Flare ups symptoms and conditions

Hi everyone, I read some of the posts here and thought to share my experience with you.
About 15 years ago I started having heart burns and started taking Tums, Gaviscon and some other antacids and they seemed to work for a little while. But my heart burn slowly got worst and worst until I went to my family doctor. He sent me to a specialist and after sending the scope in my stomach (EsophagoGastroDuodenal (EGD) endoscopy), he said that I have H. Pylori infection in my stomach, as well as LES malfunction (LES = Lower Esophageal Sphincter). He prescribed some antibiotics and 20mg/day of Losec for 8 weeks.
After 8 weeks I ran out of Losec, and my heart burn returned again. I went and saw my doctor again and he said I can continue taking Losec and that I can take it as long as I need it and that Losec has been in the market for over 19 years and no one had any side effect from it and it's one of the safest drugs that they have come up with. So I kept on taking it regularly 20 mg/day for 15 years now. Until about 6 months ago I switched to Omeprazole because my insurance company wouldn't cover the cost for Losec but covered the generic brand Omeprazole. I've had none of the side effects mentioned here, BUT PLEASE READ THE REST OF THIS.
Losec is also called Prilosec and Omeprazole is a generic brand with the same active ingredient but different fillers.
About 2 months ago, I went to a Nature's Source store (here in Canada) and was looking around. An employee of the store offered his help to me and I told him about my case. He said you have totally shot down your digestive system and told me to go and see a Naturopathic Doctor.
I found one and went and saw him. His recommendations were: have 2 tablespoons of an Organic Apple Cider Vinegar (I use Bragg brand) 10 minutes prior to each meal. Also gave me some Probiotics pills as well as some Digestive Enzymes pills.
Prior to this, if I missed taking Losec in the morning, I suffered a great discomfort in my stomach with heart burn (a lot!).
I followed the naturopathic doctor's advice and did what he told me. After about 1 month, today is the second day that I haven't taken Losec. I haven't had discomfort in my stomach yet. I'll have to see how long I can go without it. I will post and update this again. BUT PLEASE READ ON!
Losec, Prilosec, Ranitidine, Omeprazole, Nexxium (the purple pill), and all of this family of drugs are Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPI). Which means, they stop the production of the stomach acid. Therefore, no acid reflux or heart burn....
But when there is no acid in the stomach, the stomach becomes the biggest target organ and a paradise for bacteriums, microbes and other microorganisms, which otherwise can not survive in it's very high acidic environment (H. Pylori is an exception). We can not digest our food properly any more. Our bodies suffer from lack of Calcium (regardless of the amount and type of calcium intake), because it can not be processed any more. Meat can not be digested properly any more. Therefore, lack of Amino Acids which are the building blocks in our bodies. Guess what, NO AMINO ACIDS = JOINT PAIN WHICH LEADS TO ARTHRITIS. And lots of other problems later in life.
NO SIDE EFFECT, MY A*S.
If you're suffering from heart burns, indigestion, reflux, or GERD, stop eating: ANYTHING THAT HAS WHEAT IN IT, TOMATOES OR ANYTHING MADE FROM IT (i.e. ketchup, tomato sauce/paste...), DAIRY FOOD, COFFEE/TEA, ALCOHOL. NO CHEWING GUMS, SUGAR, CHOCOLATE, FRIED/OILY FOOD, STARCHY FOOD. STOP SMOKING AS SOON AS YOU CAN. These are all irritants to the stomach and esophagus.
I'm still educating myself about this. I read this book about stomach acid called: Why Stomach Acid Is Good For You by Jonathan V. Wright, Lane Lenard. Read it and you will be surprised.
I hope this will help some of you.

