Tara and her problems with prednisolone, a prescribed steroid. - Acne, Moonface, Night Cramps, 'Buffalo Hump', Insults...

Some while back I received an email to my website address from a schoolgirl who was very distressed. - The reason for her distress was that she had been prescribed prednisolone again because of a flare-up of a serious illness she had first suffered from 2 years ago. - At that time the steroid had caused her to develop a moonface, severe night cramps in her legs which woke her, and what she describes as a 'buffalo hump' but which, I believe, is more usually referred to as Dowager's Hump. She found it very hard to sleep. She said her face was huge and she had acne and red marks on her cheeks, and because she was so swollen she didn't like to be touched. (It's extremely painful to be touched when you are very swollen. - Think of when you have a blister or a boil or an abscess!)

These are all normally considered side-effects of the steroid, but of course they are not. - They are actually side-effects of sudden massive extra fluid retention in the bloodstream and are the result of not being warned to avoid salt and salty food when taking this medication.

Her life had been made hell by the insults she had received at school because of the change in her looks, especially the moonface, and she was very unhappy at the thought of it all happening again. She had found my website and wrote to ask me for further information and help, which of course I gave her.

She is a clever, conscientious girl - and she followed my advice exactly. She read the information I sent, checked out the links, became clued up. - She made soup with fresh vegetables and lentils, her father made her low sodium bolognese, her mum bought her unsalted nuts and stuff for snacks, and so on. - When she was unsure whether a food was safe for her to eat she emailed me to check its sodium concentration.

Well she is now practically recovered from this flare-up and she hasn't gained any weight at all this time - in fact, she's been so rigorous about avoiding sodium that she has actually LOST weight! - I believe that this is so rare as to be actually unique and it proves how important it is to be warned against eating salt while on steroids. I also feel sure that the low sodium intake helped her to get over the flare-up faster.She is very grateful to me and I am so very pleased with her. - She wrote: "Thankyou for your congratulations, you have put a smile on my face."

See Prescribed Drugs that cause Obesity

Lose weight by eating less salt! Go on! - Try it!
See my website www.wildeaboutsteroids.co.uk
(The site does not sell anything and has no banners or sponsors or adverts - just helpful information.)

If you suffer from excruciating cramp in your feet or lower legs

If you suffer regularly from excruciating cramp in your feet or lower legs when you are in bed at night please do not let anyone persuade you that it is caused by lack of salt! - If you take extra salt to try to remedy the problem, you will in fact make it worse! Cutting down on salt/sodium and salty food reduces night cramps.

Night cramps are usually caused by a shortage of one or more minerals (but not sodium). The minerals you may be short of may be any one or more of magnesium, potassium, calcium and zinc. You may well find that taking a multimineral tablet each day helps with the problem. - In my own case it was magnesium that I was particularly short of, but be aware that magnesium supplements can cause diarrhoea, so don't take a lot! - Also magnesium is best when accompanied by calcium. If you decide to try a supplement containing both these minerals, then best to take it with a meal and a glass of water. - Never overdo things when you are taking supplements - especially if you are taking prescribed medication, because some prescribed medications can change your body chemistry so much!

Another possible reason for your cramp is the prescribed tablets you are taking. - Thiazide diuretics (water tablets) such as Bendrofluazide (aka Bendroflumethiazide or lots of other names) remove sodium and water from the body, usually in order to reduce high blood pressure. Unfortunately they also remove some potassium and magnesium from the body as well. So the resultant shortage of potassium and magnesium may well be what is causing your night cramps. Often all you need to do about the shortage of potassium is to make sure you eat plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables. (Sometimes your doctor will already have prescribed you potassium tablets. If that is the case, then don't take extra! - It is good to have enough potassium; it is not good to have too much!)