Prednisone and Weight Gain

Prednisone is a member of the corticosteroid drugs, which is similar to the hormone cortisol, produced by the human body. It is basically used as an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drug. It is also used at higher doses in cancer treatment. This medication can be taken either orally, or it can be administered through intravenous and intramuscular injections. It can cause several side effects, and some of these can be quite serious. One of the most major and commonly seen long-term side effects of prednisone is weight gain.

Prednisone Uses

As has been mentioned already, it is an anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive drug. As an immunosuppressant, it can affect the immune system and suppress its actions in an inflammatory disease. More commonly, the drug is used for the treatment of inflammatory diseases like, asthma, severe allergies, systemic lupus erythematosus, severe contact dermatitis, uveitis, kidney diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. It is also used to treat pancreatitis, migraine and cluster headache, multiple sclerosis, tumor and several types of cancer including, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, multiple myeloma and lymphoma.

Effects of Prednisone

It can cause weight gain, basically in three ways. First of all, the medication induces the body to retain more sodium, and to lose more potassium. When the level of sodium and potassium in the body is disturbed, the body tends to retain more water or fluid. The result is fluid retention, which can cause unwanted prednisone weight gain. In addition to weight gain, fluid retention can result in bloating as well.

It is also known to increase appetite, besides causing fluid retention. Increase in appetite can lead to increased consumption or increased calorie intake. This too can manifest in undesirable weight gain in people taking prednisone for a prolonged time period. Apart from this, this corticosteroid can also cause a redistribution of fat. This is the reason why, many people experience weight gain or fat accumulation in some specific areas of their body. The parts of the body, which are more likely to be affected by prednisone weight gain or fat accumulation are, the face, abdomen and back of the neck.

Preventing Weight Gain from Prednisone

The weight gain because of this medication can be managed to a great extent with some simple measures. It stimulates appetite, due to which people tend to eat more and gain weight. Such weight gain can be controlled by eating small, but frequent meals. This step would help to control the total calorie intake, and thereby, prevent excessive weight gain. However, it is important to eat high protein, but low carbohydrate diet. At the same time, it is essential to cut down the intake of saturated fat and cholesterol, while increasing the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.

On the other hand, fluid retention caused by prednisone can be managed by reducing the amount of sodium or salt intake, and increasing the amount of potassium in the diet. Including more potassium containing foods like, bananas, grapefruit, spinach, oranges, milk, apricots, dates and baked potatoes can help to maintain the required balance between sodium and potassium in the body, and hence, minimize the fluid retention effect of prednisone. Apart from these, regular exercising can also, prove beneficial for controlling weight gain.

However, the weight gain is not the only undesirable side effect of this medication. The medication can cause a number of other side effects, out of which increase in blood sugar, high blood pressure, peptic ulcer, glaucoma, psychosis, mental confusion, blurred vision, insomnia, severe abdominal pain and bloating, severe joint pain and severe allergic reactions can be termed as the major side effects. The adverse reactions of the medications would basically depend on the dosage, as well as the length of time for which it is taken. However, all individuals may not experience these side effects. But, if you observe prednisone weight gain and any other major side effect of this medication, then talk to your health care provider at the earliest.