lack of weight gain on Prednisone/ also lack of hair growth

Posted , 11 users are following.

I know that Prednisone can cause weight gain, but how unusual is it for a person not to gain weight while taking it.   I've been on 60 mg. for about five weeks now.  The first two weeks, my ankles were swollen, but that went away and now, I continue to maintain my usual weight with no unusual swelling or bloating.   Does the weight gain come with longer use of Pred. or do some people just not gain at all?

    One other thing:  My hair is not falling out, but it just doesn't seem to be growing at all in certain places.   It it, however, very dry and lifeless.   Is this a side effect of Prednisone and how have you all dealt with this, especially the lifelessness?  Any supplements which would help this? 

thanks

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  • Posted

    I didn't gain weight, in fact I've lost a bit more probably because I was afraid of the diabetes side effect when my blood sugar went high and I virtually gave up carbs, and also exercise more because of the bone thinning scare.  With regard to hair, I'm sure my hair got thinner and changed its texture.  This is an effect which took a while to appear.  It took just as long after my dose was lower, below 5 mg, for me to notice my hair returning to its wonted thickness and curliness, and the transition was interesting because even as my hair was getting so thick I had trouble getting the hairbrush through it I seemed to be losing it in great quantities.  Finally decided what was falling out was limp pred-influenced hair which had grown in the year before.  Things seem back to normal now.

  • Posted

    I didn't gain weight, but I've always hard a hard time keeping it on. My previously thick hair got thin because of thyroid disease, I don't think the pred affected it.

    • Posted

      Like you, Anniecurd, I have a hard time keeping weight on my body.   Perhaps this is why I don't gain while on the Pred.    However, I would give anything to gain 10 to 15 pounds which would make me look healthier.  

      Thanks to all who responded about the hair.   It gives me some hope for when I begin weaning.    

  • Posted

    I lost weight with PMR/Pred (10kilos)  Now, 5 years later I have only put 2 kilos back on.  There are a number of us that lost weight, we are the lucky ones.

    My hair got very thin at first (on high doses of pred), over the years it has gone back to 'almost' normal.  Strange now though, I went silver during the last three years (age)! but it is getting darker and darker.  Odd!  I want my silver/white back!

    • Posted

      I bet if you could figure out why your hair is getting its colour back you'd make a fortune!

  • Posted

    A small proportion of patients taking pred do not gain weight - but it is only when you discover you aren't that you know you don't!

    After only 5 weeks I think it is very unlikely to be the pred causing your hair effect - it usually takes a few months for your health to be visible in your hair. If you have GCA it may be due to poor blood flow to the scalp - perhaps not enough to cause the typical tingling or uncomfortable scalp but enough to affect hair growth. That would certainly fit better with it being a patchy effect as you describe.

    My hair did fall out with PMR. It wasn't any worse while I was on prednisolone. After being on Medrol for a few months it looked like a brillo pad but when i switched to prednisone it started to grow in again and is now back to its normal thickness and shine.

  • Posted

    Eileen,

       what is Medrol?   That's interesting that your hair actually improved after you took Prednisone.   

    • Posted

      Methylprednisolone - just a slightly different structure of corticosteroid.
  • Posted

    I just got a slightly less gaunt face which, infuriatingly, meant I kept being told how well I looked. I stayed at my usual eight and a half stone, give or take two or three pounds. Don't remember any change in hair.I was only on 30mgs. max.

    The one sure thing is we are all different.

  • Posted

    I also have only lost weight (not something I am usually prone to) - initially due to restricting my diet to lower carbs - but even when eating a more 'normal' amount it has not altered. Also my hair after about 8 months on Pred (from high to now moderate doses) has started to become thinner and a lot drier - so it seems your version of side effects are shared by quite a lot of us - and are fortunately not too unpleasant compared with some others.

    Best wishes

  • Posted

    I am new to this site as I was only diagnosed on August 15th 2017.

