I've been having a distended, swollen abdomen for the longest time. I've even developed cellulitis 3 times in the same area and once it turned into sepsis and I ended up on life support. Do you think this is caused by the prednisone? I've been on steroids for over 10 years and my rheumy is trying to wean me off of them. We have been unsuccessful so far.
My rheumy only treats the SLE issues and I will need to find a GI doctor, I guess. Any ideas?
Lori
Long term prednisone causes fat deposits in the abdomen area and across the back of the neck and shoulders Even if you don't gain weight your waist line will increase exponentially :>( I only gained 12 pounds and now weigh a whopping 135 but my waist is about 38-40 inches. Good news is that if you can get off the prednisone you deflate fairly rapidly!
I am having same issue. I was in hospital 10 days this summer and am finally down to 17.5mg prednisone in addition to Acthar injection once a week. I am very uncomfortably bloated. I have just started drinking kefir and taking digestive enzymes and probiotics. It is starting to help a bit.
I have the same issue and I am not taking prednisone. My swollen stomach comes and goes, I look like I seven or eight months pregnant I found out I have Collengous colitis and intestinal ulcers when I ended up in the hospital. I also have a feeling of fullness after only eating a small amount of food; I have reflux as well.
Purplefav said:
I have the same issue and I am not taking prednisone. My swollen stomach comes and goes, I look like I seven or eight months pregnant I found out I have Collengous colitis and intestinal ulcers when I ended up in the hospital. I also have a feeling of fullness after only eating a small amount of food; I have reflux as well.
I've been on Prednisone since being diagnosed with Lupus 20 yrs ago. I'm down to 5 mg & weaning slowly. I take Prilosec with the Prednisone to prevent ulcers & a Probiotic. Immune suppression makes you more susceptible to infection. Prednisone should not be taken for long term. There is too many side effects. My Rheumatologist put me on steroid sparing drug Cellcept 1,000 mg & it has helped me wean down on Prednisone. The reason I was on Prednisone so long is I had Nephritis that was threatening my kidney function. I also had Transverse Myelitis, Pericarditis & 4 bouts of Sepsis. Rituxan actually put me in remission for at least 9 mos prior to Cellcept which has been a life saver in decreasing the high doses of Prednisone & saving my kidney function.
I take Zegerid each day for GERD and reflux. I have a hiatal hernia that I was born with, but didn't know about until I was in my 20's. I put on 75 pounds with the prednisone and have lost some of it since, but my abdomen is always bloated. My neck and shoulders are puffy, too, and the steroids have done that.
I'm having issues with my digestive system over and over and am afraid that the GI doc will want me to stop some of my SLE meds...that isn't an option since my body will freeze up with stiffness and pain. I think there is some kind of surgery they can do for the reflux and I'm going to see about it.
Great news that the swelling will go down if I can ever get off of the steroids!!!!! Thank you all SO much!
Lori
Me too! I started gaining weight and girth when diagnosed with Addison's, Sjogren's, and two years later SLE. I am on hydrocortisone rather than prednisone. Hydrocortisone more naturally replicates the body's secretion of cortisol. It has some benefit as an anti-inflammatory, but not like prednisone. I have been on 60 mg of prednisone for less than a week and told the doctor I couldn't live feeling so bloated and anxious. I take Plaquenil, and have been in a research study by Eli Lilly, called the Illuminate study. I completed the first year and just received my first dose of the drug in the roll over study. I don't know, but guess that I was receiving placebo for the one year study. Now I am getting at least 250mg of the drug, and could be receiving a second dose of 250mg, or a placebo for the second shot. I am hopeful that I'm getting two doses and the efficacy is going to help. All that to say that I'd do anything to combat this tight and uncomfortable abdomen. I can eat almost nothing, but the weight and the abdomen don't seem to resolve.