June 17th
2009
3:46 PM
I'm 15 years old and i've been taking prednisone for a few months, and from what i've read i'm on a really high dose. i was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and another autoimmune disorder concerning my muscles at the same time. my doctor told me prednisone was my only choice; it was either that or i would lose the ability to walk. he told me there'd be side effects, but i had no idea it'd turn out like this or i would have fought harder for another course of action. i started out on 30mg twice a day, and since then was weaned down to 20mg twice a day and now i'm down to 30mg once a day. i've been looking up a bunch of information trying to figure out if there's a way to lessen the side effects or any hope at all that they will get better. apparently there isn't much. after reading a bunch of these stories i gotta say i'm not feeling great about this. i totally understand everything everyone is going through. i'm sure you can imagine what it's like being smack in the middle of high school with a huge puffy face, acne so bad on my face, chest, back, neck, and shoulders that wearing a bra could put me in tears, and mood swings so bad i've lost friends over it. everyone knows how brutal high school can be, where appearance and attitude are everything. and i try to tell my doctor about it and he literally looks at me like i'm a whiny teenager and says "you're just going to have to deal with it." and people like my mom and my closest friends don't get it either. nobody understands how beyond frustrating it is. i'll get into the worst moods and not have a reason for it, but i'll stay angry for hours or burst into tears over someone looking at me the wrong way. it'll get to the point where i have to isolate myself from other people because the abrubt mood changes get so bad. as bad as i hate to admit it, the pain from the arthritis is gone now and supposedly my muscles are doing better too. developing arthritis caused me to have to quit cheerleading, something i've loved doing for 6 years, because the pain got to the point where i couldn't get my arms above my head or bend my knees. however, i'd almost rather deal with the horrible joint pain than deal with the side effects of prednisone. if your doctor gives you and alternative method, take it. i've always been confident in the way i look and really outgoing and happy and now i sometimes catch myself thinking about suicide. that's shocking to me because i've got so much going for me, but this medicine makes me miserable. and when i complain about it, anyone i'm talking to just looks at me like i'm being a cry baby. my mom does too, she'll say things like "you just have to do this. i know it's not what you want but to be honest i'm sick of hearing you bitch about it."
i feel a little better knowing other people feel the same way - like nobody gets whats going on with them. the prednisone does give me days of really great euphoria and days when i feel like i could run a marathon, but waking up in the morning to the acne and huge face puts me to tears every day. i have to pee all the time, usually getting up at 2 or 3 am. i don't sleep well anymore and i do sweat all the time. which also sucks being a teenage girl. i'm always hungry, and when i eat i never feel full so i don't know when to stop. my neck and face have put on so much weight that when people see me in the halls or out and about they ask me what happened. mind you these are people i don't talk to, just ones i know from classes or whatever. and it's pretty bad when teenage boys i've never really talked to ask what happened to your face. kind of a blow to the ego, or whatever is left of it at this point.
i'd like to know if, as my dosage gets lowered, the side effects will diminish and when i'm off the prednisone completely if they will disappear altogether. any help there?
or if there is any way to help the acne or puffy face
my doctor just put me on something called methotrexate or something like that to help wean me off the prednisone, and does anyone know what those side effects will do? or if they'll affect the prednisone side effects?
i'm constantly obsessing over gaining weight and what my skin looks like and what i eat and how heavy my face feels and the occasional pressure in my eyes to the point where i just want to be put out of my misery.
and after reading other people's stories i really don't understand why this drug is still given out as freely as it is. but maybe all doctors are like mine, they just don't get it.
best of luck to anyone who's on prednisone, my heart goes out to you; i'm right there with you
sorry this became like a book it wasn't meant to be this long
November 26th
2008
3:41 AM
Thank you for this site...although it is too late being I already poisoned myself with my 1st dosage - I know better now to STOP TAKING THIS DRUG IMMEDIATELY.
31 y/o male - non smoker - In good overall health.
What happened...(brief history of what got me to the point of being prescribed this horrid drug)
I caught a cold a few days after drinking quite heavily at a wedding (Aprox 1 month ago). It was severe enough for me to take a trip to this new doctor that is in my network and nearby (how I wish I could use my old family doctor that is out of network).
Symptoms then were congestion in my head and upper chest, cold sweats, runny nose. The doctor told me to take some over the counter stuff and try to fight it off w/ Mucinex, and Zyrtec - and lots of liquids. If that didn't work, he asked me to return.
It took about 5 days, and I seemed to kick the cold.
