Prednisone and weight gain

[Guest guest]

Prednisone is a cortisteroid drug that if taken in

short time frames, usually does not cause weight gain. Medrol packs are

one such form of steroid dosing. You take 60 mg one day, 50 mg the next

day .. dropping 10 mg each day until all the pills are gone. It usually

takes a week.

Unfortunately, most people who are on prednisone are on it for a longer

period of time. Some people are on it for life. These are the people

who have problems and develop weight gain, "chipmunk cheeks" or face

swelling, the gaining of a fat pad on the shoulders, thinning hair and

skin, and a susceptibility to illness.

When you take prednisone your body is tricked

into believing that it is hungry when in fact, you have just eaten. To help with the weight gain, drink plenty of water. When

you feel hungry, drink 10 ounces of water first, not a soda, not milk

or juice, but water. Then follow up with carrots .. a vegetable that

fills the "empty space" in the tummy, is low in calories, and also

satisfies the "crunch" factor. When you just have to have someone to

crunch and munch on.

Prednisone changes the brain so that it interprets signals from the

body in a different way. You may still be hurting, but don't feel as

much pain as the pain messages are not registering correctly with the

brain. Prednisone can also change or enhance moods and emotions. Most

people state they either become more energetic, but cannot seem to keep

their mind focused on the task. So they end up with 10 started

projects, and not one of them finished.

Prednisone in high doses .. then suddenly stopped, can also cause a

mental breakdown complete with hallucinations, heart palpitations, and

a feeling of impending doom and anxiety attacks. There have also been

reports of heart attacks in people who have been on high doses of

prednisone for more than a month and then suddenly stopping the

medication.