God bless.
S. AA (Toronto, Canada)

I want to share information with everyone regarding the filing of Vaccine Injury Compensation (VIC) claims. I realize that many of you have probably already initiated action, but, if not, you may want to consider doing so.
I have posted a couple of times before regarding my daughter's reaction to Gardasil. Here's a brief summary: At age 19, she had 2 shots (Sep & Oct 2007). For 9 weeks in late 2007, she suffered severe GI problems, along with many other incapacitating symptoms, but no seizures. She recovered from the constant GI problems but has continued to experience occasional flare-ups. (Prior to the shots, she had NO history of such problems.) She also began to experience debilitating problems during menstruation, and in Oct 2008 her annual pap test showed precancerous cells, as did a follow-up pap test in Feb 2009. (In Sep 2007, she had a normal pap test.) Her next GYN appt is in May.
In light of her continuing problems and the alarming information in the Jun 2008 Judicial Watch Report regarding (1) the 44.6% increased chance of developing precancerous lesions if certain (undetectable) conditions existed prior to vaccination; (2) the fact that Merck does not know if the Gardasil vaccines are carcinogenic; (3) the fact that it is unknown if Gardasil will have long-term effects on fertility; (4) the fact that the final report on Gardasil's safety is not due until late 2009; and (5) etc., etc., etc., we have decided to file a VIC claim. She is still on our insurance bc she is 20 and a full-time college student, however, her future insurability once she becomes independent is a concern.
Information on filing claims is at www.hrsa.gov/vaccinecompensation. I called the Clerk of US Court of Federal Claims at 202-357-6400 and within minutes he e-mailed me a list of attorneys who specialize in VIC claims. I called a nearby attorney, and he returned my call in less than a day and provided very helpful information. Generally speaking, claims must be filed within 3 years after the first symptom of vaccine injury and injury must last more than 6 months, or claims must be filed within 2 years of vaccine-related deaths. (This is not intended to serve as governing guideline; please refer to the website for complete information.) So, in my daughter's case, the 3 years will be up in Oct 2010. The attorney advised that we need to get started now to collect all the medical records and allow at least 6-8 months for review and processing (after medical records are obtained). The up-front cost is minimal ($250 to file, but assistance is available in cases of financial hardship, some doctors/hospitals may charge for records reproduction, but that's about it, as it was explained to me.)
I know that many of you are still trying to get your daughters through their Gardasil ordeals and may not have a lot of time to devote to this, but I wanted to alert you to the time limitations. Unfortunately, none of us know what complications our daughters will experience in the future from Gardasil, so it's something we should all consider.
Good luck to everyone. I pray daily for the thousands of girls who have been injured by Gardasil.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's back in the 80's finally, after suffering since I was 12 and being told I was a child with a "nervous" stomach...dad used to tease me because I had to use every bathroom I came across, not realizing there was a problem. I had a portion of my bowel removed in 84 - the ileum valve along with a portion of the upper and lower bowel surrounding it, which, at the time was the most diseased portions. Removing the valve means that I must inject vitamin b-12 for the rest of my life as that valve is the place - the only place in your body that absorbs and uptakes that vitamin for you. As with any inflammatory disease, other inflammatory problems can occur because of the high inflammation running in your body. For me, this meant a form of arthritis, rheumatism or whatever. Doc wants me to go to the rheumatologist, but so far I have gotten by without YET another diagnosis on my plate. Before the surgery I asked my internal specialist if seeing a nutritionist would help me. I was so, so sick at the time. He scoffed, looked disgusted and asked what do you eat that makes you sick? I said everything. He said, then what is a nutritionist going to tell you to eat that isn't going to make you sick? At the time, I was so sick I just wanted to die and accepted that as an answer. After the surgery and many courses of different drugs for Crohn's - all of them with side effects that kept me from living a "normal" life - all side effects seeming worse than the actual disease itself I did a tremendous amount of studying on the history of Crohn's.