Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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Caren28 05/05/2016

hi everyone,
I'm wondering if any of you have experienced significant unintended weight loss due to your RA. I have been having a long flare- actually, it's maybe not really a flare at this point, and just progressive and uncontrolled RA going on. Since December, I've lost about 30 pounds. I can't say that it's really a bad thing, as I have been overweight my entire life, but I have not been trying to change my eating or exercise habits and am a little concerned. I'm currently at my lowest weight in at least a decade. I have been doing a slow taper off prednisone over the past two months (down from 40mg/day to a current 20mg/day). I have been on and off prednisone for years and never seem to experience weight gain nor moon face from it. Just the opposite, in fact- I lose some appetite. I do know that weight loss can accompany fatigue and general illness, and I have certainly been feeling generally ill for months now. I am just hoping this isn't a sign of yet another co-morbidity.

Caren

nonightshades 05/06/2016

I lost thirty pounds in the 5-6 months when first diagnosed. I made radical changes in my diet though (eliminated night shades + sugar) but I've never been on pred. When I was started on high doses of MTX lost another twenty pounds but have put back on seven pounds. I've lost tremendous amounts of muscle mass. Shirt sizes went from full cut XL to slim M. Make sure you're taking good vitamins.

californialynn 05/06/2016

FWIW, I started losing a pound a week without even trying and with no change in my diet. Turns out that I had asymptomatic gallstones that apparently played a trick on my metabolism. Once the gallbladder was removed I began to regain the weight.

I've been on Humira and it hasn't changed my weight.....other than to lose a couple pounds in the beginning because I started feeling so much better and became more active [thus losing the weight].

melly65 05/06/2016

I was dropping and dropping and it was freaking me out!

I had gastric bypass in 2009 and lost 125 lbs and held steady for a long time at 150 until I bounced up and hovered between 160-170. Then got RA and got to 139.

I realized I still had that "diet mentality" and started eating more and now I am happy at 143-145. I wasn't hungry. I think it's due with a combo of RA meds and RA. I was feeling lousy all the time from not eating. Now I snack all day on healthy stuff but do have the occasional sweet.

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