Reducing pred weight loss

[Snookerball]

I was taking 20 mil of pred and went from ten stone four pounds to twelve stone ten pounds. In the last two weeks or so I have been taking 17 and a half mil of predi and my weight has gone down to twelve stone five pounds .would reducing the pred have something to do with this as when you take pred you put weight on

[SnazzyD]

Hello, the reason most people put on weight with Pred is because it gives them the munchies so they eat more. It alters the blood sugar control by making the liver increase the blood sugar using its stores. The body doesn’t like high blood sugar so it’s response to these sugar spikes is to rush out insulin to lower it by helping the glucose turn into fat stores. This can cause a crash in blood sugar levels later and can make people crave carbs which causes another sugar spike and on it goes. The best way to deal with this for most people, is to avoid eating carbs such as sugar, rice, potato, maize, pasta, any flour etc. The blood sugar then stabilises.

The lower the dose of Pred the less of this effect will happen, but I found it wasn’t until I got to below 10mg that I saw any real improvement.

Another weight gain effect is fluid retention due to the Pred making you hold on to sodium as in salt. I had to avoid salt as much as possible, hidden and added, to avoid this. It would take me 2-3 days to lose 2-3kg of fluid if I did indulge in a packet of crisps or a curry sauce. Fat doesn’t disappear this quickly unless one is very ill.

[Snookerball in reply to SnazzyD]

Thanks snazzy. Really speaking then do you think I shouldn't worry to much as my average weight before this pmr was 12 stone. It makes me wonder why I went to 10 st 4 without the predi . One last week I forgot to take my predi for 12 hours and at tea time I was starving. Not been starving since though I am baffled by that

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Snookerball]

One of the symptoms of PMR/GCA can be weight loss (not always) - due to the inflammation it causes affecting metabolism. Once the inflammation is mopped up, that weight loss stops and the pred helps you regain it.

[Soraya_PMR]

Erm, possibly, maybe a tiny bit. But IME being at 17.5 from 20mg didn’t curb my appetite!

I started at 20mg and weighed 10stone3, having lost a good half stone pre-diagnosis. My appetite was wonderful, if it wasn’t nailed down I ate it. I went up to 11stone 3, so a gain of a stone. But as far as I was concerned this was great! Never in my life have I so enjoyed food, spent as much time thinking about food, and being so happy to prep and cook food! But you’ve got to get a grip haven’t you 😂 I cut out carbs, and very quickly lost weight, so I had to reintroduce brown carbs to regain a bit. So “when you take pred you put weight on” can be true IF you let it! It’s relatively easy to prevent weight gain, keep stable, or even lose weight. (Use the search engine for LOW CARBOHYDRATE for more info).

More recently at my drop from 8 to 7 I lost 7lbs in around 3 weeks, and am now striving to put it back! I think I lost my crazy appetite somewhere around the 12.5 stage?

So I would suggest that your 2.5mg drop isn’t really the cause of your weight loss. More likely because you are feeling better? Are in less pain and therefore able to move more? Just a guess, and we’re all different.

[Soraya_PMR in reply to Soraya_PMR]

Just checked your previous post Snookerball, and see you’re the chap who was on 20mg for a year. So I’m going to retract my comment about ‘feeling better and doing more’ as I doubt that applies to you.

So yes, after a year at the higher dose, maybe the small reduction has indeed let you lose a couple of pounds.

Like I said, we’re all different!

How are you feeling on the lower dose now?

[Snookerball in reply to Soraya_PMR]

Hi sorry I am feeling tired more but what I couldn't understand was one day last week I forgot to take my predi and at tea time I had a huge appetite and couldn't understand why as I had barely none then at 10 of clock there was my predi tablets sitting there as I forgot to take them at 12 noon. So that still baffles me. Since then my appetite is below par

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Snookerball]

I and my daughter also find pred damps our appetite - more for her than for me. Put good food in front of me and I will eat but I have no problem not eating for hours at a time! OTOH, before pred I craved something in the afternoons, I didn't know what but preferably sweet and carby. The first day I took pred, no munchies! And so it has remained.

[Linda369]

Hi there, I have had the opposite. Diagnosed with PMR 18th May, so only been on Prednisone for 7 weeks, and already lost 13lbs. I am eating well, just stopped sugary things like cake, biscuits etc as I had a very sweet tooth and didn’t want to gain weight as I had put on about half a stone while being unwell And getting a diagnosis. I have porridge or muesli for breakfast, an egg or beans on toast for lunch. Plus a quorn curry with brown rice and stir fry veg for dinner. Fruit and Greek yogart for afters, when I am at home. We eat out about once a week only. As you can see I am a bit of a creature of habit, but hey ho I like what I like, and it works for me. Back down to my size 12. I am 72 years old in a few weeks and am 5ft 3”. Good luck with getting your weight off.