Prednisone Side Effects

Anyone ever experienced the joys of Prednisone? Well lemme tell ya! A while back I experienced the joys of prednisone to address some back pain due to a fall, and the resulting prednisone side effects. Now... to be fair... the doctor did warn me that some of the prednisone side effects would involve weight gain. He said that I MIGHT experience an increase in appetite and/or sudden weight gain. Might?? MIGHT?!?!?!? There were no mights about it! I literally dropped clothes off at the dry cleaners... picked them up 10 days later... and couldn't even get my leg into my pants! ACKKKKK!

So... drastic times call for drastic measures! I decided to try one of those "unhealthy," fad diets that I have been seeing a lot of buzz about. The HCG Diet. You buy this bottle of drops and place 6 drops under your tongue 6 times a day. And you go on a 500 calorie a day diet. Seems to me that you would lose weight just from being on such a restrictive amount of calories each day? But I looked at their FaceBook page and from their 65,000 members... did not find any unhappy or snarky comments. So that in itself said something to me -- unless of course their customer service people are really quick to remove them. (Always a possibility).

I called the company and talked to the customer service rep. She claims that the drops keep you from getting hungry, and reset your metabolism while you are starving yourself (my words - not her's - LOL!). The claim is that as you gradually resume a normal, HEALTHY diet after reaching your goal weight and enter the maintenance phase, you will not regain the weight. She also says that the drops have you losing weight from the problem areas, rather than places you don't want to lose from. We'll see. I got my drops and started the "load phase" today. The load phase takes place on days 1 and 2 of the diet.

During these 2 days, while your body is loading up on the staving off hunger part of HCG, you get to eat anything and everything you want. This is kinda fun! I will keep you guys posted on my progress over the upcoming weeks, and leave some tips on how to do the HCG Diet should any of you decide you are crazy enough to try it yourself ;)

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Most Common Birth Control Side Effects

When my younger daughter started taking "the pill," she started experiencing many of the hormone-related birth control side effects that I'd taken for granted for years. With there being so many options on the market today, and Google-info-geek that I am, I thought it might be an idea to check into the ways to alleviate birth control side effects... mostly so I wouldn't have to listen to her whine ;)

Headache, Dizziness, Breast Tenderness: Wait it out. Once your body gets used to the influx of hormones from "the pill," these symptoms will likely subside all on their own. If not? Talk to your doctor about switching brands.

Nausea: Nausea will also subside after a few months. Remember that birth control is tricking your body into thinking it is pregnant, so you are experiencing the equivalent of morning sickness. If you are taking an oral contraceptive pill, try taking it with some food. If you are using NuvaRing or a contraceptive patch, you may need to switch methods entirely.

Breakthrough Bleeding: Now this is a birth control side effect that can drive you completely crazy! Mostly because you never know when it will happen. If you are on the pill, try taking it at exactly the same time every day. Spotting can also be prevented by taking an anti-inflammatory or additional estrogen. Discuss it with your doctor if it continues.

Decreased Libido: Adjust your method. Switching to a more testosterone based product will take care of this in a jiffy ;)

Mood Swings: If your hormone-based birth control method is indeed causing mood swings, all hormone based products will likely have the same effect. Doctors usually prescribe an anti-depressant to combat mood swings due to birth control.

Cost: My daughter is still trying to get over the fact that her health insurance provider covers Viagra for their male members, but not her birth control! (Come to think of it, I am still trying to get over that too!) Check into coupons for your birth control prescription. Coupons, discounts and patient assistance programs are usually available from the manufacturer's website. Talk to your doctor and pharmacist about samples, rebates and exclusive savings offers.

Pregnancy! Yep, pregnancy! My daughter got pregnant her third month into being on "the pill." After she figured she was regulated and ready to depend on it as her sole means of birth control. Starting on a hormone-based birth control method can be tricky and usually requires adjustments over time. Sometimes your dose isn't high enough to prevent an unwanted pregnancy. While we would not trade our (now 2 year old) bundle of joy for anything!... you may want to use a back up method until you are sure that you are on the right dose... and of course taking your pill as close to the same time as you can every day helps too :) If you miss a day, be sure to use an alternate method for sure!



Disclaimer: This content is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please talk to your doctor for specific information about addressing side effects from using various methods of birth control. 

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