When will the Prednisone weight gain stop???

I have been on the equivalent of about 40 mg of Prednisone since mid-December. I started tapering 3 weeks ago and am now down to 20 mg. I expected that by now I would have at least stopped gaining weight on the Pred, but no!

If you gained weight on Pred, did you gain it all at once or did you keep gaining over a period of time? Did you start loosing weight as soon as you started tapering or did you have to get to a magic dosage?

The taper is going well and I shouldn't complain given that I finally am in remission (dare I utter that word!), but the 15-20 lbs I put on are driving me crazy! I really want to start trying to get it off, but I don't want to frustrate myself if it is still unrealistic being on 20 mg.

I think my appetite decreased when I hit 4-5mg but I don't think the weight comes off until you're off completely. Very depressing.

Tlhall, I know what you mean but at the same time, I definitely had a hugely increased appetite while on prednisone. The amount i've decreased eating should definitely make a difference in my weight. That's my hope. I was eating A LOT.

I always lose weight 40 lbs last time and 50 lbs one other time.

aguywithuc, Do you do anything to lose the weight or do you just go off prednisone and the weight falls off?

My advice would be to try to make reasonable choices to limit or even reverse the weight gain. Maybe there are other food options you can consume that are higher in volume while lower in calories in order to satisfy your increased appetite without overdoing the calories? Are you able to burn some extra calories by walking or through other forms of exercise while you're eating more do to the increased appetite? Use discipline and willpower to make more responsible choices towards your waistline, if possible. I completely understand and sympathize with the prednisone weight-gain. Many of us have been there before and we know exactly what you're going through.

I have always lost any fat and or water weight that I gained on prednisone cycles after discontinuing the drug through diet and exercise, although I'm normally quite an active person in the gym. If you're not a particularly active person in your life it may prove to be more challenging, as you don't want to lay down unnecessary weight that you'll need to carry with you long after you've stopped using the prednisone. Although I may be repeating myself here, try not to give in so much to junk-food cravings that load you up with unnecessary calories without really satisfying you.

This may be an obvious point, but we almost always use prednisone to recover from severe symptoms, which almost always means we were terrified of food for awhile. When prednisone works well, it's almost as if we're trying to make up for lost time by eating everything in sight. It's as if we think to ourselves, "now I can eat again!", and we eat everything we can get our hands on because we don't know how long the relief will last. I'm sure many of you know exactly what I mean.

Still, a little self-control and discipline can go a long way. Unnecessary weight gain is bad news, and I think it can aggravate people with our condition, especially those who sleep on their stomachs: the increased belly fat presses on our colons and makes normal operations of the colon slightly more difficult. Try your best not to give in to the munchie-devils!

Stay strong!

My doctor on Fifth Avenue told me not to worry about losing any Prednisone weight gain for awhile. While on the drug, your bodies hormones give way to the Prednisone, and the side affects such as weight gain begin..Though it should take a few weeks for Prednisone to finally leave your system, it usually can take a few months or longer to notice any weight gain, simply because the body has to REALIGN itself back to the way it used to be, before the medication..I basically was starving myself for a month after I stopped the prednisone, and Gained a few pounds..My body simply wasnt realigned yet..It takes time, simple as that.

I gained 10 lbs while on 60mg of prednisone for 4 months even with extreme activity lifting 2 hours a day plus football and wrestling. I am able to start losing the weight now that im down to 15mg it's still coming off slow

Im 16 5'10 and 170lbs my body fat percentage went from 10% to 14 on it and my skin became stretchy i noticed a bigger face and some lovehandles