I did read some reviews this morning on Lyrica & many did caution about rapid weight gain. As someone who gained 80# on steroids in 21 months (which was permanent weight gain, not just the “moom face”), be real careful about this side effect. Not fun to deal with once you get better…

I was one of the lucky ones who had weekly infusions of solumdrol (steroids) for 21 months back in 2002-2003. I weighed 136# when I was put on them, & 216# when I finally got off of them. That is a total of 80# gained when I wasn’t even able to get to the frig! I was immobile at that time & dependent on my mother to feed me, so it wasn’t like I was snacking on munchies; although she did make sure I ate 3 meals a day. But I was also not moving my body much, so unable to burn calories.

I did manage to lose 30# from Jan 2005-June 2005 by what I would consider to most a starvation diet, as I was so disgusted with the way I looked. I took off another 27# the following spring the same way, but on Weight Watchers. But now, two years later I find myself up 25# again. I don’t think I overeat, I think that my inability to burn the normal number of colories as someone healthy hinders keeping my weight down. But I have gone back to dieting again. I do believe that steroids actually cause weight gain, & it is not just the puffiness in the face; that goes away, but the actual weight gain is real.
Pam

I was one of the unfortunate ones who gained 80# in 21 months after getting CIDP. But while I was getting infused with 1000 mg of steroids once or twice a week, I was also sedentary during all of that time. I have been able to lose over 50# of that, just by following the Weight Watchers diet. I lost 25# last year from Jan-May & 25# this year from March-June, the rest of the time I was not really dieting. But I do walk now & attend water aerobis twice a week. Being sedentary really does make a difference.
Pam