And yet another reason to cut sugar... especially when on pred: bone density.

[PMRpro]

womenshealthnetwork.com/com...?

This appeared after my last post - or I'd have included it!

[fmkkm]

Thanks for that, I needed a kick in the back side. I was off sugar for a long time but recently it has slowly made its cravings back in. I call it my cocaine!

Seriously doing everything I can for bone health now I need to be very strict about this😢

[SnazzyD in reply to fmkkm]

For some reason now that I’m below 3mg I want sweet things again. After going cold turkey on high doses of Pred it was ok and sweet things became unpalatable. Now the berries I would eat then taste awful, though I still couldn’t eat a full pud. I also get ravenously hungry at about 11pm. I want salt but that’s prob the low adrenal effect and perhaps the sugar is too. It’s annoying to be in lock down mode again when I want it, but needs must.

[DianeA1 in reply to SnazzyD]

Me too! Am at 4 mgs and want to eat everything on the shelves as though I deserve a celebration.

[SnazzyD in reply to DianeA1]

What’s going on? I’d love to know what the biological reason is.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to SnazzyD]

pituitary.org/knowledge-bas...

Low blood sugar and low salt are both features. Both will lead to cravings for the missing item.

[SnazzyD in reply to PMRpro]

It’s a funny sort of hungry. I can easily go without food in that I don’t get horrible low blood sugar feelings if lunch is late or I don’t have a snack. I just want to eat and once I have eaten it doesn’t feel like enough. Anyway, as per usual it’s a new territory that I need to adjust to, working out how much I obey the impulse and how much to ignore it.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to SnazzyD]

I felt like that with PMR/no pred. Every afternoon I just wanted something, didn't know what, but preferably sweet and carby but even then I wasn't satisfied. The first day I took pred I suddenly realised I'd not felt the craving...

[DianeA1 in reply to SnazzyD]

Exactly.

[Noosat in reply to SnazzyD]

I really feel for you and do understand. I am not a sweet "craver" and yet, now that I have just started on 4mg. I found myself irresistibly drawn to the sweets department of the grocery store yesterday. I bought a small angel food cake, ate a slice when I got home, Not particularly good tasting, then put it in freezer. I will not backslide !!!!!! If I am "good girl", this coming Friday I will treat myself to a glass of Portuguese vino verde with my dinner.

[Soraya_PMR]

Interesting “Finally, be sure your multivitamin has at least 200 micrograms of chromium; this mineral helps stabilize blood sugar and eliminate sugar cravings.”

[Whippet1960 in reply to Soraya_PMR]

Beware. This links to an advert for expensive Womens Health Network pills. Not exactly independent.

[Soraya_PMR in reply to Whippet1960]

So it does! Had to go back to look again, as I think my brain is now trained to just skip irrelevant links! But you’re quite right.

I instead went here whfoods.com/genpage.php?tna... and here webmd.com/diet/supplement-g... to check out foods that contain chromium. I think I’m probably ok 😉 I don’t take vitamin supplements (except D) and prefer to get what I need from food as (my theory) it’s likely to be better absorbed ‘au natural’. [eg. Chromium better absorbed with vit C, apples and broccoli will provide both]

In fact reading on: too much chromium may worsen insulin activity (2nd link)

Plus “Chromium may also interact with drugs like antacids, acid reflux drugs, corticosteroids, beta-blockers, insulin, thyroid medicine and NSAID painkillers. These interactions may cause the chromium to be poorly absorbed or amplify the effect of the other medicine.”

[SheffieldJane]

Thanks for posting, that’s useful. Cruelly, I have only craved sugar since being on Pred. the second and third year in particular. I was always far keener on savoury food. I think my body desperately wants quick energy.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to SheffieldJane]

That is part of the pred-effect no doubt.

[Noosat in reply to SheffieldJane]

Me, too.

[Grants148]

Thank you for your posts regarding diet PMR pro,they make sense ,best to avoid sweet things and junk food,although l do like a biscuit with tea or coffee,and a cream cake treat once a week.

[Dontwannabesick in reply to Grants148]

Naughty! Me too xx

[Purplecrow]

Thank you. J

[PMRCanada]

Thanks for posting this. A good reminder for me. My daughter makes and teaches others how to make, healthier versions of popular desserts using sugar alternatives mentioned in the article. Most of the sweets are also vegan and gluten free.

Now if I could just quell the salt cravings.

[YuliK]

It's funny you mentioned sugar, and I'm so glad you did, as I was nearly going to start a new thread ...

I've noticed since starting Prednisone I am getting up more times in the night to use the bathroom. ( then it was twice). Now I've noticed, if I eat something with sugar I have to get up at least four times ...

I've been recording what I eat and the bathroom visits and hallelujah they coordinate with my sugar intake that particular day...

Has anyone noticed the same thing ?

Anyway PMR/pro thanks for that link, it has given me a wake up call. 👍

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to YuliK]

Is your GP keeping an eye on your blood sugar levels? Frequent trips to the loo can be a sign of diabetes - and that would be more obvious when you eat more sugar.

[nickm001]

I have cut down my sugar intake. About 20 years or so ago, while my wife and I were very active in training for triathlons, we used to have a cake for breakfast; and I don't mean piece of cake - we actually had whole cake in one sitting every weekend. This is after several hours of training, to replenish our energy. It was home made cake though, not from the store and it had lots of fruits in them. I still eat sweets, but not like that any more.

edit: In my experience exercise does not reduce craving for sugar, quite the opposite. After the long workout, when my glycogen ( form of carbohydrate) that is stored in the muscles is used up, I have more craving for carbs, not less. It kind of debunks suggestion in the article.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to nickm001]

Though I suspect the article means moderate exercise - going for a walk or the like.

[Noosat in reply to nickm001]

I was a competitive runner, favorite distance half marathon. I craved carbs, but not sweets. My cravings were for legumes, all kinds of beans, spaghetti etc.

[nickm001 in reply to Noosat]

Refined carbs (spaghetti) are not so much different then sugar. Only carbs with fibers and natural nutrients are healthy IMO. BUT the point that I was making is that exercise ( in your case running) does not remove craving for carbs, and in fact it is the opposite. Wouldn't' you agree with that?

[Hildalew]

And thank you for this.

[bunnymom]

Thanks for the link. I am very keen to help my bones.

[Marijo1951]

It's an interesting article and the advice to avoid sugar is unarguable. However I must say that after a lifetime of indulging in cakes, chocolates and other sweet things - particularly after I started taking pred - I actually found it remarkably easy to give up all added sugar. Apart from natural sugar in fruit, I haven't touched the stuff since October, except for taking a bite of a mince pie on Christmas Day, which I found disgusting and discreetly spat out into a tissue. In former years I could easily have polished off 2 or 3 pies plus any other sweet things available.