Prednisone relief

[cdow]

Hello all,

I hope you're well.

Just a quick, and maybe a TMI question... I have recently been put on prednisone, for the forseable my GP said, until the rhuemy decides what I have (i have no diagnosis as of yet, just "connective tissue disorder" and "raynauds")

I have been on these for a week, and my stomach hurts with bloating, and constipation. Does anyone else suffer from this with these tablets? Any tips?

I eat a vegan diet, with lots of fresh fruit and veg, supplements, stay away from coffee and gluten, and no booze at all (as I would get really bad flares post enjoying these! sob haha)

Thanks so much in advance, and again hope you're well x

[Spanielmadlady]

Hi.im sorry to hear of your discomfort.ive been on prednisolone for 6 yrs now and it does cause bloating and abdominal discomfort.lanzoprozol should be prescribed with it to protect your stomach.i have a steroid stomach and have gone from a size 14 to size 20 and I look 8 months pregnant.getting clothes to fit my waist has been a nightmare at times.elastic waists and maternity jeans have been a godsend but it does go when you stop the steroids.you should also have and carry a blue steroid warning card.unfortunatly I'm steroid dependent but I dread to think where I'd be without them.i wish you good luck with them kind regards Cath x

[PMRpro]

If you want advice about living with pred come over to the PMRGCAuk forum where all of us are on pred.

Lansoprazole has been mentioned - it may make things even worse in terms of bloating but possibly worth trying if you have any sign of gastritis (heartburn and so on)

Above all, cut your processed carbs and added sugar drastically. Pred changes the way you process carbs and also triggers the release of glucose by the liver. That is what leads to the hunger cravings and contributes to weight gain as well. By removing processed foods you cut down the stuff that sends your blood sugar up anyway - followed by a plunge due to a large dollop of insulin and then you "need" carbs to bring it back up again. Avoid much fruit and eat salads and veg grown above ground. Root veg and fruit have lots of carbs too. They may be healthier carbs - but they are still carbs!

This is a really useful site

dietdoctor.com/

because it has pictures so you see that is better to eat and what to avoid. When I switched to low carb (not keto, you don't usually need to go that far) I lost 35lbs of PMR and pred-associated weight despite still being on well over 10mg/day of pred. So have lots of others,

[Jmiller623]

I hate prednisone. Steroids have 2 main effects glucocorticoid (reduces inflammation) and mineralocorticoid (helps kidneys suck up salt). Prednisone has a decent effect on both these systems causing reduced inflammation but also significant swelling. I prefer methylprednisilone/solumedrol because it doesn’t have as much mineralocorticoid action and tends to make me swell less, bloat, constipate, GI issues.

I can’t take PPI like lansoprazole. It constipates me horribly. I take famotidine/Pepcid and it’s helped tremendously with GI stuff. You can take antacids with steroids to help settle your stomach. Lastly make sure you eat with steroids. Taking them on an empty stomach will make you feel awful - belly pain and nausea.

Hope some of this helps if at all. Sending hugs your way! ❤️

[Horsewhisper]

Hi cdow, sorry you have been suffering the side effects of steroids, some good advice and info already posted - all I can add is in support of PMRPro’s reply - the PMRGCA forum has stacks of really useful info on how to manage the effects of steroids. I have GCA aswell as UCTD and the info on that site is invaluable. I hope you get some relief soon from the bloating - I found that drinking loads of water (at least 2L a day) helps with the bloating and constipation.