Weight GAIN with crohn's?

I've heard about folks with crohn's becoming obese but my doctor insists it's not possible for someone with active crohns to gain a bunch of weight (barring steroid bloat). Can someone tell me the logic behind crohn's weight gain? i know I've heard before something about the system shutdown causing everything to be turned to fat, or something along these lines.

Myself? I have never weighed more. I'm up 21 pounds over my average weight (what I weighed for 15 years) since diagnosed in 2005 (after losing 20 for a few months). 165 for 15 years,  145 after crohns attack, 186 now.

I've also read that Remicade can cause weight gain but noone knows why, but my GI says it's just because it makes us healthy and we eat normally.

Any input? Thank you! 

I, also, am at my highest weight. I find it hard to lose it and it's getting really frustrating. I'm only taking Asacol, Flagyl and Carafate.

Hi i'm a fat crohnie i wish i could loose weight. But all those years on steroids i gained a lot of weight. Oh well what can you do. It sucks sometimes because people say it doesn't look like you got Crohn's, i feel like punching them right in the nose LOL..Just posting to let you know not everyone here is skinny.

If your doctor doesn't believe people with Crohns can gain weight (flare or not)I suggest a new doctor with actual knowlegde of the disease...of course we can gain weight, mine is up and down all the time..with up being more dominant right now (thanks to prednisone, but even my normal weight is a bit heavier then I would like) but even without meds making me gain weight it easily can happen. There are alot of crohns patients who are obese as there are underweight, theres no specifics for this disease, we are all different of course...and definately no one can say we can't gain weight, cause thats dead wrong.

I am an overweight Chronie!   I would question a Doctor that says you cannot be overweight and have Chron’s. I would have never gotten diagnosed if my Doctor felt that way.   I asked my Dr how come I have been overweight and most Chron’s people are not. He said some people with Chron’s do have the opposite weight gain. He gave me an example of how my body might be trying to survive and when I get D it could be holding onto fat for fuel since it thinks I may need it because my food is moving through me so fast. (sorry I probably did not explain that as well as he did, it made sense at the time)   Karen

My doctor did not want to dx me because I did not lose any weight. It took them 2 years, 3colonosocpys, 2 CT scans, camera pill, removal of gallblader, 2 thyrold test, every blood & stool & pee test you can think of, different drugs ending with C-dif in hospital for 6 days 13 IV's and I did not lose any weight. Well lost with C-Dif but put it right back on with 13 IV's. At my worst going 15 - 20 times a day. With camera they found 4 leasions, and last colonoscopy they finely said it was crohn's.........And I'm not a small women......Started Mar 06 Dx June 07....



Ne Ne

i'm constantly being asked and checked about my thyroid, it looks abnormally large, even when i was at my skinniest, i looked like i had a large growth around my neck. but, it's always checked out fine...i've even had the scan where they inject die into you, don't know the name of it.

my doc told me that there are 2 kinds of crohn's and i have the one that makes u absorb more fat than most people. (my cd is in my illeum) i also have problems absorbing water and get dehydrated VERY easliy even tho i don't really sweat, in fact i'm always cold, even on hot days- which is weird for a fat person. i have to eat something salty everyday when drink water so my body will absorb it. does anyone else have that problem?

i'm also a fat crohnie, i'm currently at my heaviest at 300 lbs. i gained my most weight when i was on prednisone due to being allergice to remicade. plus, i eat when i am depressed and boy was i depressed when i was flaring all the time. i've been in remission for a few years and i've not lost the weight, but i've had kids and that tends make u fat too.

i have the same problem as MMMNAVY, when i flare i can only eat fatty foods like pasta, creamy soups and ice cream. so even when i flare, i just maintain or gain. when i started this whole deal i was about 185, not skinny but not as obese as i am now.

-jeny

Oh my Jeny!! My history is just like yours. My tyroid is huge. And I have gained more weight since being diagnosed. I hope after surgery I can switch to being a skinny- crohnnie. this weight sucks.

A study published a couple months ago showed significant increase in BMI in patients taking Remicade for psoriasis. Not the same disease, but the same medication. I'm on my laptop and don't have the links to the study on hand. When I get to my other computer, I will get you all the info so you all can print it out and hand it to your disbelieving doctors.

Snappy, is it possible that your metabolism is adjusted to your athleticism, in other words, that your body is used to needing and burning large amounts of energy?

If you weren't well enough to exercise the way you once did, is it possible that your body would pile on weight instead?

Just a guess; it could be completely wrong.

It's nice to see you again!

I.

Hi Ivy!

Well, I'm sure my metabolism is screwed up. I used to run 40  miles per week for years. But I think I've adjusted my diet a whole lot so that I don't eat near as much. But maybe I'm wrong... I do eat healthy sancks all day but maybe it's just too much. Just doesn't seem like too much because of what I was used to.

On the plus side (no pun intended) I am lifting weights and it's easier than ever now! maybe big gains, bulking up.

Thanks!

Here are links to the studies showing Remicade can cause weight gain. The studies were done on patients receiving Remicade for Ankylosing Spondylitis and Psoriasis. Hope this helps...

Prospective Assessment of Body Weight, Body Composition, and Bone Density Changes in Patients with Spondyloarthropathy Receiving Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha Treatment.

"CONCLUSION: This 2-year prospective study showed a significant increase in body weight at 1 year and 2 years, mostly due to a gain in fat mass and a significant increase in BMD, in patients with SpA receiving anti-TNF-alpha treatment."

Anti-tumour necrosis factor-alpha therapy increases body weight in patients with chronic plaque psoriasis: a retrospective cohort study.

Here's an article that dealt with Crohn's patients.

ACG: (American College of Gastroenterology) Weight Gain with Infliximab in Crohn's Disease Confirmed but Not Explained

http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/ACG/tb/6976

Print out the article and show it to your GI doc.

Good luck!

Jan