For the past few years I've been on biologics. First Humira, then Actemra and recently I started Xeljanz. The curious thing is my diet over the last few years has been awful as all the healthy foods I liked turned my stomach.
Prior to biolgics I enjoyed cooking and clean eating with fresh fruit, vegetables etc. I loved making homemade meals and shunned convenience food. Once on biologics it all changed as I had no appetite for food. If a meal was put in front of me I would eat it but I just had no will to buy food or cook it. My fridge was generally bare and the fruit bowl empty. As a result I skipped meals, ate rubbish when hungry and ended up gaining a lot of weight.
Anyway I started Xeljanz just over a week ago and it's like I suddenly crave real food again. I've been making casseroles, soups, fruit salads and eating the way I used to.
I thought I'd just gone off healthy foods because of my age but realise the underlying nausea I had was having a massive impact on my appetite and my health.
I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this?
Drugs can have an awful impact if you're not suited to them. Plus it's really hard to shop and cook when exhausted or feeling rubbish all the time.
So glad you feel better.
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Hi Nettienet, I didn't realise how awful I was feeling. I think it's easy to slip into just existing when it's been so long you don't remember how "normal" feels x
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Absolutely! I think sometimes we just take feeling crap as part if the deal. Glad you are eating well again. 😁
Yes I was going to say how fatigue affects what you eat as you tend to reach for what is the the quickest to prepare or cook. Also joint pain doesn't inspire you to stand and prepare or cook on the grill/job. That was me too as my OH was working a long way away three days a week and home at 9pm and at that time I was bedbound. Thankfully that kind of eating didn't last for long. Yes drug side effects can make you ravenous or ... Just not interested. I swung between both. 😑
My husband comes home at a decent time but the problem is he says he'll sort dinner and make big plates of "man food" or buys crappy treats to cheer me up. I then scoff said crappy food and moan that he's a feeder who's making me fat lol
He chooses food a drunken 20yr old would enjoy. He looks like a scolded puppy now as I have control back and hand him a plate of veggies!
Yup. The nausea from drugs at the start made me eat toast mainly. Plus the chopping of vegetables really hurt so I went through a horrible stage (a few months) where I ate ready meals. The better you feel the better you eat. It’s a vicious circle. The more rubbish you eat the more rubbish you will feel xx
Im on orencia and methotrexate and the thought of eating a vegetable ,salad, or fruit makes me feel ill - Im a veggie - all I seem ti want to eat are cracker biscuits, bread and porridge the odd sandwich but just dont know half the time what to put in it - i use to live on veg and fruit !!!
Yes you have the same sort of appetite that I did. It must be even harder for you being a vegetarian too. This side effect must impact on our health. I hope you feel better soon x
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