Approximately 2 weeks went by where I was feeling fine, then it seemed as if I was coming down with something again. (Last Thursday was when I started feeling ill)
I think what brought it on this time was breathing in excess dust at work opening some skids of paper in our warehouse.
Anyhow, this time around I had a pretty serious cough, felt feverish, and fatigued.
Sunday morning I woke up and took two Mucinex to break up the cough (which work great by the way)...and I hacked up something awful enough to call my doctors emergency line and have him paged. I was ready to go to the ER. It wasn't just phlegm or mucas - it was a soild mass of lord knows what containing blood. It look like an organ from a small critter.
Doctor said to keep taking the Mucinex and if I didn't feel better to come see him.
The coughing got worse on Monday, and the mucus I was spitting up wasn't pretty.
I went to see him yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) and he said its time to start you on an antibiotic and diagonsed me with an Upper Respiratory Infection.
He gave me Avelox, and Advair, and I asked for some of the good cough syrup w/ the codeine. He also sent me for a chest X-ray.
I got home around 4pm, made some food, then took some syrup and tried the advair.
I waited to take the Avelox til later on in the evening so I could set up a routine as I work nights and 9pm would be good.
I took the Avelox, around then, along with another dose of the cough syrup.
Around 1 hour later I felt extremely nauseous. I would burp, and feel almost ready to vomit...it was my body rejecting this horrible drug. The nausea came and went, came and went - then I got tired.
I laid down around 11pm and then the REAL trouble started. I must have fell asleep for about 30 mins, then woke up suddenly gasping for air...It felt like my heart was about to stop. I sat up in the bed panicked. I then got a little nervous, but calmed myself down, drank another glass of water and tried to fall back asleep. Sure enough just as I was about to drift off, the same sudden feeling of my breathing or heartbeat was interrupted and I sat up again. I had tingling in my chin area and in my arms. Walking to the bathroom I felt slightly disoriented and dizzy, and my legs and whole body felt weak. I also started getting itchy in my legs and groin area. Now I'm scared to go to sleep so I come to the computer and started researching this Avelox. It's 3:30 am now as I'm writing this. I looked at this site and http://www.fluoroquinolones.org/ before decided to post my experience.
I am still very itchy, slight nauseous, and feel disoriented. I'm scared to lay down to sleep now, but hopefully that will wear off soon - but I feel very nervous, uncontrollably. I almost want to induce vomiting to maybe get out any of the drug that is left in my stomach, but hate vomiting.
I will not take another dosage of this Avelox, no matter what this doctor tells me...and will give him a piece of my mind for prescribing this instead of something like ammoxocillin or just penicillin.
November 1th
2008
11:13 PM
I took the generic for Norvasc (amlodipine)for 2 months and all I have
to say is the stuff is pure junk.
I felt absolutely AWFUL.
I felt like I had been poisoned.
My lips and tongue swelled,canker sores on my tongue
and I became horribly depressed.
What a bunch of BS!!!
I'm not taking anymore of these poisonous substances!
April 7th
2008
3:16 AM
I was on Lamictal for 4 years and after the first year I suddenly started having all kinds of teeth and gum problems for no discernible reason. But since Lamictal has the possible side effect of "sores or blisters on the inside of the mouth" I wondered if it could be related.
I did a Google search and am coming up with no experts yet, but lots and lots of posts connecting anticonvulsant meds, particularly Lamictal, Topamax, Neurontin, and Depakote, with dental problems. Dilantin is well known for causing gum disease and breaking down tooth enamel, loosening of teeth, and even breaking down of jawbone tissue.
I don't think the experts have connected the dots yet, but is anyone else having this problem?
-- By absisback | Reply | (15) replies | Private Message me
December 20th
2007
1:27 PM
Advair gave me constant canker sores, even if I swished a full mouthful of water for several seconds. I also didn't notice any difference between that and my Albuterol so I went back to that.
-- By ultraaman | Reply | Private Message me
July 5th
2006
12:53 PM
Has anyone noticed complecations with their periods while on nicomide?
-- By ashleightooman | Reply | (1) replies | Private Message me
June 27th
2006
11:16 AM
I have gotten bad canker sores on a regular basis since starting nicomide. I hadn't had one in over 5 years until now. Plus, I've noticed mild hair loss.
-- By carriemichael | Reply | (2) replies | Private Message me
March 19th
2006
1:15 PM
Sore gums and canker sores; leg cramps; possible weight gain.
-- By redbisons | Reply | Private Message me
September 15th
2005
5:06 PM
My family doctor gave this to me, to heal sores inside my mouth. The medication I got is Lidex gel. It does heal canker sores, if they are on the inside of my mouth or else my gums.
