Dear Dr. Hibberd:
Two years ago I had a kidney transplant and I now take 5 mg of prednisone daily. I have gained about 10 pounds since the transplant and it is difficult to lose. Do you have any suggestions?


Answer:
Weight gain is an unwanted side-effect of prednisone. Most of the weight gain is due to sodium retention and bloating. For this, you can avoid sodium rich foods, and replace them with potassium rich foods such as bananas, cantaloupes, lima beans, grapefruit etc). Furthermore, you can also reduce your meal portions, or instead of taking three heavy meals in a day, frequent small meals are beneficial.

Consult your doctor to see if you can do moderately heavy exercises which may also help you to reduce your weight.