Prednisone Questions

Introduction:

I’m Jessica, a teenager with ulcerative colitis. Currently doing very well and just trying to get my life back on track from an awful flare!

My Symptoms:

Currently besides side effects from medicine I am symptom free! It’s great!

My Story:

Hi everyone!

I have written a story on this website once before when I was first diagnosed with UC, the title I believe was: “really scared, lots of questions, new to colitis!” I have more questions about prednisone and eating now so I was hoping that making this would hopefully help me because whenever I search my questions online I can never find the answers to them or they all vary to different amounts of medications and such!

So here is the medicine I’m currently taking:

-10mg prednisone (started at 50, went down to 40 but had to go back up to 50 and ever since then I have successfully weaned down 5mgs every Monday and will in less than 2 weeks be completely off this stuff!)
– 3200mg asacol (I’ll be taking this for the next 2-3 years)
-30mg prevacid( I’ll be taking this until I’m completely off prednisone!)
I’m also taking some vitamins:
-2000 IU’s of vitamin D3
– materna (does not say how many MG’s or anything, but I take one pill of the centrum brand and it’s also the prenatal kind that usually pregnant women take to make sure they have enough vitamins)
-500mcgs or vitamin B12
– 65mgs of iron
-1mg –USP of folic acid
So, I have some questions that I’ve been hoping that someone could please help me with, particularly on prednisone.
I, like many have experienced the side effects of prednisone like moon face and weight gain. So my summer has been unlike most of my friends, I don’t hangout with anyone, I don’t go out, I just stay home and stay alone whenever possible because I’m just too embarrassed to see anyone anymore because I absolutely HATE the way I look! I’m happy that I’m out of my flare and into remission right now, but I need some help with these questions:

1. Right now, I’m taking 15mgs of pred and I’m due to start with 10 on the 30th! BUT I have not seen my weight decrease, in fact this I’m currently at my heaviest!! When do the extra pounds come off?!

2. My moon face actually has gone down a little bit (unlike my stomach sadly) but it still is very round and I still have a double chin, how long does it take to completely go away?

3. Is it possible to lose weight while on prednisone? I’ve been dieting to lose weight and I try to exercise but I have pretty bad joint pain thanks to pred now so it’s really hard sometimes, and I can’t seem to lose ANYTHING! Last week I noticed I was eating so little I was practically starving myself to lose weight ( I realized I’m crazy and am back to eating healthy again) but even then I didn’t lose not even 1 pound… why is this happening?! I’m about 5 feet and currently 122 pounds! I’m normally 110ish, but being so short, it’s a bit awkward with those extra 12 pounds ALL in my belly and waist area..!
4. Besides the recent diet to try to lose weight, I have really not been avoid the major “no no foods” for colitis. So YES, I eat bread and pasta and dairy! AND (knock on wood ) I haven’t had any cramping or any other reaction to eating these foods, so my question is… is it because I’m currently taking prednisone? Like does it hid the reactions I would otherwise have? So I guess I’m really asking when you guys are on pred, do you find that you can eat whatever really? I’m hoping that I’m just lucky with this because the only foods I avoid are fried foods, stuff like lunchmeats, and spicy foods, but that’s it! Since I’m almost off pred, I’ve been wondering if my journey of all the foods I love like dairy is coming to an end or not!

5. Oh, and this one isn’t about prednisone its actually about asacol, since i have to take it for about 2-3 years, does this medicine have any bad side effects on anyone here?

So thank you for reading and listening to my story and thank you in advance for any help with these questions! (:

Where I’d Like to be in 1 year:

Hopefully still symptom free, off prednisone and enjoying my summer next year! I’d like to also hopefully have my side effects from the pred completely gone by then for sure!

Colitis Medications I’ve tried:

I can say me and prednisone have a love/hate relationship. I love it because it definitely helped me and I’m so thankful for that because that flare I had in the hospital was AWFUL and did not seem to be going away until we started this drug. So thank you for that prednisone!

Although, I hate it because of the awful side effects, It makes me cry when I look at myself in the mirror now… It makes me depressed when I can’t wear my favorite outfit anymore because it doesn’t fit!.. It makes me cry again when i see that my face looks like a whale and I just don’t think I look good whatsoever! I haven’t been hanging out with many people because I’m embarrassed for them to look at me now! :( I know, I’ve been complaining about this a lot and I’m sorry but it’s so hard, this has majorly affected my life so far! I’m a teenager, so I don’t need another insecurity on me right?

written by Jessica

submitted in the colitis venting area