Does prednisone cause constipation?

Yes, I've had to deal with it. I've had IBS-C in the past, so prednisone has a bad effect on me. I eat a heaping tablespoon of "power pudding" every day. There are different recipes online, but I use a cup of All-Bran or some other high fiber cereal, a cup of unsweetened applesauce, and a little less than a cup of prune juice. Sometimes I also add a little ground flaxseed, and adjust the other ingredients accordingly.

I also have what they call Asymptimatic Crohns, meaning I show no normal symptoms of it and only CT scans, Pill Cam, and and Colonoscopy at Mayo Clinic GI Dept came to this conclusion.
The minute I was put on Prednisone 40 mg I started dramatically increasing my consumption of fruit and prunes and have no issues with constipation from the Prednisone, which is now 10 mg.

Prednisone changes the way we metabolise food. I had constipation in the early days of prednisone and increased the water I was drinking and made sure to include a couple of tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil with a big salad every day. Fresh vegetables rather than high sugar fruit have been essential for me to stay regular and avoid weight gain. Physical inactivity can also contribute to constipation. Pay attention to your body and what you eat, keep active, and drink plenty of water.

I have wondered how prednisone affects your whole GI tract. For 30+ yrs I dealt with constipation. One year ago I began having diarrhea everyday-sometimes it was horrible…could not eat out away from home. Dr could find nothing wrong, colonoscopy showed no issues, and I was losing weight. Then all of my muscle pains began and was finally diagnosed with PMR. Since the day I began prednisone my stools have been completely, totally normal. It has been since May. I wonder if this means that the inflammation was also effecting my GI tract and the prednisone took care of it???

After a lifetime of constipation, about ten years ago I was diagnosed with collagenous colitis. It was on and off diarhea, like you described. It is something that comes and goes. My doctor said it could have been related to an autoimmune problem as I had an insufficiency of white cells at the time. This type of colitis, along with microscopic colitis which is similar, won't show up in a regular colonoscopy unless the doctor takes a cold sample from the large intestine lining, because the problem is found beneath the intestinal lining, thus the collagen lining. It has been in remission all this time, thank goodness. And my white cell went up in the nearly normal range. The PMR started this past December so I don't think the colitis would have been related, in my case. Good luck, anyway!

Thank you, you sound very well informed! I largely follow the Mediterranean Diet as I live in California and it is easy. Take care!