Can one cortisone injection in my knee cause weight gain?

I have had 3 steroid shots in by back for a hernia. After the third shot I noticed weight gain, and swelling of my face, my arms, the area above my collarbone and a lump at the top of my back where the neck starts. I have noticed that so many of you have gone through the same thing and I was wondering if this ever goes away? If so how long does it take? And what helped you fight the side effects?

Just read about 1 girl having a shot in her knee on April 15, and gain 5 lbs in 2 weeks.  The same thing happen to me.

Will I get back to my normal weight.  I exercise 5 days a week and do not eat any more than what I was eating before I had the short

YES it does cause weight gain for MOST!  I've gained EVERY time I've had injections over the last 10 years...I have GRAVES DISEASE and if you don't know what that is, its a form of hyperthyroidism where my thyroid is OVER ACTIVE meaning I burn everything I eat fast, yet with Cortisone I've gained 20 Pounds in a period of 2-3 months after 2 good healthy injections in my shoulder.  Last year when I had injections in my neck I also gained and it came off after about 3 months, but this time its not coming off because I am not able to work out, I do know that it takes a while for the hormone to completely get out of your system before the food cravings etc.. go away.   The other side effect was anxiety in the middle of the night   Turns out my shots in my shoulder were a waste of time because I most likely have to have shoulder surgery due to torn ligaments which an MRI could have shown if WC would have listened to my Dr. in the first place!  SO frustrating...If you are thinking these shots are the CURE, they are not..they are MASKING the problem not fixing it..

I got a cortisone shot 4 months ago for herniated disc and my left leg going to sleep randomly prior to the shot I couldn't drive and walked with a cane after the shot my leg went back to normal and I could walk it didn't help my back pain at all. Prior to the shot I had gained 5 pounds from inactivity, after the shot I walked, worked out, swam, biked you name it and I gained 10 more pounds and I look like I gained an extra 20 my face and body are bloated. I was a psycho hormonal mess and am lucky to get a good nights sleep once a week. I was scheduled for 2 more shots which I refused it was worth it to get my life back but to go from a size 8 to a 14 in a few months is tough for a woman to deal with. My doctor told me one shot doesn't cause any weight gain or my other symptoms. Does anyone know when my metabolism will go back to normal I feel like I am working towards nothing?

 

Hi Robin68, I dont think my last post worked. I wanted to let you know that I went to my Gyno and she told me it can take up to (brace yourself) 1 year for the body to return to normal. Now this is in my case...and i've had about 7 inj's of cortisone in the past year and a half. I'm on month #8 and i've had 2 regular periods for the first time in i cant remember how long. I also went from a size 8-9 to a 14-16. Its the worst feeling and its embarrassing because i dont want anyone to think i "let myself go". I heard someone at a BBQ asking why I put on so much weight and it hurt me very deeply. Now that my period is a little regular i'm hoping the weight will start to come off as well. I will keep you posted but in the mean time, keep you chin up-there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

I'm a male 31 in the Army.  After a second shot in my wrist I've had weight gain (5 pounds 2 days after) and my knees have swelled.  I'm pretty upset since this hasn't even fixed the original problem.  I'll post progress on this.  I'm sorry yo hear all the horror stories and hope all of you get better.

I really hope you get some relief from this 1st injection!! Hopefully it will be the 1 and only that you need. Please do keep me posted on the status of your progress. And on a side note, thank you..for serving and protecting the USA!!

petty30 wrote:

jimreghi wrote:

I'm a male 31 in the Army.  After a second shot in my wrist I've had weight gain (5 pounds 2 days after) and my knees have swelled.  I'm pretty upset since this hasn't even fixed the original problem.  I'll post progress on this.  I'm sorry yo hear all the horror stories and hope all of you get better.

I really hope you get some relief from this 1st injection!! Hopefully it will be the 1 and only that you need. Please do keep me posted on the status of your progress. And on a side note, thank you..for serving and protecting the USA!!

Well I did a detox with 8 ounces of Wheatgrass juice (over 2 days) and feel much better. My knees and back were killing me, but have since improved to normal. The only explanation was the cortisone since I had not done anything of physical significance. The pain in my knees and back is gone, but the pain in my wrist is still there along with the extra couple pounds. The cortisone shots were a terrible idea. I have been seeing the Army doctors since last winter for the wrist ailment, and only now will they acknowledge that it was probably a tear in the ligament (what I said all along). Top this off with the fact that I now face the uncertain future of leaving active duty service on the 19th of next month, and have only one good arm to work with.

