Avascular necrosis symptoms and conditions

My daughter, 21yo, took prednisone off/on for 4 months, both oral and IV form, with the highest dose of 90mg over a two week period. The risk of bone death (Osteonecrosis, aka Avascular Necrosis) is not disclosed as a risk and 7,000 people a year get this from steroids! They gloss it over under the guise of "bone pain" or "bone fracture" near the osteoporosis risk so you think that by taking calcium and vit D supplements you're protected. What's really going on here is that the steroids cause the bone to die so if you have pain, PLEASE INSIST on an MRI because a regular x-ray will not show ON until it's in the advanced stages..and then you'll most certainly need joint replacement.
I'm not making light of the weight gain, or loss of hair or any of the myriad of other side effects that come with this drug, but when you're told that the joints in your body are dead...and that they'll eventually become brittle and break and cause so much pain it is often compared to bone cancer, then you'll really want to sue someone. But, I've tried that...it doesn't work. Because the drug is FDA approved...the manufacturer can't be held liable.

My daughter has ON in her right shoulder, both elbows, both wrists, both knees, and both ankles. She's considered "collateral damage" by the medical/legal communities because Prednisone is the "gold standard." This disease is a slow progressing disease which is often found as late as 10 years after stopping the steroid treatment. If you find it early enough, some surgical options exist to prevent the collapse of your bones, so if you have joint pain...PLEASE investigate with an MRI

I am a 66 year old male being treated for giant cell arteritis and have been on prednisone for one year and ten days. The disease and its treatment with prednisone has completely reordered my life. My doctor told me that I dodged the big bullet but there would be more. He was right. The 60 mg dose of prednisone I started with was both a life and eye saver. Three months later I was down to 40 mg and I was starting to sleep more than the two - four hours per night that allowed me to all kinds of things done which the increased adrenlin made possible.

Unfortunately, the prednisone made control of my blood sugar nearly impossible even with maximum dosages of metformin and avandia. I was soon forced to add injections of insulin to my daily regime. As I gradually reduced the amount of prednisone I gained some measure of control but was not able to start decreasing the amounts of insulin I was taking until I had dropped down below 20 mg. Now that I am down to 5mg I'm off the insulin and two weeks ago I took my last metformin tab.

Prednisone accelerated the growth of cataracts in both of my eyes. I was taking the prednizone with the hope it would drive the arteritis into remission and I would avoid going blind. And I was blinded anyway by the cataracts. Fortunately the cataract surgery I had in May and June better than restored my sight. I now only need glasses for reading. I was thrilled and could even see myself going back to work at least on a part time basis. No such luck.

After telling my doctor how great it was to be able to read again I mentioned that I thought I had a groin pull because I had been experiencing pain in my groin area and the top of my right thigh just above the knee. That got his attention and he said it might be related to the prednisone. He sent me for a MRI of both hips. The results were not good. I was diagnosed with avascular necrosis in both femur bones with some deterioration of the right femoral ball. A month later I had core decompression surgery of the right femur. The surgeon told me that we had caught it early and this surgery had a 50/50 chance of restimulating the venus blood path that fatty deposits caused by the prednisone had closed off causing the bone to die. Unfortunately, it now looks that it didn't work for me and I have additional micro fractures of the ball joint that weren't there when he operated. My left hip isn't far behind and I now have enough pain in both hips even with the anti inflamatory medicine I'm taking to make it difficult for me to walk to the mail box or negotiate stairs.

I hope that I'll be able to wean myself off the prednisone entirely, but for those folks that are putting up with all the most common side effects, getting down to and below 5 mg per day will seriously reduce if not eliminate the effect they have on you. That includes the fat face and turkey neck, and the thin skin that shows vividly every bump and bleeds profusly with the slightest abrasion that more often than not you can't recall the incident that caused it. The giant cell (also known as templar) arteritis disease I developed was devastating to me and really put me down for the count. I lost 30 of my obese pounds in the first two weeks of symptoms I had with this disease. Even though I was over weight, I was very active and got lots of exercise doing my own lawn work ( 1 acre lot) with a walk behind mower and lots of leaves to rake. Within two months after diagnosis I had managed to work my way up to a two mile walk everday. After 3 months I was walking between 15 and 20 miles every week. Now, as I said, I'm lucky to walk to the end of my driveway to get the mail.

