steroid and weight gain

Asims · Guest

How much sterid does it take to cause weight gain? How long do the effects last as it pertains to weight gan? I tke steroid shots about every six months for tennis elbow. Every three months if you count alternating elbows.

Kruko · Silver Member Joined: 27 Mar 2006 Posts: 210

The steroids you are referring to and the steroids you are taking are two different things. Anabolic steroids are steroids that promote tissue growth by creating protein to enhance muscle growth. They are used for weight gain and abused by many sportsmen and weight lifters.
Corticosteroids that you are receiving for your tennis elbow are synthetically made cortisone, naturally occurring substance in the body, reduce inflammation and irritation caused by many diseases.
The most common side effects of corticosteroids are: pain at the site of injection, causing loss of strength and movement due to tendon weakening and scarring, pigmentation problems, infections, etc
Most of the time, they reduce pain and inflammation but could also slow healing.

Guest · Guest

I don't care what you are told, I have had steroid injections to "reduce inflammation" after a doctor botched a c-section. No matter what I did, each shot put on 8 pounds. This is the absolute hardest weight I have ever tried to take off of my body, and it doesn't seem to want to go anywhere. I had a doctor tell me today that steroids only caused water gain, and I gained from having a baby. I gained 15 with my son, lost 18, and gained 32 after they had to do a series of injections and another surgery to correct the first. YES, THEY MAKE YOU GAIN WEIGHT. Even the corticosteroids do.

Guest · Guest

Is the shot itself that makes you gain the weight or is it an increase in appetite due to the steroid injections? I am interesting to know since I am very soon going to undergo a series on shots for alopecia areata. Please respond.

Guest · Guest

I have just received a steroid injection for a problem caused by Dermalive. Dermalive is a product used for cosmetic enhacement of, in my case, nasal labial folds. I received the Dermalive exactly two years ago, and now I have lumps showing through the surface of my skin.

The doctor who gave me the Dermalive two years ago, is now treating me with a steroid injection into the exact area of the lumps. I believe she called them granular formations.

I have already gained weight, although the doctor said I would NOT!

Is this possible?

Blondie29 · Newbie Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 2

I had a corticosteroid shot a few months ago for severe asthma and I gained weight. Weight gain was never really an issue for me to reduce, but no matter what I try now, I CANNOT get the weight off. To compare, I did the Master Cleanse (juice fast / detox) 10 months ago, lost 26 lbs in 13 days, 16 of which I lost in the first week. I am currently doing the cleanse again and am on my 5th day (hoping to flush this horrid medication that seems to have taken control of my body weight) - I have lost only 5 lbs, and that includes going to the gym. Plus, it's like the drug is rebelling to the detox, because all my joints hurt and swelling has taken place in my hands and around my joints! I don't understand it, all I know is, this is NOT the way my body normally responds to weightloss management. Who knew???? But it SUCKS.

Blondie29 · Newbie Joined: 27 Apr 2008 Posts: 2

Oh, and I talked to the pharmacy, and they told me there is nothing I can do but wait out the shot (which is active for 6 months in the system). He said go to the gym and try to eat light, but I will STILL gain weight.

A closer look into this drug online helped me understand it a little better. Basically stay away from carbohydrates, fats, sugar, salt, anything that can be saved as glucose or retain water in the system. Steroids also cause weight gain, because they suppress the adrenal glands, which are responsible for metabolism. There's a whole other slew of side effects, too. Like a repressed immune system, which will leave you susceptible to getting any little thing. I was sick every time I turned around for about a month and a half after I had my shot (plus, I was taking them orally and through inhalation), but that seems to have passed. The weight is still the main problem for me.

Hope this helps shed some light on this elusive drug. Kinda makes you wish they tell you all this stuff and what to expect, up front, huh?

Guest · Guest

Interesting comments. I stumbled upon this thread because I'm convinced I've lost 10 lbs in 2 weeks due to 5 days of an oral steroid followed by an epidural steroid injection. 6 months ago I started dieting and pretty quickly lost 15 lbs. I'm a 6'1", 36 year old male that started the diet at 211 lbs. Since the weight loss, I've been down between 12 & 16 lbs but can't really seem to crack that 16 lb. mark. Since the steroid use 2 weeks ago, I've dropped another 10 without any exercise. In fact, the steroids where for a sever back problem and my exercise has decreased since I'm barely able to even walk. Last week my face was red and my skin was hot. The only thing I can figure is that my metabolism was on overdrive and I was burning calories at a much higher rate than normal.

steroid and weight gain

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