Trouble Losing Weight After Prednisone

If you have Crohn’s or ulcerative colitis, you’ve probably taken prednisone at some point. Prednisone, sometimes referred to as the “devil’s tic-tacs” in the chronic illness community, has some fairly intense side effects including weight gain.

But why exactly does it cause weight gain? And what can you do to prevent gaining weight? Keep reading for some practical tips!

I’ve been on prednisone multiple times throughout my ulcerative colitis journey. About every time, I get some pretty gnarly side effects including greasy hair, acne, and weight gain.

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I normally pack on about twenty pounds when I’m taking prednisone. I’m an ectomorph, meaning that I have a fast metabolism, so I’m naturally thin. If a stranger were to look at me, they’d likely think that my prednisone weight was my normal, natural, healthy weight.

I’d consider myself to be a confident person, but when I was on prednisone, all of that confidence vanished. I mean, I looked like a real-life bobblehead!

On another level, prednisone is also known to cause mood swings. So my heightened senses made me feel even worse about my weight gain.

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Water retention leads to that weight gain. It’s also bad news bears because water retains sodium, which just contributes to the prednisone-cause belly pouch and chipmunk cheeks!

Yup, it redistributes your fat. For me—and a lot of others—a good majority of it goes into your face and neck. It’s so common that this side effect is called “moon is diface.”

Everybody is different, and if you can’t lose weight on prednisone, perhaps your medical team can help you find ways to at least stop adding prednisone pounds.

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Also! I have a previous blog post about solutions to the other side effects I faced like acne, greasy hair, muscle tenderness, and smart ways to deal with hunger cravings!

The point is: almost every medication will have side effects. It’s up to you to get creative, do some research, and think outside the box to come up with solutions that will help with your unique situation.

IBD is much more than an intestinal disease. It’s an invisible illness with sneaky, stealthy side effects and symptoms that strangers wouldn’t notice unless we decide to share them.Description: corticosteroids are known to frequently cause weight gain in patients. This gain is is usually moderate, consisting of 1 to 2 kilograms of added mass. In addition, corticosteroids enlarge certain aspects of the face. A “moon face” can result, meaning a large forehead and a large chin appear during treatment, accompanied by larger cheeks. Other gains occur in the neck (“buffalo hump”) and around the waist. These anomalies are due to a redistribution of fat cells in the body (called lipodystrophy) and not because of water retention.

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Frequency: an estimated two to three months after treatment, 40-60% of patients will observe significant change in their physical appearance, mainly cause by lipodystrophy. Only 10% will have a significant weight gain (>= 10% of their “usual” weight).  Women, younger patients and overweight individuals appear to be more at risk. Moreover, the risk increases with a higher prescribed dose (e.g. the equivalent of 10 mg per day of prednisone or prednisolone)

Short-term treatment versus long-term treatment: these side effects occur early but usually become visible and bothersome after several weeks of treatment. With short-term treatment, these side effects are often not an issue for the patient.

Prevention/Treatment: diet appears to play a role in the development of these side effects. However, it is not the only factor. Your genetic history may predispose you to experience more or less side effects than other patients. In any case, a diet with less calories than normally consumed is recommended. Many doctors believe that a limitation of carbohydrate intake (e.g. sugars, bread) may be beneficial in decreasing the weight gain associated with cortisone use. However, this has never been proved nor demonstrated. Limiting your intake of salt hasn’t proved to be an effective counter-measure to weight gain and lipodystrophy. Once these side effects appear, there are no known effective treatments to stop their presence. Only a balanced diet and regular physical exercise can be recommended.

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Reversibility: these side effects reverse themselves as soon as the corticosteroid therapy has been discontinued. Lipodystrophy could even begin to disappear as soon as the cortisone dose falls below 10 mg per day.

Also! I have a previous blog post about solutions to the other side effects I faced like acne, greasy hair, muscle tenderness, and smart ways to deal with hunger cravings!

The point is: almost every medication will have side effects. It’s up to you to get creative, do some research, and think outside the box to come up with solutions that will help with your unique situation.

IBD is much more than an intestinal disease. It’s an invisible illness with sneaky, stealthy side effects and symptoms that strangers wouldn’t notice unless we decide to share them.Description: corticosteroids are known to frequently cause weight gain in patients. This gain is is usually moderate, consisting of 1 to 2 kilograms of added mass. In addition, corticosteroids enlarge certain aspects of the face. A “moon face” can result, meaning a large forehead and a large chin appear during treatment, accompanied by larger cheeks. Other gains occur in the neck (“buffalo hump”) and around the waist. These anomalies are due to a redistribution of fat cells in the body (called lipodystrophy) and not because of water retention.

Steroid Side Effects: How To Reduce Corticosteroid Side Effects

Frequency: an estimated two to three months after treatment, 40-60% of patients will observe significant change in their physical appearance, mainly cause by lipodystrophy. Only 10% will have a significant weight gain (>= 10% of their “usual” weight).  Women, younger patients and overweight individuals appear to be more at risk. Moreover, the risk increases with a higher prescribed dose (e.g. the equivalent of 10 mg per day of prednisone or prednisolone)

Short-term treatment versus long-term treatment: these side effects occur early but usually become visible and bothersome after several weeks of treatment. With short-term treatment, these side effects are often not an issue for the patient.

Prevention/Treatment: diet appears to play a role in the development of these side effects. However, it is not the only factor. Your genetic history may predispose you to experience more or less side effects than other patients. In any case, a diet with less calories than normally consumed is recommended. Many doctors believe that a limitation of carbohydrate intake (e.g. sugars, bread) may be beneficial in decreasing the weight gain associated with cortisone use. However, this has never been proved nor demonstrated. Limiting your intake of salt hasn’t proved to be an effective counter-measure to weight gain and lipodystrophy. Once these side effects appear, there are no known effective treatments to stop their presence. Only a balanced diet and regular physical exercise can be recommended.

Does Prednisone Make You Gain Weight? 6 Ways To Avoid It 2024

Reversibility: these side effects reverse themselves as soon as the corticosteroid therapy has been discontinued. Lipodystrophy could even begin to disappear as soon as the cortisone dose falls below 10 mg per day.