    I was advised by my Ayrvedic practitioner that the weight gain associated with prednisone is water rather than body fat,as prednisone has a real affinity for salt.

    I avoid extra salt at all costs as I cannot afford to gain any weight, water or fat!

    So far my weight has remained the same as before prednisone,but it is very early in the treatment!

    My hair has become rather lifeless and the natural curl has relaxed a lot!

    • Posted

      Well your ayurvedic practitioner is wrong - eating a low salt diet will help the water retention but it won't affect the fat deposition in the midriff, around the face causing the moonface and on the back of the neck causing the buffalo hump which is very real and caused by the effect of pred on glucose metabolism and it leading to random release of glucose spikes from the liver. The excess blood glucose causes a release of insulin - which is what leads to the deposition of fat. No ifs or buts I'm afraid.

    • Posted

      Hi Eileen, 

      Just in regard to “the effect of pred on glucose metabolism and it leading to random release of glucose spikes from the liver etc...”.  I’m interested to know more about the liver/glucose  spikes etc you mention.  I have both PMR and GCA. I have only put the weight on in the areas you mention, and this only started once I began to reduce the pred. Good old chipmunk cheeks, buffalo hump and midriff muffin. The rest of me looks like a skeleton on legs. Attractive...said no one ever. However, a few times now I have had days where my face is more swollen than normal and my eyes feel like water will start over flowing out of my eyeballs. All the aches  and pains start knocking on the door and I feel like I’ve been hit by a front row forward. To the bed I go and I’ll sleep for hours. Then usually all good, or at least not as bad. If this happens and I can get into my massage therapist he does very gentle lymphatic drainage massage and that usually does the trick. Is this caused by these glucose spikes you mention, and if so is there something I can do to avoid it happening? I have cut out added salt ( which I threw over everything I could previously due to low blood pressure), reduced my carbs,  have no added sugar, and do yoga/moderate excercise when possible, so normally I am quite “normal”. I lost 9kls pre diagnosis in May this year and have only regained 4 but it’s all in those lumpy bumpy areas you speak of. Is this fluid, fat, or something towards the glucose spikes?

    • Posted

      Honestly don't know. The glucose spikes are likely to trigger insulin spikes to combat them - and it is surplus insulin that causes the fat deposition in the usual places. But why it should have happened for you as you REDUCED pred I have no idea. There is a lady on another forum who reported a couple of days ago that having switched to low carb, her Hba1c level had fallen from 6.5 to 6.0 and her doctor was over the moon! I would have said the lumps are fat deposits but that may not be the case.

      You don't say how low a dose you have got to - because adrenal gland function (or non-function) will become an issue at some point.

    • Posted

      Yes, I don’t seem to conform to the “norm” with this disease. Rheumy says my bloods are all good, he’s really happy with my inflammation rate (down from  43 initially to now 4) but I have a copy of my results and the pathologist mentions Thrombocytosis and Neutrophelia. He mustn’t be concerned about these though as he said “all good”, and he’s exctatic at how fast I’m improving the inflammation levels.   I’m down from 50mg Panfracorte (Prednisone) started 31.5.17  to 13 mg now, with the last reductions 1mg every two weeks.(I extended one of the drops to 3 weeks). I wondered myself though whether my sometimes extra watery face and extra fluid was more  GCA related than PMR, but your mention of the spikes interest me. Thank you for your valuable comments though as always. You certainly are a true blessing on these forums, , where would we all be without you help and knowledge. X
    • Posted

      That's a fast drop - I'd suspect your adrenals are beginning to be tickled awake...

    • Posted

      I suspect so.  On a previous discussion a while back you were concerned with my reduction plan from the rheumy. And it hasn’t been smooth sailing and I have slowed it up myself at times. Rheumy and I have now compromised that if I can handle the drops his way till 10, ( 1 mg x 2 weeks) then I will do DSNS from then on. Extra puffy days may just be the adrenals as you say. Thanks again for your imput. Always appreciated. 

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