- Burrill B. Crohn (1884-1983) was the man to discover it. In one of the articles I read he prescribed a very low carb diet to his patients which seemed to help in the majority of them to keep flare ups at a minimum. I have found, through years of experimentation with different diets ranging from health food diets on down the line, that the low-carb diet keeps my disease in check. People are like kids though. They don't always do what they know is good for them. I love chocolate, breads and sweets. In some studies I have read that you crave what may be bad for you because the bacteria your gut harbors wants to live and makes you crave what it needs to live. So, when I yank carbs from my diet - after the initial withdrawal stage and cleaning out of the gut from having done so (much diarrhea), I begin to feel almost like a normal person again with energy and pain-free. I slowly introduce fruit back in - but, through a series of colonics I had some years back, the practitioner was able to determine many foods I was allergic to just by noticing what comes out in the movement that has not been digested. Apples I can have, but not the peel. Cantaloupes - no - watermelon - not very often, etc... you can mostly tell by looking at the stool what your body is rejecting. It is its way of telling you what not to eat. Like a kid though, I stray from what I know has been tried and true and when I stray too long, joint pain comes on with a vengeance. That is when I get slapped back on the steroids to get the inflammation to back off again. When I'm not on the diet the joint pain can be controlled with Celebrex, but, when not on the diet and not taking Celebrex, the pain is out of control and has to get reeled back in with a course of steroids. So, if I can stop being a stupid kid (I'm 50) and just friggin' do what I know I need to do, I'm 95% pain-free and medication free. I have stayed mostly med free now since I was diagnosed in 84 or so through the no-carb method. The only times I had to take meds for this was when I was stupid with food for too long and one other - I had a kidney infection that I didn't know I had. It threw the Crohn's out of remission big time causing me to have to be on heavy-duty antibiotics, steroids, etc. It nearly put me in the hospital. I thought I was having a Crohn's flare-up only, but turned out the kidney infection was there and caused the flare-up - inflammation - when it hits you anywhere in your body it can cause that Crohn's to rear its ugly head. It took them years to diagnose me and through my own trial and error, I have learned how to live nearly and mostly drug free with this disease. For me, the drugs and effects are worse than the disease itself. The drugs make it hard for me to work and live. I can live near normal without them and with the diet. Your doctors will tell you differently. Doctors are put through med school on grants from pharmaceutical companies, therefore, they only learn how to treat with meds - they get kick backs from the meds they prescribe too. They do not learn how to treat through nutrition, nor do they want you to know that either. There's big money in meds - look around at all the hospitals and the many, many people taking all these drugs - synthetic drugs that are created to mimic receptors in your body so that your body accepts them, only to have to work hard to throw off the toxic substances - the synthetics they are created with so they can be patented. It is the PRACTICE of medicine and they are PRACTICING on you. Do your own research and study and conduct your own trials. I'm not saying don't go to your doc and don't take the meds - get it under control, but once you have it under control, find a way to keep it there as drug-free as possible. Your liver that has to process the toxicity of those meds will thank you for it. Your entire body will thank you for it. When the bad flare-ups happen, get your juicer out and drink nothing but fresh juices for 3-4 days. Juices are pre-digested. Your body doesn't have to work hard to assimilate the nutrients in them. Did you know that your body never does anything MORE strenuous than digesting? You could run a marathon and the amount of energy your body expends would not even come close to the energy it takes to digest your food! When you are ill - pull the food so your body can free that energy for your healing. You won't believe how much better you'll feel. Once you get it reeled back in by only having liquid for a couple of days, make sure your starch and sugar intake are lower when you begin to eat again. The bacteria in your gut feeds on carbs - starches and sugar. A good read is Marilyn and Harvey Diamond's "Fit For Life" - it has a good explanation as to how the digestive system operates - how the bacteria works - how your body has different acids that are used to digest your foods and how some of the acids that digest some foods do not mix well with other digestive juices and how to avoid that combination. This has been my trial and error - I prefer to NOT have to see the doc for Crohn's often...I haven't been to a gastro guy in 9 years or so. I do have a regular doc that, if I have flare-ups, will put me on a course of steroids for a couple of weeks to reel it back in, but the fact that it has to be reeled back in at all is my own fault because I was a bad little girl and didn't watch what I ate. For me - that's the simple solution - the food. But, you have to get it under control first before you go that route. I take the drugs til I feel better. Then I get off them and mind the diet. By the way - the arthritis - when on the diet troubles me very little. When I'm high carbing and high sugaring - the arthritis KILLS me... hope this helps any of you... I have studied this disease and nutrition since my diagnosis in the 80's... if I had it to do over again, I would go back to school and become a nutritionist...

