I have been taking Predisone for 3 weeks for Addison’s Disease and have gained 15 lbs. I am freaking out due to the fact that I have to be on this medication for life.
Any tips out there on how to stop gaining weight. I am starving all the time. I hate this medicine.
Dear Runk,
Why not ask your doctor if you can switch to hydrocortisone. Hydrocortisone is a natural adrenal hormone that chemically matches human hormone. It has been around a long time and is inexpensive. It’s drawback in comparison to Prednisone is that it has to be taken more frequently, up to 3 times a day.
It’s benifits are that it is natural and I think you would not put on weight with it if it is properly adjusted. I have never put on any weight from it. Prednisone is a synthetic hormone that does not chemically match human hormone and therefore it is more likely to have side effects and not work the same in the body as the real thing.
I have been using hydrocortisone for at least 4 years now and have not had any problems with it. I carry it with me everywhere, because if I have stress or have to do extra activities, I might need a few mg more.
Tish
Runk: How much prednisone? It sounds like you are taking too much. The latest thinking on pred is to NOT take more than 5 mgs/day. More than 5 and side effects -unusual weight gain just being one of them- start to show up. Not all endos are up to date in fact I dare say that quite a few endos are totally out to lunch when it comes to skillfully treating Addison’s.
As an editorial personal opinion: Pred in horrible stuff. HC is far superior. I take HC 6 times/day in small doses and my disease is basically invisible to me.
Beyond this small and under-populated group I suggest Hopeoasis.org and Addisons_disease@yahoogroups.
I started off on Prednisone and gained a lot of weight and have freaked out about it. I hav switched to cortef and I still gained weight. I have to take a lot of either medicine to keep my cortisol level up. Every morning my cortisol level drops to .5 even if I have taken the meds the day before. I have to take all my meds in the morning. I tried spliting it up but when I took it at night I could not sleep.
I gained weight at first also. I couldn’t lose it until someone recommended that I try following the Zone Diet. It really worked for me, and I started feeling a lot better. In the process I learned that Addison’s really messes with your carbohydrate metabolism and your blood sugar. I had low blood sugar attacks after eating things like bagels, pasta,starches and white flour products, even oatmeal and cereal, if I ate them alone. Even still I don’t eat carbs by themselves, I always combine them with a protein source and a healthy fat. And I’ve cut way back on carbs in general. When I cook dinner I don’t automatically add potatoes, macaroni, bread, or any starch. When you think about it, these things mostly just add calories anyway, and not a lot in the way of nutrition, plus they all require butter…more calories. Now I eat meat, fish, eggs, etc, and get my carbs from fruits and veggies as much as possible. It’s made all the difference. When I tried to lose the weight by cutting back on food in general, I had no luck at all, I was really discouraged. Hope this helps.
Jan
-----Original Message-----
From: Toni 78 addisons-cpt3475@lists.careplace.com
To: janstorz@aol.com
Sent: Mon, 8 Oct 2007 5:53 pm
Subject: Re: [addisons] Addison’s Disease
Runk, I agree, hydrocortisone is the better med for addisons disease. Of course, I am not a doctor. I tried prednisone and felt lousy. I have gained some weight and have found it very hard to lose. I try to watch my carb intake, but that is hard at times. Check with your doctor re. hydrocortisone. Another great forum is –
I, too, agree that hydrocortisone is better. I have taken it since March
and have not gained weight. I feel the endos do not know much about
this disease.
My renin is very low. Do you have that problem. It affects the aldosterone
level.
I think a lot of my weight gain is due to the high amounts of steroids I have recieved while I have been in the hospital. I have been in and out of the hospital for the past year, at least once a month. When I am in the hospital I get steriods in my IV, 200mg a day, to help me fight off the infection and the many surgeries I have had this year. I have had 6. I have a heart problem too. I have cut down a lot on my cortef at home but I am having a hard time loosing the weight that I have gained in the past year. I do not eat that much and I have started exercising. I am hoping the workouts will help. I am little and have gained 25-30lbs in the past year and want to loose it more than anything. Also I can not stand the round little face I have gotten because of the steroids. They did warn me about the moon face. I hate it. It makes me look even more heavier. I guess it could always be worse. I hope to loose 20lbs by January 1, 2008. Any advice on how to loose the weight. I do not eat any red meat or pork.
Toni