I’m always hungry

[ToeToe3]

I have been on my new meds for a few weeks now and they are making me staving and no matter how much I eat I’m still hungry has anyone got any suggestions how to stop or reduce this

[piglette]

I found steroids made me hungry, I could eat a five course meal, followed by another five course meal and still feel hungry!!

[ToeToe3 in reply to piglette]

Literally same here how did you overcome it or did it just reduce when the steroids reduced

[piglette in reply to ToeToe3]

It did improve as I reduced the steroids. I never discovered any other way of improving things though!!

[ToeToe3 in reply to piglette]

Any snacks you would recommend which filled you up more that isn’t too bad for you?

[piglette in reply to ToeToe3]

I suppose what you need is snacks that are made out of air. I just tried to do other things like swimming to take my mind off the hunger!

[ToeToe3 in reply to piglette]

My hunger normally hits late at night so it’s hard to do activities at those times

[piglette in reply to ToeToe3]

Perhaps you need to try and hypnotise yourself!!

[Obscureclouds]

unfortunately medication does this but unlike piglet I was fine on a higher dose but when I got down 20-25 mg I found the urge to keep eating even when clearing away after a good meal I have a strong urge to eat a piece of bread and jam or a biscuit or two (not things I would normally eat at all) I must admit will power to resist has broken down occasionally but I found making a tea with fresh ginger or just drinking water and doing some exercise or other activity helps. I think the more you give in the worse it gets. Sorry that’s not much help to you but just to say you are not alone and hopefully for you it will get better as you reduce

[ToeToe3 in reply to Obscureclouds]

It’s just frustrating when I’m always hungry but it definitely makes me feel better that this is what others are going through

[Obscureclouds in reply to ToeToe3]

I sympathise but think it is more to do with the areas of the brain that get stimulated by the meds which is why trying to eat filling foods don’t seem to work. (When on high dose I couldn’t stop talking and interrupting people) In respect of the hunger I tried eating bits of fruit but that has often made me want to still eat something solid after. I have found a few seeds ( pumpkin, sunflower etc) can take the edge off the urge as an immediate quick fix

[ToeToe3 in reply to Obscureclouds]

Good to know I will definitely be trying them. The other issue is trying to find variety so maybe I will try different seeds

[Candy-rojo in reply to ToeToe3]

I got steroid-induced diabetes and have put on so much weight. Never had an urge to get out of bed to eat before but will wake and NEED a slice of bread; it’s awful. I empathise.

[ToeToe3 in reply to Candy-rojo]

It’s so frustrating

[Support_helps]

I have renal impacted vasculitis and therefore used glass noodles as extra "filler" as they are quite filling with virtually no protein, sodium or potassium. They are quite boring on their own so I would add some olive oil for flavour//

[ToeToe3 in reply to Support_helps]

Oooo that’s good to know because I seem to always go for noodles so I will try thank you

[PMRpro]

Cutting carbs is important when you are on steroids.

Steroids cause your liver to release random spikes of glucose into the bloodstream from the body's stores in muscle and liver. They can be quite high and the body's response is to release insulin to sort out the high blood sugar which is bad for your tissues - and uncontrolled can turn into steroid induced diabetes. The body is expecting a proper meal to be causing this spike so it releases more insulin than will actually be required - and the blood sugar level plummets until it is too low. When that happens the body sends out signals to stock up on carbs, and you become ravenously hungry, especially for the foods that will remedy the situation quickly, like bread and jam or a Mars bar (other bars are available!). Or if you are eating a meal the body remembers you are apparently in a desert with no food and the next thing will be starvation so it makes you eat and eat to stock up - piglette 's 2 x 5 course meals.

This sets up a roller-coaster of high blood sugar, massive dose of insulin, low BS, craving for carbs, rise in BS, more insulin ... You get the picture? When these random spikes of sugar due to pred coincide with a carby snack or meal it is even worse - higher BS, even more insulin, lower BS as a result.