Prednisone is not a miricle drug. It is a terrible medicine with terrible side effects that has been arround for a very long time. Unfortunately, it is the only medicine available to successfully treat a wide range of autoimmune diseases that have no cure and would be absolutely unbearable without it.

I have received kenalog injections (only one) per year during allergy season for severe allergic rhinitis. I was recently out of town and was miserable and tha local ER would not give me the injection. The reason was beacause it can cause avascular necrosis especially involving the head of the femur. Which means it can slow down the blood supply to
the top of the femur and cause the bone to die. I had never heard of this before and I will probably still take this injection as planned when I get back to town.

Knee pain. I was on Prednisone for a headache, as I have New Daily Persistent Headache, a rare, chronic headache condition, to try and break it. I have never had knee pain constantly before. I was a 10 day course of it. 80 mg for 2 days, 60 for 2, 40 for 2, 20 for 2, then 10 for 10. It's been 3 weeks or so since i've been done, and I still have knee pain. I'm very scared that I have avascular necrosis, even though I know it's rare, but I've been off the drug know for awhile but the pain is still around. Does anyone know if it is possible to get AVN after only being on the drug for 10 days??

I am so glad I found this sight! For all Prednisone users out there...I was prescribed Prednisone for an upper respiratory infection (I had for 9 months). I was prescribed a 21-day 'taper down' course five (5) times; in actuality not all that much...if I had only known what this drug would do to my body! Besides the insatiable hunger and weight gain (5 - 7 lbs. weight gain per course of the drug), the swollen face/neck, muscle aches, double-vision, sleeplessness - I have been through the worst three (3) years of my life since taking this 'drug'! Three years ago, I had the worst knee pain (in both knees). The orthopedists said tendinitis, bursitis, IT band syndrome...finally a new ortho. ordered an MRI and found out I had Stage II Avascular Necrosis (AVN) in both knees. This is a condition where the blood flow has STOPPED reaching a certain area of the body. It is a side effect of this so-called 'wonder drug' (Prednisone). I had the surgery that is used for AVN (Core Bone Decompression) - it did NOT work! They tried other surgical procedures to no avail. A big issue was that AVN in the knee is very rare. AVN commonly strikes in the hip. There was little or no medical documentation on how to treat AVN in the knee(s). A year later, I ended up having total knee replacements in both knees. Last summer (Summer '06) I broke a bone in my pinky finger by barely hitting a wall in frustration over all this. My bones are extremely brittle from this drug. I am sitting writing this after having dental (oral) surgery because I have lost four (4) teeth as a result of this drug! I need over $7,000 in dental work (implants/bone grafting) that insurance does not cover as a side effect from this drug. I realize that some people out there must take this drug...If you have taken this drug, and have pain in your hips and/or knees, please ask your doctor for an MRI (AVN can not be seen in X-ray until end stage - when the joint collapses from lack of blood flow) and see your dentist regularly. I am only 34 years old and if I can reach just one person regarding the side effects of Prednisone, I will sleep better tonight!

I am 24 years old and have suffered from Irritable Bowel Disease for 22 years. I have taken prednisone 4 times in my life, but I always had to take high dosages for a very long period of time and then the weaning period lasted for months. In 2004 I had such a bad flare-up of Crohn's that I almost didn't make it. So I say Prednisone is my necessary EVIL.
I gained 40 pounds and was a MONSTER with my mood swings. The lasting side effects have been hard for me to handle.
The Prednisone cut off blood to some of my bones which now are dead and very painful as a result. I am having major knee surgery in a week and a half because of this (which is called Avascular Necrosis). I have AVN in both of my ankles, both knees, and most likely in both wrists. I will most likely need a Total Knee Replacement, but because I'm so young my doctors are trying every other type of treatment first (otherwise I would probably end up in a wheelchair by my 50s) I am in constant pain. I had never even heard of this as a side-effect until 2004 and after I was already on a high dose for a month.
I also have cataracts from taking steriods.
I feel MUCH older than I am. I have battled a disease for 22 years but the side effects of Prednisone are harder for me to deal with.
Although prednisone essentially saved my life, I wish I would have been more informed of ALL the possible side effects.

