Weight gain from steroids: Anyone else dealing with this?

I was on corticosteroids, cycling through both high and low doses, for about eight months.
My last dose was roughly eleven months ago.
During that treatment period, I gained about 25 pounds, and honestly, I looked terrible. It isn't a matter of vanity, since there was a much more important medical goal at hand, but these pills simply deform your body. So far, I have managed to lose about 22 pounds and get my appearance back to something resembling normal.
The issue I’m facing now is this nagging feeling that fat has settled right around my waist, which isn't how my body naturally carries weight. To be precise, it isn't just the waist; it's mostly the lower abdomen—those stubborn little love handles.

It is incredibly frustrating to see, especially when I try on pants that used to fit perfectly, only to end up looking like one of those women who tries to pull off a style that clearly doesn't suit them.

For context, I work out five days a week (two yoga sessions plus three strength and toning workouts), and I also go for brisk walks regularly for about an hour and a half, usually covering 4 miles in an hour.
I am quite disciplined with my diet. Lots of fruit, vegetables, fish, and lean poultry. I avoid all sugar, white flour, and processed baked goods.

After that long introduction, my question for anyone else who has been on corticosteroids is this:
how long did it take for you to get your body back to its baseline?

Thanks
😍

corticosteroids. 😱
So, here’s my experience: I was on them via injection for three solid months. To be honest, I experienced just about every single side effect listed on the warning label. The bloating from that crap was unreal; I honestly looked like a parade balloon. 😁
I put on 20 pounds. 😢
A lady working at the oncology clinic told me I’d drop the weight quickly since it was mostly just water retention.
Well, I felt a momentary surge of optimism, but things didn't work out quite that smoothly for me. 🙂
The swelling eventually subsided after about three months, but the actual weight? That was a much harder battle, even after I started exercising as much as I could handle and overhauled my entire diet.
It’s been six months since I stopped taking the steroids, and I’ve managed to lose about 18 pounds. The weight loss is coming off evenly all over, which I'm quite pleased with.
Actually, "pleased" is an understatement—I am beyond thrilled. When I was at my heaviest, I could barely bend over without struggling. 🙂

First off, seriously good call getting off those pills🙂. And hey, I'm glad you're feeling okay physically. As for the weight? Don't sweat it too much, it'll drop off on its own once things settle down. You're already on the right track. That was the biggest hurdle, anyway.😉.

Maybe this sounds a bit silly, but can you actually gain weight from a nasal spray if it also contains a corticosteroid? 😲

I'm talking about the Flex-N-Seal spray.

I was using corticosteroid creams, and let me tell you, I ended up packing on about 22 pounds.
Now look at the mess I'm in.

feralmason34 said:This might be a bit of a silly question, but is it possible to gain weight from using a nasal spray that also contains corticosteroids? 😲

I'm talking about Pfizer nasal spray

Nope

amberraven122 said:I used corticosteroid creams, and I ended up gaining 10 pounds, SO LOOK AT ME NOW.

Do you honestly think you have 10 extra pounds of actual fat, or was it just water retention leaving your system?

Because, in my experience, I lost about 10 pounds of water weight over a month, but I also gained quite a bit of actual fat that I didn't have before.
While I was taking the pills, I was swimming for an hour and a half every single day and sticking to fruit and fish, mostly because everything else just tasted nauseating while I was on the steroids.
The fat settled in my upper body—specifically my arms and stomach. My stomach had always been flat until then.

I suppose it’s only been three and a half months, so I am going to stick to my old routine. There has to be some progress eventually...

🙂

Back in 2004, I was on corticosteroids—Decadron, specifically. I can't recall the exact dosage... but I see everyone here talking about them like they're pure poison. For me, the only thing that happened was my face got a bit rounder and I gained some weight (which wasn't actually a bad thing since I'm usually pretty thin 🙂)... So, for anyone facing this medication for the first time, don't worry too much. It's not that scary. I know there can be worse side effects, but if you stay on top of your checkups, you'll be fine

Emily Cooper88 said:Back in 2004, I was on corticosteroids—specifically Decortin. I can't recall my exact dosage, but looking around, it seems like everyone is being incredibly negative about them. For me, the only things I noticed were some facial swelling and a bit of weight gain (which wasn't actually a bad thing since I’m normally quite thin 🙂)). So, to anyone facing this medication for the first time: don't worry, it isn't that terrifying. I get that side effects can be much worse for some, but if you're staying on top of regular checkups with your doctor, there's really nothing to fear.

Unfortunately, we can't group all doses together. People who have to take cortisone to manage malignant tumors are usually dealing with much higher dosages, which makes the metabolic disruptions far more intense. "Moonface" is just one of the milder side effects on the spectrum.

I am fully aware that corticosteroids can trigger a whole host of side effects, and that is precisely what I am looking to understand better.
A few years back, I was receiving regular injections—though I honestly can't recall the specific type or the exact dosage—every couple of days whenever I would be hit with those bouts of coughing and shortness of breath.
Since then, my overall health has just seemed to unravel. I realize that not every single issue can be pinned on that particular "treatment," especially since one person I spoke to was quite dismissive, remarking that there are all sorts of medications and doctors out there doing their own thing. Still, looking back, I’ve started to suspect that many of the persistent struggles I'm dealing with now might actually be linked to how I was treated at the time.
If anyone here who has gone through something similar would be willing to list some of the side effects that can stem from high doses—and I am fairly certain mine were quite high—I would be incredibly grateful for your insight.

What kind of dosage were you on?

Two years ago, I was put on a high dose of steroids—Medrol—and honestly, it was a nightmare. I gained so much weight it felt impossible, and the water retention was brutal; I could barely walk because my body just wouldn't let go of the fluid. Not to mention the skin issues, the unwanted hair growth, and stretch marks that made me look like I’d just gone through five pregnancies. My mental and physical health just bottomed out. They did way more harm than good. It’s only now, after finally stopping the medication, that I’ve managed to get my body back to something resembling normal—though some of those side effects are still lingering. To make matters worse, since I deal with an autoimmune condition, my symptoms have flared up again. My doctors are suggesting I get back on them, but I am resisting as hard as I can. I’m searching for any alternative method possible to avoid taking that poison again. All I can say is: it was HORRIBLE.

leeloo27

Could you please tell me how much time it actually takes for your body to return to its normal state?

Personally, I feel like I’ve gained twenty pounds entirely in my upper body—it's just concentrated in my arms, chest, and face.

I'm supposed to stop taking Decortin in just a few days.

But what happens after that?

What kind of follow-up care or medication do they provide once you stop, just to ensure you aren't physically restricted and can move freely again?

I've only been on these pills for three months; I started at 40 mg, then every two weeks
we reduced it by a quarter, so now I'm down to half a tablet, and in just a couple more days
I'll be down to a quarter and finally finished.

Is there anything specific I should do, or any particular method I should apply, to help me recover from this physical distortion as quickly as possible?

I honestly feel like an amorphous mass, and frankly, I'm terrified to even look at myself in the mirror.