Hi to all!
I am new to this forum and wondered if anyone had any comments about predisone use. I have been treated for RA for the last year with over 3 years of unanswered questions and pain. My blood work has not confirmed positive for RA, but my Rheumatologist says he has enough evidence to treat me for RA.
I am not currently on Predisone. But was for about 5 months straight and then off and on. My concern is the weight gain I have encountered from it. I weighed a little over 130lbs and have gained 40 lbs in the last year. I have just found the right combination of drugs that have made me confortable for the time being and have returned to mild walking, that I once enjoyed and kept me slim. Does anyone no if it is of no use to try to exercise to lose this type of weight from that drug, or is it worth giving a try. Just curious if anyone has had to deal with this type of situation.
I am stuggling with the weight I have gained from pred. However, my pain still isn't controlled - pretty much in the same situation as you. If I could exercise - I would; I'm pretty sure the weight would come off with some activity! How long did it take Sulfasalizine to work for you? That's what I'm on right now - it's doing nothing so far..... Good luck with the weight loss! Trixie Trixie, I can't remember exactly when I started the Sulfazidine, maybe 6 months ago. My rheumy has added/changed meds so much that it's hard to say what started working. In fact I was on one 500mg twice a day 3/4 months ago, then a month ago he increased it to two 500mg twice a day and just Monday of this week he increased it to three 500mg twice a day for a total of 3000 mg & he uped the Rheumatrex from 5mg a week to 10mg a week because I had 2 very very swollen fingers. I will say that over the last 4 months I have had less flares. Just a little more tired. The achyness & fatigue has subsided also. So maybe a good couple of months is a fair time to say it's noticed. Good Luck! Sweetpea I apprecitate the info & experiences about the Predisone. It's just that now that I am having more better days than bad I would like to try to incorporate some mild exercise into my days. I use to be a big walker before RA came into my life and really miss it. It was such a good mental and physical exercise I truly enjoyed. Because the RA began in my feet, I had no choice but to eliminate walking for almost 3 years. So in turn no exercise and the use of predisone has made me gain the weight and therefore began another depression. I am soo.. scared to walk again though - like the pain will return to my feet, but dieting alone is not helping to lose the weight. My rheumy said absolutely no dietary supplement for losing weight! He doesn't feel it is a good idea to mix with the meds and that it is unatural to lose weight that way.
I am not sure about the pred turning all of your food to fat, but I do know one of the things that can happen is that you eat more. That will definitly cause you to gain weight. Since, you are off the drug, you should be able to lose weight.
time, I was only on it for two months 40mg-10mg) and I gained
11 pounds. I started tapering down again last week and started
walking every evening, and I have lost 5 pounds in 10 days. I
don't walk for very long or very fast, my ankles, knees, and hips
can't take it, but it seems to help a bit. It also helps me to feel
better mentally just to be out in the fresh air. My advice would
be to start off very slow and for short amounts of time. Good
luck with the weight loss!
Trixie~ Azulfidine has been the one med that has seemed to
take care of my RA the best. The first time I went on it 12 years
ago, it took about 6 weeks to see improvement, and a few more
to find a high enough does to take care of things. I was on it for
years without many problems. This time around, it took about 5
weeks to see improvement, but I am waiting to go to a new
rheumy to up my dose. I hope that it works for you. thanks for the info Sara! Trixie
through. I have ben diagnosed of 1 year and 8
months and was on pred for about 1 1/2 years. I
gained about 35 pounds and was depressed and
unable to exercise too. I have been off pred for about
3 months and am starting to loose some of the
weight. I know I may have to take it again off and on
and don't look forward to it, but when the pain is bad
enough I guess will.
I will you all the best and hope you are feeling better
very soon. Sweetpea, I too have RA in my feet. I could not stand up at all because of the pain. I bought (Chung-Shi) shoes. They are expensive, but I have NO pain in my feet or any of my joints when I am wearing them. I have to stand a lot at work, and they really help keep me pain free (within RA limits) all day. They have a web site if you want to check in to them, hope it helps.
Hi there. I gained a good 20 pounds while on Pred. I was already a bit chunky, so that 20 pounds is not a good thing. I'm starting to feel a bit better, so hoping I can resume walking soon. You are all not alone who have experienced this! I'm done with the Pred for now, so hopefully I can get this weight off. I'd like to do it before the holidays, but not so sure that is going to happen. :)SweetPea, From my experience, exercise was very effective taking off the weight. I use water exercise. I am so glad to almost have my old body back. RA is so hard on your self esteem, we don't need a moonface and weight gain on top of it. Good luck. Rox
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