Help! Weight Gain and the Medicine Prednisone...

when my daughter got poison oak i used CALAHIST CLEAR LOTION from walgreens keep a bottle of it in the house i put it on her every day and the poison oak went away. the kids will have to take a bath before putting on this lotion. also you can give the kids benadryl medicine and use the benadryl cream for they face that is also for poison oak. so the lotion for they body and the benadryl cream for they face. I didn't take her to the doctor i wanted to see how the things above worked and they did the poison oak was gone in no time.

I, personally, have been on prednisone many times. One of the main reasons you gain weight on prednisone is that it increases your hunger. The weight should come off when they are off the steroid. I wouldn't worry about the weight gain. I hope you can get rid of the poison oak before next year!

Hi C.,

Please don't worry. The Prednisone only leads to weight gain when taken for a longer time or perhaps a short term weight gain while actually taking it. When taking Prednisone, some people find their appetite increases enormously, hence they eat more, hence they gain weight. Short bursts of Prednisone should not result in any great problem.

I'd reconsider your thoughts on meals and snacks. Grazing is considered by many to be a healthier form of eating, and is certainly a style that keeps me slim. It is hard to digest and process three meals a day ... the grazing keeps my metabolism going and avoids weight gain. It also helps to keep the sugar levels and energy levels more even.

The advice from many dietitians/nutritionists is, if you are going to have three meals, eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper. That will help your body metabolise. Unfortunately, it's the opposite of what many people actually do.

Good luck ...

That is strange about it spreading. It should only be spread from the oil itself from the plant, not once you wash it off. I know you didn't ask about that, but I would ask you dr about the weight gain. I would think it would only be a problem with long term use, not shots and short term therapy.

Having taken this drug many times as an adult and as a child, it is not weight you should worry about but bone loss. I finally underwent extensive allergy treatment - 7 years of shots. I wish I had done it years before. My bone loss varies from 11 to 17% in my neck and back. Buy them the fishing nylon clothes - long sleeves, long pants, light weight and cool but protective for playing in wooded areas. Take them to an allergist.

Don't know about the meds - would be interesting - My 19 year old has had a round due to poison oak also this past year, and has gained weight. I wish it were the meds, but I think it is his lifestyle changing from high school to college and not being as active.
I know your daughter's age is appropriate for weight gain in a lot of girls I know, 9 - 12, and then most not all loose the baby fat by around 15-16.

Frankly I am a little baffled that your giving your kids a drug with some serious side effects and the only thing you seem to be concerned about is the weight gain? Did your Doctor not give you other options?

If you haven't been made aware of what some of those are, you should check out.
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/1...

If you weren't aware you can treat poison oak holistically and have no side effects. You might want to look into this option.

Hope this helps.
H.

Try to find someone to get in the yard and dig out the poison oak or ivy. Getting rid of it will be hard but if someone can get it now and then you can do maintenance throughout the season, that will help.
we use daily paper plastic bags as you can put your arm in it and grab with the bagged hand and pull the plastic down the arm over the vine. Helps keep it off you.
The spread is happening before you can get soap on it. The kids are playing and it's getting everywhere. You didn't mention washing their clothes AND shoes! If they are in it, it's on everything. Washing laundry with bleach helps as well.
My husband gets it really bad....almost from just looking at a picture! He even got it from me and I didn't know I was in it (neither did he!!) and it was awful! Steroid shots dialy (we were trying to GET pregnant during that time as well so the shots were crushing to me!) and medication for almost 2 weeks.
I would check with the Dr about the weight gain issues. He/she would know better about the weight gain. Could just be the age and timing as most gain weight before growing taller-at least my kids did/do.
good luck...get rid of the stuff...might take a few times but eventually it will go.

Do you have a dog? Sometimes, people get poison oak/ivy because the dog brushed against it and then they transfer the oil to their owners. If it's spreading each time -- even after you have them use "the poison oak soap" -- they're either not washing it all away or are being re-exposed to the oil. The idea is to wash (scrub) from head to toe with the scrub (Zanfel, Cortaid makes one...) to get the urushiol to wash down the drain and not stay on the skin. Wash the clothes and bedsheets and whatever else might have been exposed in HOT water. If you catch it right away, it really shouldn't be spreading.

I'm not sure about the weight gain thing. That usually happens to people who are on it every day for a long time. I'd ask a pharmacist if I were you. I suppose it's possible...

Good luck finding the source and eliminating it!!!

you or your husband should out go side and remove the poison oak, then your children will not have to take the meds. but yes, yes, yes, it will cause weight very much.

Are you positive it's poison oak they keep getting? I've never know it to spread like that. Make sure they know what both poison oak and poison Ivy look like, They are different. The weight gain is prob nothing I wouldn't stress over it. If you don't make a big deal out of it then they won't either , children should not be worried about gaining a few pounds. I'm not sure why you're 10 yr old daughter would be worried about body image unless you mention something about it. I know the last thing on my mind when I was 10 was how much I weighed.

They are children. Don't worry about their weight unless they eat junk food and sit around playing video games all day. Since you said they are active and don't eat junk then you should stop worrying. My kids have both been on prednisone for allergies and to my knowledge they did not gain weight from it.

Info regarding poison Oak , etc.

http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/faq.html

Your observations and asking the doctor should be you guide about weight. Active outdoor time will do a lot to keep weight appropriate.

Re additional contact, do they have much contact with pets who roam outside? Animals can carry the irritants on their coats. Clothes need to be washed thoroughly before each wearing irritant can remain on clothes until washing.

Spread to face is almost always from having residual irritant on hands and then touching face. Washing hands and forearms with original Gold Dial soap and warm water whenever they come in from outdoors and follow with a shower (not bath) with Dial when they come in for the day can remove irritant before too much spread occurs.