What happened when they put you on steroids?

[PurpleKatisha]

Did you gain weight -- and more importantly, how did you burn it off?

I've been doing WW for 2-1/2 years now, and lost 20 lbs. I really like where my weight is right now. And I suffered through 40 years of clinical depression and finally, after 6 years of being on the right meds, I am back to my old self. My doctor has told me that steroids may cause me to become manic and irritable. So I am a little bit dismayed about the possibility of what steroids may do to my body AND my personality.

I've read the book, Moonface, and know what prednisone does to your face and body. How have you managed this drug therapy, and how long did it take to get back to normal?

Thank you for any insights you may have.

[WinJ3]

Your doctor is correct. I remember back when I was on heavy doses of steroids and how my depression worsened. My face became swollen and I was irritable all the time. I was not a nice person to be around. I would cry for no reason and wanted to die.

Looking back I wish I had better guidance while on steroids. If you do need to take steroids I suggest you work with a mental health specialist.

[PurpleKatisha in reply to WinJ3]

Do you mean to tell me no one advised you to consult a therapist or social worker ?! That’s terrible. I will have a therapist following me no matter what medications I‘ll be on. Thanks for the heads up.

[WYOAnne NKF Ambassador]

I have had a transplant and prednisone is one of the medications I took to prevent rejection. Ya, I did not like the side effects. It does help with inflammation. I never did get "moonface", but was very emotional especially at first. It did give me a lot of energy. I was able to stop prednisone about the 10 year mark as it was causing osteopenia.There is a place for a short course of steroids. Ortho doctors prescribe it. Is your doctor talking about long term?

[PurpleKatisha in reply to WYOAnne]

Hi. Thanks for your response. I appreciate it. That's a good question. I believe they said the steroids will only be temporary, but I will have my doctor confirm that.

[medway-lady]

Moon Face and a huge weight gain. But I've never been depressed and steroids didn't affect me except for the horror at weight gain. I know at the time it was the best course of medication so there was not an alternative anyway. And they are very addictive so the worst bit was the slow taper off. It did take time for the weight to come off but the moon face went first. I think it may just be try to eat as healthily as possible and give yourself time to get back to normal.

[PurpleKatisha in reply to medway-lady]

This is very helpful. I'm getting a better idea of what to expect. Thank you so much. I'm glad I found this website.

[Sophiebun11]

Hi, it really depends on the dose of Prednisone. If it's only 5mg -10mg you shouldn't see much difference at all. If it's 60mg like I took for 13 years then it effects you.

It doesn't make you gain weight per se, it does increase your appetite. Just be sure to eat healthfully and not give in to the carb/sugar craving.

It can make you sleep less, but for me I enjoy having the energy since I have a lot of fatigue from my autoimmune disease. I don't get the moon face. It also helps with my joint pain as well as has really increased my eGFR which is why my Neph started me on it.

Don't worry about it before it happens. Everyone is effected differently by medications and no one gets every listed side effect.

[PurpleKatisha in reply to Sophiebun11]

Good to hear. I'll try not to get stressed out in advance ... but it's not easy. LOL. The surgery has been looming in my future for almost 3 years. I have a date now: end of March. That gives me time to prepare.