Myasthenia Gravis Support Group
Myasthenia gravis (MG) is a neuromuscular disease leading to fluctuating muscle weakness and fatiguability. The hallmark of myasthenia gravis is muscle weakness that increases during periods of activity and improves after periods of rest. Although myasthenia gravis may affect any voluntary muscle, muscles that control eye and eyelid movement, facial expression, and...
I am getting quite concerned about the weight gain while being on prednisone. My doctor has said there is no rush to decrease... to take things slowly. The way I'm ballooning up, I am terrified how large I will grow to be! My cousin passed away from congestive heart failure and I lost a grandmother in her mid50s to a heart attack.
What have you done to help combat the weight gain?? My feet are swelling daily, my back hurts quite a bit, and after eating it can be more difficult for me to breath. I am larger now than I have ever been.... including when I was pregnant.
I have read paleo may help, as can low-carb (but you know what they say about reading things on the internet). I prefer to eat less meat yet I can't afford to keep buying larger clothes.
I am thinking of meeting with a dietitian, but am wondering if you have found any success with losing or maintaining weight while on prednisone. I am feeling scared and desperate!
You certainly aren't alone with the prednisone weight gain problem! I don't think there is any magic nor easy way to keep the weight gain down.
A reasonably good discussion of the reason why we gain weight on prednisone, some strategies to help prevent it, and reassurance it should come off after finishing treatment is at this link
https://www.healthline.com/health/steroids-and-weight-gain#why-weight-gain-can-occur
I took prednisone for 1 year, most of the first 6 months at high doses. I added 10% of my body weight during that time in spite of pretty strict efforts to try not to.
Already being tested as likely that prednisone would push me into type 2 diabetes, my neuro worried about that happening on prednisone and said if my blood sugar got too high, I would have to take something else. I wanted prednisone at first as it was the simplest treatment --just a daily pill--, the cheapest treatment, and one that should most rapidly (weeks or months) get me functioning again.
My wife was in Stage 4 breast cancer, diagnosed almost simultaneously as my MG. I needed to be her care giver, chauffeur, etc. She was in a battle for her life, and my battle was for better functionality. We got through her year of treatment and she is doing fine, but almost all of that year my worries were about her rather than me. I think that made my MG seem less serious -- when you have something very pressing outside yourself to worry about instead.
So to keep from diabetes, I went on a diabetic diet -- low sugar and low carbs type. Daily I tested my blood sugar, my blood pressure, weight and heart rate. and recorded it and posted it on the refrigerator door. That daily reminder that I was close to diabetes also reminded me that I really had to eat less than I wanted, and also as healthy as I could, In spite of all of that I gained 20 lbs during the year (I was 200 to start).
Most of us start with high doses of prednisone, then if it works, get to taper back (from 60mg to 20 for me at about 6 months). The lower doses helped me with less appetite. According to the website I listed above, some of the prednisone weight is water and that did make some of the weight go away easily when I was done with prednisone.
I don't think there is any easy way to prevent the weight gain other than exercise and a healthy but limited intake. And of course exercise is often difficult for us, especially the kind that might help lose weight.
I think we need a daily routine that as part of it reinforces our goal to control weight gain, and keeps it in mind. In my case, it also included not having food available that was high calorie. That was also difficult as my wife needed that to counter chemo. I made the refrigerator shelves his and hers and the same with same with some cupboards -- and just said -- off limits for me. Mostly that worked ;-)
Good Luck
Russ
unfortunatly they are no easy ways withthis stupid desease, btu you will be able to control it by using lots of logic and commun sence,
as i have mentioned, time and time again, you will need to change your standart of life meanning foods, drinks, activities ect
teh standart of life i consider a prior since it as to do with your intakes and control
it is stated that no gmo.s foods, no red meat(due to hormones ,antibiotics ect.), same with all animal fowls that have thaes elements,
no dairy, eggs and all dairy food that contends these elements
best there is fish, principaly salmon,, bufalo meat, venison, helk, ect, ,eat that are grass feed, on a free environment, the sam for chicken, turkey and all fowls
on the veggies we are stuck as 85% of them are gmo.s
from people to understand what gmo.s are, it is simple thay are midief food to combate all insect,deseases of the plants, infuded with poison (pestisieses)
fruits are on choises ect.
with these guidlines you do not need to get envolved with any diet that is on the market
as i mentioned use logic and commun sence
also very important that you keep yourself in a regimen of exersises like walking twice a day slow or brisk about 45minutes each time, swimm,bike riding some others ect, but all done in moderation, if you feel tired you stop and take a brake
eventualy you will see the results and be happier, do not despair, because you anly cause strees to your boby
best of luck
Andre
Unlike RA, it seems, Prednisone for MG certainly does treat the cause by reducing the creation of the antibodies that attack our muscle junctions. It is relatively fast-acting which is the reason for using it and in those early days, it bridges the gap before the longterm treatments used to suppress the immune system come into play.
Take care.
Peter
I was on 60 and now lower, anything above 30ia unbearable for weight gain. You could ask you doc to reduce 10 or even 5 and see how it goes. You may do fine. Every little bit of reduction helps.Our bodies change like the weather. I was up and now headed down on prednisone and it is going fine. When I was on higher doses I did stick to a lot of veggies and fish and at least I didn't gain as much as I had in the past.