glomerulonephrits and prednisone

good day..  anyone here who has glomerulonephritis?? i was diagnosd last december 2010 with glomerulonephritis.. and was given an oral medication of prednisone about 2 tabs a day.. at first i love the good effects that this drug caused because it made me feel better and it changed my life a lot.. indeed prednisone was LIFE!!  after  weeks .. my friends would notice my sudden weight gain.. (i gained about 10 lbs in just a month) and my head turned like a round ball (so-called moon-face)..i felt depressed about it when i look myself in the mirror and taking a glance in my camera photos...im now on my 3rd month of taking this steroid and my doctor advised me to lessen the dose from 2 tabs to 1 tab per day .as of now im having a planned and balanced diet..
just asking will this moon face disapper after i lower the dosage and having a balanced diet??? and can i exercise like running or jogging even if my steroid levels are high??

[Dr Rajput]

Hi, the major side effects seen with corticosteroids are redistribution of fat.  Cushingoid features (truncal obesity, buffalo hump, moon face, and weight gain) are quite troubling to patients. This occurs almost exclusively at doses above the physiologic range (greater than 7.5 mg/day of prednisone or equivalent). The Cushingoid appearance may occur rapidly.

- Moon face- due to accumulation of fat in cheeks.
- Buffalo hump - accumulation in back side of neck region.
- Retroorbital fat deposition can even cause protrusion of eye ball.

This is a major concern with long term therapy. With vigorous exercise and activity, there will be no weight gain but still there will be abnormal fat distribution. The peripheral fat decreases and central fat increases. The abnormal fat distribution will take a long time to wear off completely esp. the thigh and abdominal fat. I suggest you to consult your physician for more information. Take care and regards.