Prednisone and weight gain

Autoimmune disorders can be treated with the use of synthetic corticosteroid called Prednisone. It can also be used in cases of the inflammatory problems. One of the side effects that are associated with the use of this drug is the weight gain, which can be described as considerate. We will try to give you some information on how you can cope with this problem. This corticosteroid drug has immunosuppressant and anti-inflammatory properties and it is very similar to the hormone that human body produces and that is called cortisol. Many diseases, such as the Crohn's disease, ulcerative colitis, rheumatoid arthritis, kidney diseases, uveitis, severe contact dermatitis, severe allergies, asthma and many others can be treated with the use of Prednisone. Intramuscular and intravenous injections of this drug can be administered along with the oral form. The use of this drug has shown that it can even prevent cancer.

But this drug is not without bad sides and there are some very serious and dangerous side effects associated with the use of the Prednisone. The mentioned weight increase is one of the most common and persistent side effects.

Weight Gain

There are several effects of the Prednisone on the human body that contribute to the weight gain. They are loss of potassium and retention of sodium, which causes the body to gather fluid and thus leads to the increase of the body mass. Bloating is another Prednisone effect that is possible, and this will be accompanied with the increase of appetite and redistribution of fat. The fat will start to gather only on some specific locations. All of this contributes to the serious weight increase.

Prevention of Weight Gain

There are ways in which you can prevent this side effect from appearing or just manage the problem. The first thing you should be careful about is the food that you eat. You have to eat frequently and small meals so that you can reduce the calories intake. If you eat food that is low in carbohydrates and high in proteins, you can resume with the use of Prednisone. Eat lots of fresh fruit in order to reduce cholesterol and saturated fat. Also you will have to increase the potassium level intake along with the reduction of salt and sodium intake. Baked potatoes, dates, apricots, milk, oranges, spinach, grapefruit and bananas are high in potassium, so by eating these foods, you will prevent gathering of the fluids. There are several other side effects associated with Prednisone and their severity depends on the length of drug use and the dosages. They include severe abdominal pain, blurred vision, mental confusion, psychosis, severe allergic reaction, severe joint pain, glaucoma, peptic ulcer, high blood pressure, insomnia, high blood sugar and others.