Nutrition: Steroids and weight gain
But even the 2mg seems to have the same effect of the higher dose. There’s no evidence to suggest that these methods will lessen the harmful side effects of taking anabolic steroids. There can also be psychological effects, including mood swings, paranoia, and aggressive or manic behaviour. Cancer drugs can interact with medicines, herbal products, and some food and drinks.
- These drugs target key cells within the immune system to stop them causing inflammation.
- But what other things that might not have crossed your mind may be influencing your weight loss efforts?
- She says that being extra careful about what you eat during your steroid course will help prevent you from eating more than usual.
- Whereas taking sulphonylureas or insulin increases the amount of insulin in the bloodstream, TZDs help to improve insulin sensitivity and reduce the amount of insulin in the blood.
- I had terrible pains in my joints and muscles, and I developed jaundice.
Others, such as getting a rounder face, happen after weeks or months. If you have been taking prednisolone for more than a few weeks, check with your doctor before stopping it suddenly to reduce your chances of withdrawal side effects. The higher the dose of prednisolone that you take and the longer you take it for, the greater the chance of side effects. You’re less likely to get side effects if you take a relatively low dose of prednisolone daily.
Menstrual changes
I can polish off two supermarket string bags of satsumas in a night. But despite eating healthily, I have still put on half a stone. My consultant did warn me about weight gain and buy underground steroids advised me to surround myself with oranges (rather than crisps or chocolate). Similarly a lot of doctors don’t, or hardly ever, mention the possibility that you’ll put on weight.
To prevent this, your doctor may gradually reduce the dose. This gives your body a chance to adjust and get used to making its own steroids again. Sometimes, when taken in higher doses, steroids can cause confusion or changes in thinking.
Switching medication
Sometimes, other medicines may be combined with corticosteroids to help prevent relapses or to allow your dose of prednisolone to be reduced. The most common symptom of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is pain and stiffness in the shoulder muscles, which develops quickly over a few days or weeks. Cushing’s syndrome is very rare, affecting around 1 in 50,000 people, and is caused by high levels of the hormone cortisol. It can develop as a side effect of long-term steroid treatment (iatogenic Cushing’s syndrome) or as a result of a tumour (endogenous Cushing’s syndrome).
What you can do about chemo brain
They will only be prescribed by your doctor when it’s deemed safe and necessary. Around 5 out of every 100 people (around 5%) experience serious mental health problems when they take steroids. Let your healthcare team know if you notice any changes in your emotional or psychological wellbeing. Also let them know if you or any family members have ever had depression or manic depression (bipolar disorder).
What is the difference between steroid injections and oral (tablet) steroid use?
A study of PMR patients found more than two-fifths put on significant weight. Several people I know on steroids complain of weight gain of a stone or a stone and a half. Doctors are, of course, mainly concerned with the long-term medical benefits of taking steroids and so often don’t mention temporary changes in appearance to patients.
Tablets or liquids
If you have type 2 diabetes, there is another option available if you are struggling with weight gain despite having made significant improvements to your lifestyle. Examples of sulphonylureas include glimepiride, gilbenclamide and gilclazide. In doing so, the body has more insulin available to transport glucose out of the blood and into cells where it can either be used for fuel or to be stored as fat. Before you have any medical tests, tell the medical doctor in charge that you or your child are taking this medicine.
High blood pressure
You may get some of the side effects we mention, but you are unlikely to get all of them. If you are also having treatment with other cancer drugs, you may have some side effects that we have not listed here. Always tell your doctor, nurse or pharmacist about any side effects you have. Cushing’s syndrome and hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid) are two medical known to directly increase the risk of weight gain.
Staying a healthy weight
You can also get information and support from our Ask the nurse service. Outside of medical settings, people tend to get hold of anabolic steroid through unregulated websites. Anything you order online or get from your gym is most likely unlicensed and illegal. Sometimes they are marketed as «legal steroids»- unfortunately there’s no such thing.
However, GCA can sometimes be linked with inflammation of other blood vessels, including the main artery from the heart (aorta) and those supplying the head, neck and arms. If you’re on steroid treatment, you should always carry a steroid card that says what dose you’re on. If you develop visual symptoms, or pain in your jaw or tongue when eating, you may need to go to hospital urgently to be given steroids through a drip into a vein.