Moon face symptoms and conditions

I am 18, and used to be sooo healthy. In August 2009, I left home to go to school, I met new friends, and felt like I was starting my own life and becoming independent. Sometime in October 2009 I started to feel weird symptoms, mostly just being really tired all the time. The week of Thankgiving 2009, I was hospitalized and diagnosed with having Auto Immune Hemolytic Anemia (the warm kind, I can't find the difference between the cold and the warm kind). I had a blood transfusion, and the doctors started me on 80mg of the prednisone a day. Now I am coming off the predisone, and currently taking 5mg a day. Tapering off of this drug has been hell not just for me, but for my family as well. My whole life I have always been a happy easy going kid, and in December 2009 the side effects started to take over. I didn't have any energy to do things, sometimes all I could do in a day was shower. I had trouble sleeping, developed a very pale moon face with the darkest circles, couldn't concentrate (I couldn't return to school this semester or drive for two months), my mind felt like it was going at a million miles an hour, felt anxious all the time, I had the worse mood swings, swelling in my ankels, a sort of "dry rash" began to develop on my legs, the "peach fuzz" on my cheeks got darker, I had shakes in my hands for a while, I lost my sense of humor and started to feel depressed, which really scared my family. They thought I might become suicidal and wanted me to take anit-depressents. I found an alternative. When my side effects were really bad, caffeine calmed me down when I was having mood swings, but that made my shakes worse, so sometimes I took anti-anxiety pills, which really mellowed me out. I would reccomend taking anit-anxiety meds to help calm yourself, but those did tire me out a lot. Recently (and I know this will sound cheesy), I have found that playing video games has helped me a lot, it gives me something to concentrate on, and I have noticed an incredible decrease in my mood swings. These side effects are still somewhat present, but have become much more mild. I am starting to feel a little bit normal, but I have started to loose more hair than I usually do. I have always seemed to "shed" but now it is getting rediculous. I was wondering if that goes away after getting off the prednisone. I cannot wait to get off of this drug and back to living like a young adult. Before reading the other posts, I felt like I was alone, going crazy and never thought I would ever be the same person I was before I became sick. Now, I know that I will be alright, and I would like to thank everyone who has shared their story on this site. As far as the prednisone goes, I would NEVER ever recommend it to anyone unless their life depended on it!! The side effects are terrible and not worth the trouble. And anyone that is taking it and is stuck at home for months at a time, I feel for you. It is going to be rough, but you will get through it!

I am taking my last does of Prednisone tomorrow and I cant wait to get off. Since I have been on it I have had rapid or flutter heart beat, insomina and numbness in my arms and legs, and even in my face! I have read all the post here and wonder if anyone else has had the tingly "asleep feeling" limbs. I am terrified bc I am now having the signs of MS, I am hoping these are just side effects of this nasty hormone and will go away once I am weaned off of them... Anyone out there who can relate or add input?

I was diagnosed with UC about 2 years ago after I came back from Mexico. Thought at first it was just the side effects of the country, but didn't go away so my medical dr. had me see a gastroenterologist. He started me on Prednisone, about 40 mg a day but had a difficult time with that so went to 30 mg. and also was doing the Rowasa enemas. Within weeks, I was feeling better and started weening off the pred. I was put on Balsalazide to help stay in remission. This involves taking 9 capsules a day, then I went to 6 on my own and stayed in remission for about 7 months. Then I got a resp. infection and the UC was back and has been since. We have tried a few low doses of Pred. but didn't work. Also tried the Rowasa enemas, they help some but didn't put it in remission. Still not in remission, and now I have an anal fissure, a tear in the anoderm of the anal canal. This is the most painful thing I have ever had. Since the diarhea has been pretty bad, it can't have time to heal and they don't want to do surgery until I get the colitis back on track. I get by each day by taking Extra strength tylenol and some advil, I also have stomach problems for which I take protonox. I am going back to Cancun in less than two weeks, so to get things under control, the Dr. has prescribed 40 mg. a day again of Prednisone. I really don't want to go back to it but see what some of the side effects of the other drugs are and since I am in a lot of pain, I am willing to try and go through it all again. The worse effects for me are the moon face, usually about 10 extra pounds, and facial hair (which I just use a little electric hair remover right over the top to help the appearance). With the UC, I had a lot of joint pain so I have started taking fish oil pills daily 2-4 a day, and that has really helped. I am also going through menopause now and take Black Cohesh Extract for that, which has pretty well stopped the hot flashes. I will be on 9 Balsalazide a day and the Prednisone, with some Rowasa on hand, but am willing to do it so the fissure can heal or I can have the surgery, that is truly the worst part of this right now. I have tried to start eating less roughage, smaller meals, more bananas and yogart and also am taking a probiotox which was recommended by the pharmacist. I know what Prednisone can do to a person, but what I am going through it, the pain right now is far worse. I hope to have some relief so I can enjoy myself on vacation, will be very careful what I eat and drink while there but am determined to have a good time. I also take xanex at night, .25 mgs. is all, had trouble years ago with panic attacks and this drug is great for helping you calm down. If needed, I increase it to two a night but hope this helps with the insomnia which will come with the Prednisone. Awful drug, but am willing to try anything at this point.