Anyway, sorry to gripe......I hope all of you can find a happier place. Wheatgrass has been Heaven sent for me. My overall health has never been better. I should have thought about using it right after the shots. I strongly suggest all that are interested to give it a shot!

jimreghi wrote:

petty30 wrote:

jimreghi wrote:

I'm a male 31 in the Army.  After a second shot in my wrist I've had weight gain (5 pounds 2 days after) and my knees have swelled.  I'm pretty upset since this hasn't even fixed the original problem.  I'll post progress on this.  I'm sorry yo hear all the horror stories and hope all of you get better.

I really hope you get some relief from this 1st injection!! Hopefully it will be the 1 and only that you need. Please do keep me posted on the status of your progress. And on a side note, thank you..for serving and protecting the USA!!

Well I did a detox with 8 ounces of Wheatgrass juice (over 2 days) and feel much better. My knees and back were killing me, but have since improved to normal. The only explanation was the cortisone since I had not done anything of physical significance. The pain in my knees and back is gone, but the pain in my wrist is still there along with the extra couple pounds. The cortisone shots were a terrible idea. I have been seeing the Army doctors since last winter for the wrist ailment, and only now will they acknowledge that it was probably a tear in the ligament (what I said all along). Top this off with the fact that I now face the uncertain future of leaving active duty service on the 19th of next month, and have only one good arm to work with.

Anyway, sorry to gripe......I hope all of you can find a happier place. Wheatgrass has been Heaven sent for me. My overall health has never been better. I should have thought about using it right after the shots. I strongly suggest all that are interested to give it a shot!

I had no idea that Wheatgrass would help out with my problems. Thanks for the tip, thats good to know. No need to apologize for "gripe-ing", that's what this place is for b/c sometimes family/friends just don't understand. I felt like I was alone b/c most of my Dr's were saying that all these symptoms couldn't just be from cortisone. Here I am 8 months after my last injection and my body is finally regulating and getting back to "normal". If I could take it all back I would, 20% relief was not worth the lengthy time i've spent feeling like c**p from the side effects. I figure if one person who is contemplating doing it sees this and can avoid what we've gone through that's one less person that has to vent. :)

I really hope that everything works out for you. And we appreciate the Wheatgrass suggestion. :)

This has been an interesting thread. I've had cortisone injections in my knees about every 4-5 months for years. Without them, I could not function. However, after the first set, I did have some serious depression. It lasted about two weeks, but took me a while to connect it to the shots--probably because I was too depressed about everything. It was totally confusing since I had no signs of depression prior to that. However, when it cleared, the relief from the shots was so dramatic that I went back in and explained my situation. The doctor said he felt he could curb that symptom by lowering the dosage to 3/4 of what he had used before. All went well until two days ago when I received another set of injections. I experienced similar intense pain and cramping to what was mentioned in another thread--in just one knee, I experienced extreme pain. The knee was quite swollen. The pain and spasms went from my upper thigh to my lower shin. It was horrific! I called the office and they told me that though unusual it does happen occasionally and should go away within 24 hours. Luckily, I had some Lortab from a previous surgery that I used to get me through the night and by morning it was gone. However, I am also noticing a weight gain. I haven't had that before. But, I've gained 1/2 pound a day for the last two days. That's why I found this thread. Here's hoping that my gain is temporary. All the best to those of you seeking alternative relief! I hope you have found it. If any of you have found good alternative options, I'd love to hear about it.

Hello everyone, I hope some of you are still replying to this thread.  I came across it because I have been a mess since I got a steroid injection 3.5 months ago.  I got and injection and did a 5 day oral dose at the same time.  The day after my last oral dose I had a full blown panic attack, but it was severe.....I then had heart problems for a few weeks and had to go see a cardiologist.  Turns out my heart is fine, my bloodwork is fine, etc...  What is still getting me now is SEVERE anxiety and I have never had anxiety before in my life until now.  I am awaiting bloodwork results from the endocrinilogists at the moment.  I cant beleive the steroids did this to me.  I am very scared........I have herd it can take 6-8 months to return to normal.....I'm only at 3.5 months right now.  However, I just pray I get back to normal! 

petty30 wrote:

jimreghi wrote:

petty30 wrote:

jimreghi wrote:

I'm a male 31 in the Army.  After a second shot in my wrist I've had weight gain (5 pounds 2 days after) and my knees have swelled.  I'm pretty upset since this hasn't even fixed the original problem.  I'll post progress on this.  I'm sorry yo hear all the horror stories and hope all of you get better.