I have been on Welchol for 5 months and it has changed my life. It was prescribed for IBS and I have tried many different medications, acupuncture, naturopathy, yoga, and anything else that the doctors hinted would help. This is the first thing that seems to be working. Since August, I have had four "flare-ups," which is a significant difference. I have been experiencing more headaches and some gas and heartburn. In my case, I am willing to accept these side effects because my quality of life has improved SO much in the past five months. I know that everyone experiences different side effects and results, but if you've tried everything and feel burnt out and like you want to give up, I recommend just trying Welchol to see if it can help you.

I have Crohn's disease and have been on birth control since before my diagnosis. I use to have flare-ups of the disease every now and then (I was on Mircette). Then last year, I was put on Nortrel and my disease started acting WAY up. I was put on the NuvaRing two months ago and I am having even more flare-ups now. Is there anyone who has a digestive disease and have had their symptoms worsen with the NuvaRing?

I first read notes on this site in February 08 when our Doctor prescribed Singulair. My 7 year old daughter is a silent asthmatic which prompted me to push past the side effect warnings written here and give it a go. Rach had strong side effects for the first two weeks & then seemed to settle, so I persevered with it. The drug didn't seem to have no effect on her asthma flare ups but the doctors didn't believe me and encouraged me to keep going. After 6mths I called it quits and took her off it. She's now back to her normal self. No longer emotional, her school work picked up immensely, no more nightmares or unexplained body aches. She does still have tummy aches but they are subsiding. She's been off singulair for 3 months now. Every doctor and pharmacy I spoke to denied the side effects and promoted the product. To anyone researching this drug, do your little one a favour and don't use Singulair unless it is a last resort. There are so many other alternatives out there.

I am 21 years old and I was on Yasmin for three in a half months (i stopped the last pack half way through). The first month i was on it, i had a lot of leg pains especially at night and sometimes to the point where i couldn't sleep. I went to the doctors and told her about this and she said it had nothing to do with the pill. My leg pain stopped after the first month i was on it and for two months i was fine. At the end of the third pack i began to get leg cramps again, but this time it was different i had little sharp pains here and there and tingling and my legs became extremely itchy. In the matter of two months i got spider veins and cellulite on my upper legs. Before the pill i had NOTHING on my legs. I searched the internet and found that birth control can cause spider veins because of the hormonal change so I thought my legs were itchy because of the spider veins so i stopped using the pill and made a doctors appointment. Three days after stopping i got my period for the second time that month. I also broke out with lumps that are red and extremely itchy. The doctor told me that the bumps are eczema and i also have a lymph node, which she said is from the eczema (which i find very strange). Two days after i broke out and got a lymph node, i got sick with a fever, extremely soar throat and a swollen neck. Today is my 7th day off the pill and im still sick. Hopefully i get better. But from being a 21 year old whos 95 pounds and having nothing wrong and starting this pill and getting spider veins, cellulite and then eczema all around the same time, i feel like im aging before my time. If anyone else has had any similar effects please let me know. Thank you.

I am on the second week of the orange starter pack. It was prescribed for bipolar. After about the 3rd or 4th day of taking Lamictal, I noticed a side effect that I haven't seen mentioned elsewhere. I seem to stay in a permanent state of sexual arousal (In other words, horny). Has anyone else had this side effect and does it go away? Except for this, the Lamictal has helped my bipolar tremendously. Please help!!!

Took Yaz for one week and on the 7th day, started to develop a hot hive skin reaction. I've never been allergic to anything and was unsure what was happening. As I didn't think it was Yaz, I took an additional dose that Sunday evening. I woke up the next morning with hives covering 50% of my body (first day on the new job, no less). I went to the physician and got prednisone to help with the inflammation, but by the next day, the concentration of Yaz in my system kept rising and I ended up in the ER with two IV treatments of an antihistamine complex and an increased dose of steroids. It took me over a week on the prednisone to finally overcome the symptoms and not have flare-ups at night.

I've tried looking online and haven't found any other reports for Yaz allergies. Since I've been on the same pill for 9 years, I was curious as to what the cause may have been. Has anyone else heard of Drospirenone alleriges? It's the progestin that's in Yaz... the only BC that has this formulation.

