Q My face got puffy and I gained a lot of weight while on steroids — will the swelling and weight go down once I taper?
A Swelling and weight gain caused by steroids usually ease gradually as the dose is lowered. Avoid rushing to lose weight; reducing salty food and overeating while keeping up light activity will let things settle naturally alongside the taper.
Detailed Answer
Steroids often cause facial puffiness ("moon face"), weight gain, and fat accumulation around the trunk by retaining water and salt and increasing appetite. These changes usually ease gradually over time as the dose is lowered, but they don't disappear overnight. Pushing an aggressive diet during this period can actually burden a body that's already going through tapering, so it's better to simply cut back on salty food and overeating, include potassium-rich vegetables and fruits and adequate protein, and maintain light activity.
Our Korean Medicine Clinic's Perspective
In Korean medicine, this swelling and heaviness is seen as stagnant fluid and waste in the body. At Dongjedang, while you continue tapering, we help circulate the stagnant fluid and waste to lighten the body, and realign disrupted digestion and metabolism so that swelling and weight settle naturally. We aim for restoring balance rather than forcing rapid weight loss.
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