I really hope you get some relief from this 1st injection!! Hopefully it will be the 1 and only that you need. Please do keep me posted on the status of your progress. And on a side note, thank you..for serving and protecting the USA!!

Well I did a detox with 8 ounces of Wheatgrass juice (over 2 days) and feel much better. My knees and back were killing me, but have since improved to normal. The only explanation was the cortisone since I had not done anything of physical significance. The pain in my knees and back is gone, but the pain in my wrist is still there along with the extra couple pounds. The cortisone shots were a terrible idea. I have been seeing the Army doctors since last winter for the wrist ailment, and only now will they acknowledge that it was probably a tear in the ligament (what I said all along). Top this off with the fact that I now face the uncertain future of leaving active duty service on the 19th of next month, and have only one good arm to work with.

Anyway, sorry to gripe......I hope all of you can find a happier place. Wheatgrass has been Heaven sent for me. My overall health has never been better. I should have thought about using it right after the shots. I strongly suggest all that are interested to give it a shot!

I had no idea that Wheatgrass would help out with my problems. Thanks for the tip, thats good to know. No need to apologize for "gripe-ing", that's what this place is for b/c sometimes family/friends just don't understand. I felt like I was alone b/c most of my Dr's were saying that all these symptoms couldn't just be from cortisone. Here I am 8 months after my last injection and my body is finally regulating and getting back to "normal". If I could take it all back I would, 20% relief was not worth the lengthy time i've spent feeling like c**p from the side effects. I figure if one person who is contemplating doing it sees this and can avoid what we've gone through that's one less person that has to vent. :)

I really hope that everything works out for you. And we appreciate the Wheatgrass suggestion. :)

Petty30- Your story seems similar to mine, how are you feeling now???

Hi all,

I was on cortisone for allergy problems. I took 8 injections and gained alot of weight around 44 pounds. Other than the weight problems, I had really bad stretchmarks (Arms, stomach and legs) looked like a bear clawed at me. I even went to a doctor for a kidney stone problem I was complaining of and he was checking around my stomach area and thought I was doing chemotherapy because of how bad the stretchmarks are. I also had acne on my face and my face became puffy and looked like a moon. I gained weight around my stomach, and upper arms. I looked like I was doing weight lifting. Last time I took the injections were in April 2010 and the symptoms started subsiding last march. I have been working out with a personal trainer three times a week for the past three months and have only lost 2 kilos which frustrated me alot. I had gum pain and my teeth became so sensitive to cold drinks and my teeth were more prone to cavities. My feet were swollen with water and it was a pain for me to get from bed and stand up.  My immune system has also gone down and I have to take an immune system booster program (3-month program) every six months to a year. It's tiring me out alot and upsetting me that I've been working really hard to lose the weight and its not going down as fast as it should be. It seriously ruined my life for the past year. So Many side effects from the cortisone. I had a scan done to my brain in July 2010 and the doctors found that my hypothalamus glands' activity was so high (because of the cortisone) that they were afraid that there was a microadenome (small tumor).

I was happy to find this forum where I can vent out my frustration of the problems that I have gone through with the cortisone and now suffering with the side effects. As of now I have lost some weight from the water retention and I'm still working on my workout excercises and trying to do my best to lose the weight and increase my immune system. What I have gone through was a really hard time for me.

Well I had my first injection around ly shoulder blade for pain related to a herniated disc in my neck about 6 weeks ago. It didn't week to do anything for the pain. In fact, the injection site has remained painful. I got a second one about 3 weeks ago. Same results. And suddenly in the last two weeks, my clothes have gotten tighter on me with each day! I have gained 8 pounds and I have not changed any of my habits! I am so glad I found this site to confirm my suspicion! And on top of all that, my period was abnormal for the first time since my three times being pregnant. I am not at menopause age yet . And seeing all of your posts, I am convinced that the injections are the reason!

I injured my lower back over a year ago. I had my first epidural injection in April 2012 and my second in May 2012. Prior to my injury I was 145, just lost 45 pounds. Very active, hiking, running, 300 situps a day, weight lifting. Felt awsome. Now I am 183. i am only able to walk short distances. I do believe my weight gain is from the shots. My doctor never told me weight gain could be a side effect. Also my injections only made me feel better for a week adn the pain was back again. I will NEVER EVER EVER get another shot ever again. I try to see the light at end of the tunnel but it is difficult. My sister said about 6 months after my injectins i should see the weight come off. OH I pray she is right.