Right after I started taking Lisinopri in May 2007, I had a major flare-up of my Psoriasis. I have had Psoriasis for over 35 years and it was only in certain areas, now it has completely spread over my entire body. I also have constant ringing in my ears, never thinking it could be related to the Lisinopril. Sometimes it works to lower my blood pressure and other times it seems not to help. Occasionally I experience dizziness. These are all symtoms I never had before, I am not overweight and do not smoke. I had been healthy except for borderline hypertension prior to taking Lisinopril. I am not taking any other medications. My dermatologist is pressuring me to start Raptiva and I have agreed, not realizing that maybe just stopping the Lisinopril might ease the symptoms of my psoriasis. I just started researching Lisinopril in the last few days when someone I work with casually mentioned that there may be a link between Lisinopril and Psoriasis flare-ups.

Wow. All of these shared experiences are so very similar to mine. I wish I had worked on researching this BC method more before I agreed to the insertion. I began my Mirena journey in the fall of '06 at 30 years old. Since that time I've had more Crohn's flare ups than I have since I was diagnosed at 11. I've also experienced all of the same symptoms that have been previously listed: severe headaches, weight gain, moodiness, uterine pain, back pain, fatigue. Most of these symptoms occur during my period and have grown progressively worse in the past 4 months. I never made a connection until the past few days and had a gut instinct that my progressive weight gain and the Mirena had a connection. I work out 5-6 times a week for an hour and eat very healthy cutting out sugar, snacks and carbs. I've made an appt for tomorrow to have my Mirena removed. I'm hoping that I can rid my body of all of the symptoms and find the healthy body that I once knew. :)

This is the 3rd time I have been on Wellbutrin. Once in 1999, then in 2004, and just started taking it again 3 months ago. The first two times I took it I had joint pain and a lot of muscle inflammation. This go around is different... Just recently, within the past few weeks, I started breaking out with hives, after taking it with no problems for three months! Started on my head and progressively got worse. I break out all over my body, head, legs, back, hands, etc. For some reason it seems to happen more frequently when I lay down in my bed to go to sleep (weird!) One other scary side affect is, I frequently stop breathing when I start to fall asleep, and wake up gasping for air. Has anyone else experienced this?
Since I had never experienced problems with hives the first few times I was on Wellbutrin, I didn't think it was the medication causing the hives. So, I cut my dose in half (50mg/day). The hives didn't go away, so I stopped taking it all together 3 days ago, but still continue to get hives. Does anyone know how long it takes to get it out of your system?

This is my second course of Prednisone after several UC flare-ups. First time I was on 40mg for 2 weeks, then tapered down for two weeks. My first few days on Prednisone were great. I finally had energy, I was in a great mood and finally felt like I was living again. After 4-5 days, the weight/bloating began. My fingers and ankles began to swell, then my face. I no longer felt "alive" anymore, more slovenly. None of my clothes were fitting either. I developed a very noticeable "muffin-top" that made buttoning my pants difficult and wearing and snug t-shirts embarrassing. I returned to my doctor after my two week course (prior to tapering) and found that not only did I gain 12 pounds in two weeks, but my blood pressure had increased dramatically. I was assured that once I quit the Prednisone, my weight should return to what it was, as well as my blood pressure. Sure enough, they did.

I would have to say the very worse part of taking this medicine, for me, was not the two weeks that I was on my 40mg course, nor was it the two week taper, but the two weeks after stopping the medication. My energy level was completely zapped, but I couldn't sleep. I also had the worse headaches and mood swings. I would snap at my family for the smallest of reasons. This medicine introduced a side of myself that I never want to meet again.

Unfortunately, here it is 2 months later and I have been prescribed another course of Prednisone due to another colitis flare-up. I thought I was prepared for what this medicine will do to me since I experienced it once before. However, this time is nothing like the last. Unlike last time, I have yet to feel "on top of the world". My bloat came on quicker this time, as did my mood swings. I am depressed and really hating what I have become. Fortunately, I have enough sense to realize a lot of my depressive thoughts and mood swings are a result of the Prednisone, but it doesn't make it easier. My vision is blurred and for the first time I understand what others are talking about when they speak of foggy brain. I am physically present, but definitely not coherent. I just want this medicine out of my system. I would rather deal with the intense cramping and bloody stools from my colitis, then have to ever go on this medicine again.