I was advised to take Osteophos (Sodium Alendronate) 10Mg. in the morning as I was diagnosed having avascular necrosis of left femur head. I started feeling pain and soreness in my legs. I was taking some ayurvedic medicines also. I could not find out what was causing this muscle pain and bone pain. I stopped both the remedies. Follwing this, I felt burning in the sole of my left leg which lasted for about 1 month. After a gap of nearly 45 days. I again took Osteophos. I again started feeling the same sort of pain, even more severe this time. The whole body was aching. This following sore throat and cough which lasted one week. I stopped the medicine. This severe pain subsided after a week. But now I am again feeling buring pain in my soles, more in the left leg than in right. I also have weakness in my muscles of the whole body which I had never felt before. My avascular necrosis problem is more or less recovered. After a gap of 20 days, I am taking ayurvedic medicines now with some relief.

This is just for information of those who are taking fosamax.

AK Sharma, BHEL, Hardwar

Hi my name is Angie i was 15 at the time and a only child from a single parent when my mom was put on 60mg of prednisone because she was diagnosed with a blood disorder called ITP(idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura) she had been hospitalised for about 2 weeks and then was released but still was on the prednisone as time went by my mom had to stop working, she gained about 100 pounds on a very small framed body,her hair grew very fast, tremendous stretch marks, mood swings, just about everything on the list. She was to have a Splenectomy on Sept 13 2005 she had her surgery and it went perfect and was shortly released. 1 week after surgery she was having very severe hip pains, we took her to the hospital and she had X-rays and all sorts of tests done but nothing was found so she was sent home with pain meds. 2day later she was taken back to the hospital the pain had gotten worse, while at the hospital she had been told she had a fractured pelvis and was put on bed rest and given MORE pain meds. The doctor had mixed the 2 medications given and they counteracted eachother.During the 3 days she was home she had overdosed on pain meds because they counteracted eachother. On Sept 27 she had a meeting with her surgon and was admitted to the hospital for a drug over dose and broken pelvis. She had a bone scan and the doctors found she had also 3 broken ribs a broken tail bone and a bone infection. HOW? you may ask.... because the prednisone made her bones very weak and the weight she gain, her body collapsed on itself. My mom put herself into a coma for 2 weeks and was in the ICU for 3 weeks. She is now awaiting surgery because her hip is collapsing because of Avascular Necrosis she is bed ridden and is very heavily sedated...my mom hasnt been home in over 4 months I just wanted to tell my story in hope that people will listen and that no one will have to go through this just as I am.

not much of a problem with a two week taper from 100 down to 5 mgs. i tend to like it better than immuran. but we must avoid cushings, moon face, hirsutism, avascular necrosis. never, ever, go cold turkey!!

I have Avascular Necrosis from taking Prednisone. I drove a city bus for 17 yrs. and now can not anymore. It has messed up my life. My allergy doctor gave it to me at times. I even ask him if the large amounts would cause any problems later on and he said no. I tell everyone stay away from it if at all possible.

Avascular Necrosis - Beware!

I have been taking Prednisone off and on for about threee years now for reoccuring iritis. Have been up to 60 mgs./day a few times, and many of the times I taper, no matter how slowly, the iritis comes back. Since you can go blind from iritis, I guess Prednisone is the lesser evil.

Anyway, during my first longer period of taking it, I had many of the common side effects - weight gain, double chin, facial hair, hyperactivity, moon face, etc. After visiting a classic homeopath, he gave me a remedy which kept the iritis away for a few months. Subsequent attacks did not respond to the remedy though. I have been back on Prednisone for about 8 - 9 months now, and have a drastic side effect to report, which I haven't seen before here.

After a long road trip (10 hours) I began to have strange pains in my upper right hand thigh, which seemed to eminate from the leg joint. No matter what I did, they didn't go away and not even 2 Lortabs could help the pain. I went to the orthopedic doctor and he diagnosed avascular necrosis. The is a condition where the blood flow has been cut off to the bone, in this case, the femur, and the bone begins to die off. If it can be detected in an X-ray, it is already pretty far along. An MRI, which I had yesterday, shows best what is going on.

This is a DIRECT side effect of long-term prednisone use which no one ever told me about! So if you have joint pain, especially at the end of a longer bone, BE SURE and talk to a doctor about it. It is going to be a serious deal to get rid of this.