Prednisone and diet | Recreation and Sports

August 28th, 2012 by Leave a reply ?

As with many drugs, there can be problems unless you follow a strict dietary regime. Although an article like this can give general advice, this is something you should discuss with your regular physician. Everyone is slightly different and your diet should be tailored to your particular needs to make sure your use of this drug is both effective and safe.

One of the first issues to confront is psychological. Many people discover that the use of corticosteroids boosts appetite. You will tend to feel more hungry, more of the time. This is something you must learn to ignore or resist. If not, you will find yourself putting on too much weight and facing an increase in fluid retention which can cause swelling of the joints. To add to the problems, Prednisone encourages a slight breakdown in the muscles protein. To compensate, you should eat a diet that adds more protein. A similar issue occurs with respect to calcium. Over the long term, your body will adjust and you may need to take a calcium supplement.

More generally, you should aim to reduce the amount of salt you eat. Ignoring the benefits to your heart, your body will need less salt while taking this drug. To achieve this, you will have to get used to food tasting differently. If you cook your own food, use less salt. It?s better not to buy processed food, and to avoid canned food altogether. This means focusing on a diet that?s rich in protein, i.e. lean meats, fruits, vegetables and grains. As an alternative to extra calcium, eat low-fat dairy products. You should add vitamins A and C, phosphorus and potassium, but this can be achieved by eating bananas, oranges, tomatoes, apricots and baked potatoes.

Prednisone is a powerful and effective drug but you must discuss all these dietary issues with you regular physician both before you start, and as you go on through the treatment. There should be regular monitoring to ensure you stay generally healthy with adjustments to the diet or the addition of supplements.

Source: http://www.ypsummit.org/193-prednisone-and-diet.html

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