I was put on Prednisone 40mg for 4 days, then 30mg for 4 day, then 20 mg for 4 days and finally 10 mg for 4 days for eczema. My skin looked beautiful while I was on the medication, then after 3 days of stopping, my skin started to get little hives again. After the 4th day, my face was red and swollen worst then before. After the 5th day of stopping, I developed the moon face. Talking about horrible side effect. I suddenly had uncontrollable headaches, weight gain in my abdomen and constipation. I felt horrible. It has been 7 days since I have been off the medication and I still have the moon face, and redness to my face. Can someone please tell me if this will ever go away? I will never ever go on this drug again. The side effects are too much to bear and my skin look worst than before.

I also have had hair growth on my face. I used to take pride that at 52 years old and female, I did not have facial hair. After being diagnosed with Autoimmune Hepatitis, I was prescribed with 40 mgs.a day for about 3 wks, then went down to 30mgs. for 2 wks, 20mgs, for 2 wks, now at 10mgs for 2 then hopefully getting off! The prednisone side effects have been similar to all above. OCD like crazy, moon face, heart palps., leg cramps (actually ankle cramps), blurry vision, and now this white downy hair on my chin and side burns. I have not had any depression, insomnia or weight gain for some reason. My mid life hot flashes have also gone away since being on prednisone.

I have been using Prednisone to treat Meniere's Syndrome for a little over a month now. I starrted on 60mg per day for 2 weeks, then 40mg for 3 days - 20mg for 3 days - 10mg for 3 days and am on my second of 3 daily doses at 5mg. The side effects at 60mg included increased appitite (keep veggie and fruits ready for snacking) Mania (made everyone around me well aware of this so they understood the abrupt personality change), insomnia (I couldn't sleep but stayed laying in bed,so my body got some rest), Constipation ( lots lots of water and juice), and I was prescribed a water pill for the water retention. Between the 20 and 10mg I started to bloat (just had to live with that one :) Fatigue (find an opportunity to nap), another increase in hunger, 'Moon face' and 'Hunchback' another just have to live with it. Mania had gone, and I could sleep :) Constipation was no longer an issue. At 5mg I am tired, have very little drive, seem a little lost and foggy. Acne has appeared on my chest, and my appitite has decreased significantly. ,Moon face, is going, but 'hunch back, seems more pronounced. I am looking forward to being done, but until there is an alternative I will use it again as soon as my symptoms re-appear again.

I have been taking prednisone for a chronic ear inflammation. I started with 50mg for 5 days, 30 for 5, 20 for 7 and then 10 for 14.