The only thing you can do is try to reduce the peaks of BS - and as you have no control over the pred-induced spikes. you have to turn to what you eat and reduce carb intake drastically. By cutting carbs, especially processed foods, simple carbs (basically things made with white flour and sugar) and added sugar, you can smooth those peaks a lot and the cravings and ravenous hunger should calm down after a week or two. There does have to be some discipline about it too though because it isn't easy and needs you to make choices - first of all in the shops, if you don't buy it in the first place, you can't eat it!

The added bonus is that this should also reduce the dreaded pred-related weight gain as well as reducing the risk of developing steroid induced diabetes which is different from Type 2 diabetes but can progress to Type 2 diabetes if you aren't careful. And high blood sugar, whatever the underlying cause, is bad for your body and damages tissues and organs over time.

I find this site really good for learning the basics and what you shouldn't eat:

dietdoctor.com/low-carb/foods

But for a start - ban ultraprocessed foods from the menu altogether. They just deliver a shot of sugar which makes your problem even worse and are carefully developed to make you want more and more. Even processed foods must be carefully studied. Fruit and root veg, while healthy are also sources of sugar so limit them too. The much-praised complex carbs - wholemeal bread and pasta products - are still carbs so must be restricted. The fill-ups, pasta, potatoes, rice and so on - banished or minimal.

You don't NEED carbs so ignore people who tell you you do. The body is very clever, it can turn all food into energy. Try to avoid drinks or foods with artificial sweetners - because when you don't, the body thinks the intense sweetness is a big load of sugar arriving and sends out the insulin to wait for it. Starting the roller coaster again.

If you must have snacks then cucumber sticks and a bit of cream cheese in the frig, carrot sticks are good but not too many (there are carbs in carrots!), chicken drumsticks or slices of cooked chicken, cold meat, hard boiled eggs, I like smoked salmon. Things with the right mouth-feel are important so you feel satisfied. You will find suggestions all over the internet - the site I recommended has lots even without joining their club, no need to spend money on cookbooks. But learning to not have snacks is also good. Another trick if you think you want something to eat is to have a large glass of water - often we think we are hungry when what we really need is a drink. Or instead of opening the cupboard or frig - open the front door and go for a walk. Or go and do a job that needs to be done - by the time you have finished it, you will have forgotten ...

And you have probably heard of time restricted eating - TRE? A lot of people find that using that can also help smooth out the BS peaks that often occur about 2-6 hours after taking their pred, when the pred is at its peak in the body and as it is falling, They don't eat in that period so the only BS around is due to the pred. Some on the PMRGCA forum have actually done experiments using continuous glucose monitors and found that eating the same food at different times of day doesn't have the same effect on blood sugar! I'm not saying do that - CGMs aren't cheap, but knowing that this period of not eating is likely to make a difference does help you feel more determined to do it. And you are very welcome to come over to the PMRGCAuk forum and get people's experiences and advice there.

Keeping a food diary is helpful - write it down and look at the labels or online to see what carbs you were eating. Sometimes it is a real shock!! That little plain Rich Tea biscuit had 6g carbs, Or a chocolate digestive, 11g. That doesn't sound a lot - but who stops at one? And they all add up - an apple, 17g, They al push the BS level up a bit, out comes the insulin - and half an hour later, you are starving again.

Good luck, it isn't easy but it can be done with a bit of thought.

[ToeToe3 in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you so much for all of this information it definitely helps to know what is happening and how I can reduce my appetite. I will definitely be trying out some of these techniques

[PMRpro in reply to ToeToe3]

My pleasure

[Obscureclouds in reply to PMRpro]

That’s really interesting and helpful to know

[Chris-Bromsgrove]

I kept a stock of carrot sticks and celery in the fridge along with a bit of hummus. Not too many calories in that. To be honest, everything tasted so good that I could have happily grazed on grass

[Pleenzy]

Just like PMR pro says- it’s so dependent on your blood sugar levels. I found doing a keto way of eating did really make a difference both to how I felt and the food cravings. There’s lots of information on line, but DietDoctor is one of the best. Good luck with figuring everything out. This site has so many wonderful people ready and willing to give super help and support - got me through difficult times.

[ToeToe3 in reply to Pleenzy]

I will definitely give it a go thank you