I suffer with eczema and am very reliant on steroid ointments and I have seen how they help minimise the effects of many painful inflammatory conditions such as colitis and arthritis (RA). In hospitals we use them in the emergency treatment of asthma where they are truly 'life-saving'. My cousin had an inoperable brain tumour and was on long term steroids which kept brain swelling under control.
Most of the drugs we use, while excellent and life-saving, have very undesirable side-effects when used long term. I suppose weight gain would be considered a minor side effect but I agree it is socially unpleasant and impacts on self morale.
The last time I did I literally put on a stone in weight in a week. My appetite hadn't increased at all & the weight gain was so sudden that the nurse at the hospital was the one who noticed it & thought the scales must be incorrect & did several tests on them to make sure they were accurate.
Like everyone else says, it was just around the middle of my body & my face. It was so severe that the clothes I had been wearing the week before simply didn't even nearly fit, the next week. In total, before I made the decision to come off them I put on 2.5 stone and went from a small size 8 to a size 14 in approx 3 months.
I actually lose a lot of weight when I have an UC flare-up, even though I take a short course of Prednisolone each time it happens. I always drastically cut down my food intake, and I usually lose about ten to twelve pounds per flare-up.
I don't lose my appetite during a flare-up, either. I just become afraid to eat much, because I know that whatever goes in has to come out, and it's going to be awful when it does come out.
I suspect I was on a much higher dose than you, though.
This.
I ballooned so quickly I've been left with stretch marks all over my arms, which I REALLY hate. It's been eight years and they haven't faded. I can never wear strapless tops.
Iv heard long term use can cause anger issues or something, although there are plenty other side effects, nothing else helps me as much though when i take a spell.