Hi, I wish I would have found this site a long time ago! I had Mirena put in in Dec 2005 after the birth of my son. I was nursing and was told that the birth control that I could take and would not interfere with my milk was "not as forgiving" as regular pills (and, I definitely did not want to get pregnant again at that time) So, I went with the Mirena. It seemed great in the beginning. I had the strings trimmed a little after my husband felt them and got freaked out and then everything seemed great.
It's funny how this has worked out for so many of us because after having a baby, your life is so changed and your body is so out of whack that it's hard to say what could be causing it. I ended up becoming extremely hypothyroid after having my son (I wonder if Mirena may have had anything to do with it!??!?!) Even though I take thyroid medication now and seem to have it very under control, I still have no sex drive, have tremendous mood swings even though I am on antidepressants, my acne is worse than it was when I was a teenager, and what I consider to be worst of all, tremendous eczema! Last summer I became so covered in eczema, my face, neck, chest and arms, that my mother said I looked like a burn victim. I was insanely uncomfortable and extremely self-conscious. After going to all kinds of doctors who only kept prescribing topical creams and steroid pills, I started going to an awesome alternative medicine nutritionist and realized that there was something internal going on causing my skin to react like this. After seeing him for months, we came to see a pattern between my eczema flare-ups and my period. I always seemed to start getting really itchy around the time of ovulation and we also discovered that during that same time I would be gluten-sensitive. I had all the tests done and I do not have Celiac disease.
I can't believe that I am only reading about all of this now. Thank you all so much for confirming my hunch that it might be the Mirena. I am going to call my Gyno today and have it removed.

I had my Mirena inserted in July 2007, exactly 1 month after my second child was born. I had it removed today, thank god! I had discomfort putting it in and horrible cramps. I bled heavily for a month straight afterward and haven't had a day in 7 months without some blood or thick discharge leaving my body. And I am talking THICK disgusting discharge. I have had severe acne flare ups, hair loss (falling out in clumps), severe headaches just about on a daily basis. I have suffered from anxiety and depression before but now it is 5 times as bad. Put back on Xanax which I used to take as needed which would be about 1 or twice a month to reaching for it 1 to 2 times a day! Most recently I have had leg, arm and back pain. Irregular heartbeat, very dehydrated. Absolutely unbearable mood swings from anger to sadness on a drop of a dime. I have never had suicidal thoughts or though about death but find myself in panic everyday thinking I am dying and I'm only 28! I could barely walk up the stairs without being utterly and completely out of breath. I did not do any research on this before I got it and I really wish I did. Thank god for all of you writing your experiences so I don't feel like a nut. My doctor said today oh I rarely ever have anyone with a problem. You should really get an EKG to make sure you don't have a heart problem...WHAT? Since I had it removed this morning I literally have more energy. It may sound crazy and it may be in my head but I feel better already. I couldn't even function before I was so tired. PLEASE LADIES DO NOT GET THIS....IT'S HORRIBLE!

I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in July. I had my colonoscopy/endoscopy the day before 4th of July. Got sick with what I thought was the flu on June 26th. That's when I first landed in the hospital (dehydrated & sick). After the diagnosis I was first put on Entocort and Pentasa (Pentasa is supposed to be a remission drug - keep you from having flare-ups). Entocort didn't work so they switched me to Prednisone. I've been on Prednisone for about 6 months now. Going from 20 mg to 40 mg and then I'm finally weaned down to 5 mg. I get to go completely off of it Jan. 13th. Scared of what other side effects might occur from coming off the drug. While on it I've had emotional problems, acne(never had a problem with it before), moon face, gained 30 pounds, joint pain (I was in therapy for as long as insurance covered. - I recommend water therapy, it helps for some people as it did me), trouble sleeping (haven't slept a full night since I got sick), certain days I'm really really thirsty, I've had sort of what I'd call restless leg (I had this before I was on this medicine but it has gotten significantly worse - mostly at night or when lying down), and dry skin.I have to say though that the WORST side effect is the FOG. It's horrible. I enjoy learning and using my brain and when I'm on this I can't think, I mix up words, and it feels like my brain is covered in cobwebs.I had to drop a calc 2 class and that got me off the track I'd set with my academics. My inflammation rate is down where it's supposed to be as of the last blood test a couple weeks ago. So I guess the Prednisone and Remicade are doing what they are supposed to - but I still don't feel as if the pain (not associated with Prednisone - caused by the disease) has gone completely away even if the inflammation has gone down. And Prednisone's effects are just horrible. Some nights I feel depressed and just want to cry and cry. The past months have been trying because of several hospital stays, switching to many different doctors (gastrointernologists, nephrologist, urologist (kidney stones), primary doctor - and they think maybe I should see a rheumatologist), and Pentasa (it began shutting my kidneys down). I just hope that when I come off the Prednisone the side effects will fade (hopefully quickly but lets be realistic - ill just be happy if they go away sometime in the next few months) and I won't flare up again. Anyone know the best way to get rid of the weight? I'm already drinking lots of water and I go walking and do exercises everyday.

