Does weight gain effect medications efficiency?

[louise78]

I have been put on steriods which unfourtunatly have helped me to gain a lot of weight. Now pain, headaches, numbness etc are all back even though I had been feeling great for about 9 months with my cocktail of meds. Does anyone know if a 2stone weight gain can effect the efficiency of meds?

[tassie]

I don't know but it might affect the dose needed?

If you are feeling worse it would be worth discussing that with your specialist.

[Hidden]

Yes, particularly if you are taking warfarin. Warfarin is extremely sensitive to any environmental factors (sometimes it seems if the wind changes direction your INR can change!) so weight gain could definitely effect it. Heparin is also based on weight so you might want to speak to your consultant about changing the dose of whichever medication you are on.

[louise78 in reply to Hidden]

Thanks kate, I'm seeing dr k this month so fingers crossed well get it sorted soon. I'm on heparin so will see if now I've gained weight I need a new dose. Thanks

[tassie]

If you are on warfarin the steroids might be interacting with it ...don't know if they do but worth asking.

[jessielou]

Hi Louise

I've been on steroids through the winter with chest infections and asthma, have gained weight too. Steroids sent my inr through the roof, then when off them for a week or two inr drops too low.

Many meds dosages are based on weight, so may be worth getting meds reviewed. My Gp recently increased dose on painkillers cos were not working.

I hope you get sorted hon.

Take care gentle hugs love sheena xxxxxxx

[louise78 in reply to jessielou]

Thanks, fingers crossed ill be fighting fit soon x

[Lesley_D]

Hi Louise, I suffered exactly the same, I gained 2 stone - it makes me feel lethargic and generally hmmpphhh - If it was prednisilone, then yes it does affect your INR, but hopefully your docs will be on top of that, but also to note, that if you are on it for a while, it can also cause steroid diabetes, my sugar levels used to go up at night to about 20 when I was in hospital, but down again to 6 by morning, so that could be something to be aware of. Also it can have a detrimental affect on the immune system.

Keep well - smiles

Lesley

[louise78 in reply to Lesley_D]

Thanks for your comments, I am on clexane not warfarin so have no idea about INR?! Yes its prednisiolne and have been on it for best part of a year, felt brilliant at first but now all pain and breathlessness is back. I am seeing specialist this month so hopefully will get it sorted soon. I hate being fat too, very vain I know but does make me feel crap and think it is effecting everything?! I'm trying to keep smiling! X

[Lesley_D]

Louise, I feel the same too both feeling better and also about weight, I am sure the weight does not help our overall condition, and we need to try and do enough exercise as to make us breathless, but not too much so we feel ill - this does help as I tried during pulmonary rehabilitation - try a daily walk that makes you a little breathless and build on that - if you need to snack try, (I know it is hard) to snack on raw veggies, I snacked on fruit, but ate so (8 or 9 pieces daily) much the sugar got to me

INR is the measurement of your blood and how long it takes to clot, ie normal unwarfarinsed blood is around .9 for APS etc we have a specific range, mine is 3 - 4 so if my INR was 3, then it would take 3 times longer to clot than normal blood - think of it, like normal blood is full fat milk, INR 2 = semi skimmed INR 3 = skimmed - I have not taken clexane nor do I have any reference for it, so will check it out.

I take short bursts of steroids now for chest infections and asthma which was particularly bad during the winter months, but I have been quite well on this side since mid March

It is easy to feel down and poor me - which in turn makes us feel worse and for that reason alone, we must remain positive, and say there are people worse off than ourselves, and who suffer more - please try to smile, I say if I can smile then I am alive

Take care and smiles to you - I wrote a blog about I wish you enough, maybe you would like to read it, it does I think give some inspiration

Lesley

[Sue2803]

I too have gained a couple of stone with steroids, good point about effecting your meds. Hadnt thought of that, could be why mine dont seem to be so effeciianet now.