I may have ask before but has anybody lost weight while on preds. I have lost muscle mass. Guess that would make you lose numbers on scale. I know I sound dumb to this but i am. I have so many questions that my doctor just seems to vaguely answer so i come here for answers. Thanks to all for any help.
Hi Phillis,
I wish I was losing weight like you but the preds have made me gain a lot of weight
and I am currently fighting the urges to continually snack.
Preds affect different people in different ways but you will I am sure get plenty of answers to your query.
Keep smiling.
Tony (80 years)
I lost in the beginning when doc put me on 20mg a day but as
the sed rate dropped and I took less pred I started gaining and
have now gained about 25 lbs. Your loss may reverse like mine
and you'll put the weight back on. But like somebody says, this
stuff affects everyone differently.....hang it there. This is a good
site to gain info. I'm in the U.S. and kind of found it by accident
but glad i did. I've learned a lot that my doc never even mentioned.
I wish I knew which thread to tell you to look up, but there's been a conversation lately about losing weight, and there are some of us that have. My face has filled out and given me chubby cheeks, but I've actually lost weight and there are some others who have too. Before i got diagnosed, I started losing weight, and when I first started on the higher doses of prednisone, it made me very sick to my stomach & I had a hard time eating. Now that I'm down to 7 mg, I still don't really have an appetite & I have to make myself eat--a problem I've never had in my life. I've always been very athletic, so it's hard for me to watch my muscle tone go away too, but hopefully I'll get through this & get myself back in shape.
I lost 10 kilos within a few months of starting pred. Now I have reduced pred I have gained about 4 pounds. Don't worry! Most put ON weight, so 'be happy'.
C. 💐
Lost weight before and shortly after starting preds, but then put it all back on plus! I'm down at 6 mg and am holding my own weightwise and hoping with a little will power and exercise to drop some more - I'm 160 lbs and was quite fit for my age (74) pre PMR. We are all different so my experience may not be the same as others.
Regards, John
Still waiting for diagnosis,but have lost so much big muscle,is this normal with PMR?
Yes! Not that I ever had big muscles. Are you a weight lifter or something?
Thank all of you for the info. i just didn't know where to turn. If I ask silly questions its because i don't know about this and asking my Rheumy and GP is like I have put them out. Maybe time for new ones. they take your money but seems they do not want to educate you on these things. Don't mean to speak ill against anyone but it is what it is.
They can't educate us because they know so little themselves!!!
Agree, I don't think the doctors know much about PMR or sometimes even all the symptoms of Prednisone. I too happened on this sight and am SO glad!
I have lost almost 10 lbs. was almost 144 now 134.5, I'm 54 yrs old.
My primary doctor was so excited I lost weight and my cholesterol went down, but I'm sad because it's NOT fat I'm losing, it's muscles!!! My legs never looked this weepy!!! I'm trying to do weights now with approval of physical therapist. But hard to work quadriceps when hips hurt, so they are trying to strengthen my hips and shoulders.
I do not eat flour products,grains, nor sweets anymore, so fortunately my cravings have subsided which is why I think I haven't gained weight. I'm now able to ride stationary bike for 25 minutes to hopefully keep motabilism up and maybe bood flow??? I like to think that anyways.
Good question! All concerns are good questions. I have a dumb question too... My hair is so dry! It's gross and of course now thinning. It was already thin before. I don't want to cut it short, ugh. Assume that is Pred symptom?
Ask your GP for Folic Acid, it can help to mitigate hair loss.
Buy a cucumber and when you want to snack, cut an inch off it and eat it. Amazing are cucumbers you can survive in the desert with them, full of vitamins and minerals. I wrap mine up in foil and they keep well in the fridge.
Problem is that the blood supply to the mucscles is impaired.
Gentle exercise is recommended and I mean gentle. Pilates, Aqua Aerobics, walking for at least 45 minutes per day ( you just start at 5mins each way per day and then build it up).
Pain, try Bowen Technique, it has helped so many of us. I would not be walking without my zimmer or walking stick without trying Bowen. Now I juist get a booster every 6 months. Money well spent.
If any exercise causes pain it is wrong for you and any physio, excericse person should know that, the old saying 'no gain, without pain' is a no no for all and particularly for people with PMR.
Wow! You can walk for 45 min!?! My back hurts too much, I try to walk 10-12 min. But back will hurt rest of day. Not sure if old injury come back to haunt me or if PMR playing role.
I'll look up this Bowen thing. Thanks!
My hair started going the same way. Fortunately my husband is a hairdresser and we found some pills called 'Hair Volume' from Holland and Barrett health food store in the UK but you can get then online. After just a few weeks my hair started to feel thicker. I have been on them for four months now and my hair is thicker than it was before polymyalgia
My hair hasn't thinned, but it turned dry as a bone & coarse, and wouldn't do a thing I wanted. A friend gave me some Wen cleanser/conditioner & that helped a lot, but it didn't make it completely better. Another friend gave me some Argan Oil, which, combined with the Wen, has done wonders in letting me to get this under control. Before I did all this, I made my doctor check my thyroid again (I already take Synthroid), but it was okay, so we figured it must be the pred causing my problems.
I do so hope you checked with your pharmacist that they were compatible with the meds you are taking.
A Golden Rule is check everything, both OTC and new prescriptions from your medics with your Pharmacist they know more about drugs than anyone else in the medical profession or a herbalist.
Yes, but I have been in remission and off pred for nearly 4 years.
Could I do it when I had GCA - no and I ended up using a wheelchair.
initially I had massive muscle wasting and lost weight. it wasn't good weight loss, but muscle, 30 + pounds. I had to use a wheel chair for a short period of time and see a physical therapist to regain some muscle. I'm not where I was but I can get around on my own and only need a cane on occasion. prednisone sucks.