QUESTION: When tapering Prednisone does anyone have a place(s) on their stomach that are sunken in and feels dry compared to the skin around it?

Anyways, I hope that everyone overcomes their difficulties, whatever they might be or concern. It's hard to have a life when you are constantly fighting your own body to stay healthy.There are plenty of situations in life that are already hard enough to deal with without medical issues of your own. Best of luck to all!

I was prescribed to take 30mg/day (Prednisone) to try to reduce the inflammation brought upon by Ulcerative Colitis. I have taken Prednisone before....up to 60mg/day, when I was first diagnosed with UC. I don't really remember all of the side effects I experienced, but I do remember my calves and feet swelling, a bit a of moon face and very little weight gain due to the UC. Does anyone have any suggestions to how/and when I should take the daily dose of Prednisone (early morning, with food...what kind of food)? Also, I would love to hear from anyone with Ulcerative Colitis and how they are coping with the disease. From their diet when in remission to during a flare-up! Thanks...

My 12-year old son has been high dose prednisone for his asthma flare ups. I know that the "moon face" is common. However, since using this prednisone, he has bad acne breakouts on his forehead, cheeks, chin and even in his head. He also has broken out in a rash on his neck. Common or uncommon? There seems to be nothing to help with the acne, either.

I just found this site and I decided to respond. I have been taking Singulair on and off for about 5 or 6 years. When I first started taking it, it seemed to help my asthma quite a bit. I didn't notice any side effects, but then again I was taking a few other meds that I thought might be a culprit. I hadn't taken the Singulair for about 6 or 8 months because everything was going good. About 2 months ago I began having a few flare ups, so I thought I would go back on the Singulair. Now I am 57 y/o and been on most of my meds for about 10 years or so. When I added in the 10 mg dose of Singulair before bedtime, I began to notice dramatic side effects. Along with the more vivid dreams, in the first few days I noticed when I awoke I was real tired. Now that is unusual because I have always been an early riser and ready to go. Some days I felt like I didn't want to get out of bed. As the days went by, I noticed that I was waking up a lot at night and had a constant "hissing" noise in my ears. The noise would last thru the first few hours of the day and subside. In the last week or so, I began to awake with horrible headaches. The headaches started in the back of my neck and migrated to the top front of my head. I am not a headache person, so these are very unusual.

I have also noticed small painful bumps on my scalp. There has been a noticable thinning of my hair as well. I'm not sure if it can be attributed to the Singulair or just being old!

I will be going off the Singulair as of today to see if all these symptoms disappear. I will post a response in a week or so.

I was prescribed 10mg/day for 140/80 BP. Started with 5mg/day. Almost immediatley had less energy and trouble sleeping. After 1 week terrible nightmares and no sex drive. After 2 weeks (still on 5mg/d) had a flare-up of Crohns. Stopped the lisinopril for a month while taking prednisone for the Crohns. Then restarted the lisinopril and the same thing happened. These are the only two flare-ups I have had this year! No more lisinopril for me. This drug is worse than the illness it is supposed to correct.

In January I was diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica and temporal arteritis (giant cell arteritis). I was put on 60 mg prednisone and an array of other meds to help with pain, inflammation, water retention, and stomach problems from everything. I've lost some vision from the TA. I've experienced the weight gain, the moon face, stomach problems, depression, fatigue, muscle weakness, lack of memory and concentration, and generally feel miserable. The brain fog is awful! I don't trust myself doing much of anything these days!

