yes predisone causes weight gain, you can help control weight gain by watching what you eat and increasing activity but predisone makes your body store fat differently and in odd places on the body. The fat tends to settle around your face'chin area and around the mid section of your body (what is called the predisone belly). It also causes cravings for sweete in a lot of folks which does not help either! Hope this helps some! : ), take care!

Sorry to say this, but, yes, Prednisone makes you put on weight...At least it did it for me.

Over the years, I managed to maintain the same dress size more or less. But, then Prednisone came along and I went up one whole size. For me, this is big. In addition, I never had to worry about fat on my abdomen (it was always my thighs that were the problem). With Prednisone, the fat definitely concentrated in my mid-section. I started to look different than I always did and it was quite scary.

The good news is that as I tapered the Prednisone (by now I am down to 3 mg. per day), I my weight went down too. Obviously, exercising and eating less helped but I have no doubt that it is the lower dose of Prednisone that is most important. As your Prenisone dose goes down, so will your weight.

Good luck to you on this battle! Me

Disney, The answer is a resounding "yes" that you will gain weight. The others are correct in the mid section being an issue. Also I continually feel bloated and am very hyper and consider myself " the energizer bunny on crack" The problems prednisone causes are only temporary, unless your appetite increases on the drug. My appetite does increase and yes that can cause weight gain too.

It makes you retain water, so you have the appearance of looking "puffy" or "moonfaced" if your on a higher dose. It also increases your appetite so your more likely to want to eat. If you maintain your diet you may still get "puffy".

Actually, the answer is no. Prednisone, unto itself, doesn't cause you to gain weight. It increases your appetite, and it changes your metabolism, but actually, sorry to say, no.

It's very difficult when you have RA to counter the effects of prednisone, because it's generally difficult to do vigorous exercise, which helps you burn calories, but you can.

I posted a long comment in a post titled "How long after prednisone...?" posted by Ozarksgirl in Discussions. This was about my experience losing weight, and a couple of things I learned about prednisone. Maybe that might help understand a little more about prednisone. This is from informatin I picked up from a couple of doctors. I have seen articles that disagree, and clearly, I'm in a minority here, but I'm pretty confident in my belief.

I should have added this additional info...

1) I've been taking prednisone for slightly more than 3 years, with the highest dose being 80 mg in an initial short dose regimen, having stopped competely 3 times, and now taking 4 mg.

I kept my same weight for nearly 2 years, but then became ill summer of 2007, and came to dislike the taste of all food. I was hospitalized, and when I was discharged, I had lost 20 pounds.

2) I regained those 20 pounds plus another 20 after I was discharged. Actually, I began to gain the extra weight sometime after mid-December.

3) Because I had trouble accepting the weight gain being attributed to prednisone (Why now, after all this time?), and I though it might be due to thyroid problems. However, there was no other reason that was apparent.

That's when I began my attempt to learn how this could be happening to me. I talked with five different doctors in trying to understand it. My way of dealing with it the stuff of my "discussions" comment.

I can recommend a reputable pharmacy http://canadianselect.net/products/prednisone.htm?id=kulakgm I received the order and it was on time and the pills work great.

I can say that since being on daily pred, (was on 10mg, now on 5 mg)since December/January, so that is 10-11 months, I have lost weight. Now here is my theory; since the pred and the plaquenil /diclofenac have helped me with pain/stiffness and made me able to do aquatic exercise and swimming (in addition to my daily walking) that could be why. The only dietary changes I have made is to stop eating cookies and candy. I still have ice cream at night. ;p
I have lost btw 18-19 lbs but I will admit my face and tummy do not look like I did. I have had a fat face & tummy, and overweight, prior to the pred.