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Posted 4/11/2017 10:16 PM (GMT 0)
Hi team, hopefully my last post, heading into final 2 weeks at 2.5 mg taper for pred after flare for 6 months!

Have been on pred 2x in the past but responded very quickly, this was a tough flare to get under control, and I have done a very slow taper. I would expect to be dropping SOME puffiness and weight but I'm just a little concerned about how bloated my belly is. As many have seen on these postings, females particularly seem distressed by this.

But my abdomen legitimately looks like I am well into a pregnancy (I am not). I have a couple of rolls if I suck in, but if i stand up with no abd retention I am HUGE. Anyone else really see this effect? It is quite dramatic.

I have read (the many many many) side effects possible with prednisone, anyone heard of ascites (fluid in the abdomen / in abd cavity) either from the pred itself or from liver damage associated with pred?

Thanks!
---- 47 yo female, dx 12 years ago, Lialda x4 day, 2.5 pred, rowasa
Posted 4/11/2017 11:22 PM (GMT 0)
Bloating should go away 2 weeks or more after you stop prednisone. It's never as quickly as we want, sorry.
Posted 4/11/2017 11:26 PM (GMT 0)
I believe this belongs here

Fletch10 said...
Me TOO! Not sure if I'm just more bloated or if it's the prednisone appetite but my fat seems to have redistributed itself - so I have skinnier thighs and butt but all this weight on my midsection that I didn't normally have sad I'm at 20mg prednisone currently, started at 40 on February 10, tapered for a bit, stuck at 25mg while we monkeyed around with meds, now FINALLY starting to taper again today.

So yes - I think this is a thing that I have, too. My liver numbers are all good right now so I don't think it's ascites in my case (and I had a family member who had that - it's not the same look at all) - I think it's prednisone. And the appetite it gives me for carbs, sugar and salt.

Posted 4/12/2017 2:00 AM (GMT 0)
I am still of Prednisone, but now on 5mg, and what I have found is that it has completely changed my shape. I have fat on my back!! it is a weird place to have a couple of rolls of fat, but I have heard this mentioned before, and so I have just resigned myself to the fact that nothing is going to shift until I come off the Prednisone. It is unfortunate your weight gain has made you look pregnant, that is definitely a horrible blow!!

I don't think anyone loses any weight or bloatedness until they are completely off of it.
Posted 4/12/2017 4:06 AM (GMT 0)
Thanks, iPoop - appreciate you moving that smile And good to know there's relief in sight now that I'm finally tapering pred again. Hopefully I can keep tapering!
Posted 4/12/2017 10:10 AM (GMT 0)
Pred can cause water retention, bloating, and weight gain due to our insatiable appetite. Prednisone wastes muscle mass and redistributes it from our extremities to fat deposits around the core torso. It's truly awful but unfortunately just part of living with UC.

I lost only 1 pound (or at most 2 pounds) several weeks after ceasing prednisone (which was likely my water retention weight). I'm now down 7 pounds from my prednisone weight. My last prednisone pill was end of January 2017. It takes time, patience, and persistence to loose your pred weight gain. I try to be good and eat responsibly, but i am only human and very fallible (ooh a brownie hehe).

Living with UC means letting go of one's vanity as rapid weight gain and loss are just part of what we must deal with. Easy to say and much, much harder to live. I hated looking in the mirror and seeing my fat chipmunk cheeks from pred. Now i see me when i look in the mirror.
Posted 4/13/2017 3:53 AM (GMT 0)
Hi,

Unfortunately I've had the same issues long before I started taking prednisone. It seems that I swell dramatically every evening and look several months pregnant. My belly is hard and round and there's a great amount of pressure (obviously). My doctor has told me that this is just a "normal" part of my condition, which is pretty discouraging. I would be interested to know if anyone has tried anything that helps resolve this.
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