When I was first put on the prednisone it completely took away all my TA and PMR symptoms. I could walk and get up and down again, didn't have the headaches, and didn't hurt all over.
My doctor tried to taper my dosage about 6 weeks ago and all my symptoms returned and increased as I went down on the prednisone. He upped me back to 60. That time the symptoms didn't go away. They lessened but were still there.

He's trying to taper again, and I'm down to 30 mg now and feel worse and worse. My sed rate has been normal, so the doctor thinks it's from the prednisone. Does it mimic all the TA and PMR symptoms? I also am having a lot of hand and feet cramping.

Does anyone else have these two illnesses? I would be interested in your experience. I want off these meds! Anyone found an alternative approach that's helped?

God bless!

I have been on singulair for about about 3 months now (if not more). For the past 2 months I have had a muscle spasm in my left upper eye lid and just in the past few days a mild case of tinnitus has flared up. I have always had joint pain due to scoliosis in my lower lumbar area so I never really attributed singulair to any joint pain. My doctor wants to send me for blood tests because of the eye twitching due to how long it has been going on for. I see a lot of the same symptoms in me that I have read on here. During the first week of use I developed hives all over my legs, belly and the bend of my arms. At night I would take a singulair tablet and an extra allergy pill to attempt a full nights sleep. I requested to be put on this drug to help with sleeping at night. I would have asthma flare ups almost nightly and my other meds (diskus 500/50) was not doing the trick. As of tonight, I am going to stop taking Singulair. I have never in my life had so many problems with a drug like I have with this one.

After being hospitalized for 10 days back in November, I was finally diagnosed with a fairly rare autoimmune disease. Treatment included 60mg Prednisone daily along with weekly infusions and other meds. I am now down to 20mg daily and dosage for other meds remain at the same levels as in November.

I am uncertain if the following were side effects of Prednisone or because I had lost over 25 pounds and was totally exhausted before going into the hospital.

While I was on the 60mg dosage, however, I was unable to concentrate on anything for more than a few minutes. I was extremely forgetful. It was often good for a hearty laught, but sentances and words constantly came out of my mouth backwards or made no sense (like I'd say "Didn't that happen tomorrow?"). I had frequent headaches. I was tired most of the time and slept a l-o-t, but when extremely tired, I'd break down in tears over nothing at all. I developed severe stomach problems, but that was alleviated by taking Nexium twice daily.

Now on the current lower dosage and after gaining back half the weight I had lost, the "side effects" noted above have either disappeared or occur far less frequently and I've not developed any "new" ones, except that my face has besome puffy within the past week or so. My ability to think and concentrate for long periods has greatly improved, but I'm still not as alert and do not react as fast as before I was hospitalized.

Hopefully, these, too, will be back to normal once I'm off all the meds. I'm uncertain just when that is expected to occur but I'm sure that depends on whether I experience any flare-ups or not.

I'm also curious - Does anyone know if any side effects can occur several months or years after Prednisone has been discontinued?

I am having the same symptons as the entry on Mon.13 Nov 2006. I have had all the same test and medicines. My throat is horrible. It feels so swollen and thick in the back. I constantly chew gum. Sometimes, especially at night I feel that my throat will completely close up and I will not breath. I have had several test for GERDS since I have a lot of burping and gurgling sounds. All were negative. I am taking Advair 250/50. I really feel that this is my problem, but don't know how to get off because of the asthma flare-ups that I will have when I try to quit.
These symptons have been going on for at least 1 and 1/2 years and only getting worse. It feels as if there is a 50 cent piece in the back of my throat when I swallow. One of my favorite pastimes was singing. That is totally out of the question now. I am going to visit my regular doctor today and discuss getting off of the Advair.

After taking various dosages of prednisone over a 3-4 year period for severe asthma and chronic sinus infections I discovered that prednisone will destroy your bones. I have bone denisty loss, arthritis in my spine, knee and flare ups in my hands and wrists. I now have chronic pain-not a matter if I will be in pain just how severe. Just this week I developed tendinitis in both ankles. I never would have taken prednisone if I had known what it could do to me. The weight gain, moodiness and hyper feeling are just minor side effects to me-they go away when you finish the treatment. Now I am in pain daily and having a difficult time supporting my daughter and myself. From what I have researched it will just get worse. DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICATION! It is not worth the benefits.