Unfortunately, when I tried applying it to a sore on my tongue, it inflamed my entire tip of my tongue. Still very good for healing sores elsewhere in mouth or on skin.
-- By lizz8 | Reply | Private Message me
August 3th
2005
11:06 PM
Wow...well, I just got a prescription for this stuff today, and after reading all of your comments, I'm not too enthusiastic about starting it! I am taking it for chronic canker sores...I get them every month, about 10 days prior to my period, then they clear up once my period starts. This has been happening every month for the past 13 months. They are incredibly painful and I usually can't talk or eat solid food for several days, which my husband doesn't generally mind, but which is a real pain when you have to talk for a living! :) I'm also concerned as I've seen several people mention sore gums and cracked lips as side effects...this is kinda why I'm taking it in the first place. I'm only supposed to take 5mg for 5 days once I feel the sores starting to develop. I must admit that I'm getting pretty desperate, but I'm also extremely sensitive to meds and tend to get a majority of the side effects of most medications. The weight gain is not particularly appealing, though I don't know if that will be a big risk for such a low dose and limited dosing schedule.
My heart goes out to all of you with all of these terrible medical problems...here I was feeling sorry for myself and after reading so many of your stories, I realize how fortunate I really am that this is the only reason I'll be taking this drug. Despite all of the troubles that you've had with this drug, most of you have overcome SO much. Thanks for putting things back into perspective for me! You all hang in there, and again, any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!!
-- By shmily4247 | Reply | Private Message me
July 19th
2005
8:31 PM
I took myself off Advair over a month ago and am still having side effects. Some of them have improved but not all.
Nauseau-much better
Dizziness-still there
Itchy ears- still there
Migraines- still there
Edema- still there
Lethargy-still there
Fatigue-still going
Vision Changes- those stopped when i went down to one dose a day
Frequent urination-oh yeah
I've also had a number of uti since going on advair with no other reason
canker sores- still going
weight gain-same
heartburn-i have acid reflux now which i didn't have b4 advair
heart palpations-a little better
tremors-those stopped when i went down to one dose a day
restlessness & nervousness- a lil better
memory problems-same
scratchy irritated throat- same
thrush- had about 4 times in the last year, currently last wk and i've been off advair for a month...
burning pain in stomach- went away when i went down to one dose a day.. my doc said i probably got an ulcer.
I'm 29 and I feel like I'm 40. I'm exhausted. If this doesn't go away I guess it might be something else but I think maybe my side effects are still lingering.
i know someone says it gets out of your system shortly but it sure doesn't feel that way for me. but then again i've been on it continuously for almost 3 years.
July 12th
2005
6:52 AM
* Hoarseness (continuous)
* Phlegm in throat causing me to clear my throat frequently (my spouse is a speech therapist and she said frequent throat clearing will irritate the vocal chords and cause hoarseness)
* Canker sores occur more frequently and take longer to heal
* Two occasions of thrush (Oral candidiasis) over past year
I have always rinsed after using Advair. This medication has effectively controlled my asthma symptoms.
-- By tom_morgan | Reply | Private Message me
February 17th
2005
12:30 AM
I was given z pak for my sinus infection,after the 3rd day just before my last dose i started getting a sore throat. I thought it was just dry. The next day it was worse & over the next 3 days got so bad i coulkdnt eat & my ear hurt so bad i thought i had an ear infection.Well i went back to the dr. I now have sores in my throat on the left side way in back,like canker sores & they hurt .I never have had anything like it before. I was not having any throat problems till i took z pak not i dont know what's going on it's weird.I dont think i'll take it again.
-- By hottybabe76 | Reply | Private Message me
February 8th
2004
12:53 PM
March 11th
2003
5:45 PM
Advair HFA (4) Nicomide (3) PredniSONE (2) Lidex (1) Tegretol (1) Mirena (1) Avelox (1) Amitriptyline Hydrochloride (1) Norvasc (1) Zithromax Z-Pak (1) Lamictal (1)
November 18th
2009
10:16 PM
I have had severe canker sores since January of this year I had the IUD put in on Dec 23, 2008. I am only 21 and have maybe had a few canker sores here and there but I have had multiple canker sores now for almost a year. I have been to my doctor several times, a ear nose and throat doctor twice and a oral specialist once. I have had a blood test done only for it to come back normal. No one seems to know why I keep getting them the only thing I can think of is the IUD. Can anyone help?
-- By kayla032288 | Reply | Private Message me