Oh my, I felt just wired, could only sleep 3-4 hours at night and was not tired during the day. On the 5th day of 50 I felt so weird. Kinda like I was not even sitting in my own body. Since then I have felt so many strange things. I get hand tremors and have shakiness, body tingles. . Some days my legs feel so weak. I found the worst were the few days after a dosage decrease. My symptoms are worst for about 6 hours after I take it in the morning and I feel better as the day wears on. I am on my third day of 10 mg and I am going to 5 for 5 days after that and I will be so glad to be finished. I never want to have to take this again. As for what it is being treated for, I am not sure it is much better but it is not worse. I also got days where I felt like I was having bad anxiety attacks. This drug can literally dop anything. My FIL has been on it for 4 years and has felt no side effects other than the moon face. I did not get that or weight gain, in fact I did not want to eat and lost quite a few pounds.

Hi I'm 15 and I'm prednisone for vogt-koyanagi-harada's disease (harada's disease) for short it's in my right eye and what it pretty much is, it's a blister that's at the back of my eye in front of my retna. This is really rare and it can eventually cause blindness. So my dr put my on prednisone 25mg pills i have to take four pills a day. Oh my goodness!!! The side effects are so horrible my side effects started with just being really hungry an irratible. But over the months I have gotten a round face, a double chin, acne, and I have trouble sleeping at night. They also make me pee like a horse! It's ridiclous! My back and muscles hurt all the time, I have lost interest in some of the things I like to do, I don't ever feel like doing anything or going anywhere anymore. I used to be really sociable with the people at my school but now my self-esteem has gotten so low I don't feel comfortable talking to people because I'm afraid they're going to judge me on how I look. Because I've gained so much weight. I play basketball also and it's not fun anymore because I'm slow an always out of breath! It's frustrating. Sometimes I find myself thinking about suicide and that is sooo crazy because I used to be really loud and outgoing an you would know i'm in the class room because I'll be laughing an havin a good time. But this medicine has just taken over my body an mind I don't feel like myself. I just to get off the medicine and live my life. But I know I can't because I'll go blind!! And I don't want to go blind. But it's just hard to cope with.

I am a 59 year old male and I've been on 60mg a day of Prednisone now for a few months along with Bactrim for Kidney disease (FSGS). I have been experiencing insomnia, peeing all the time etc; like most people but I can deal with all that. I have one big side effect that has been tough and that is my blood sugar has jumped way up to 600+. I'm now taking insulin 5 times a day at varying amounts to try and counter act it, this seems to have more side effects than the Prednisone at this point.

One thing I was wondering has anyone else out there taking Prednisone found that they stutter? This is driving me crazy, but I can't seem to stop, my voice has changed as well, people think I have a cold and I don't. It looks like I will be on this regimen of Prednisone for several months so I'm sure I will be getting the longer term side effects at some point. On the bright side I've actually lost weight and haven't gotten the "moon face", yet anyway. I'm sure my mood has changed some but I do everything I can to control that. As much as I warned my family that I could easily have these mood swings it's hard for them to understand when it happens so I try to think about everything I say before I say or do anything.

It helps to see that others experience the same issues as I do, at times you wonder is this unique to me, and this forum lets you know it isn't. I hear a lot of you complain about the side effects, which is natural when it's happening to you, but the bottom line is in the end it seems to have helped most people. I know for myself it isn't going to stop the progressing of my kidney disease but it will hopefully slow it down which will make it worth it in the end.

So hang in there and good luck to you all, I hope that whatever you are taking the Prednisone for is temporary and you are better off when you finish the process. Thanks for listening.

Hi all!

I have been on prednisone a few times for ulcerative colitis. This site is great coz it really reminds me that I am not alone in feeling the side effects. Some of the posts make me crack up laughing coz they are so similar to my own experiences. As a bit of a prednisone veteran, I have found that my key to surviving the side effects is staying strong mentally (by always reminding myself that I am not alone in feeling this way and that the side effects are normal), being kind to myself (as often others don't understand so can't be very supportive - I take a nice long bath, watch a funny movie or read a book in bed and most importantly, socialize to keep my mind off how I feel and keep my feelings in perspective with reality) and knowing that I return to normal each time after taking them!

Stay strong and I hope you all feel well again soon!

When I was in the hospital they had me on 90mg of pred. forget about it I went crazy, crying, anxiety, not being able to sit for less then 2 min. They then lowered me to 80mg which is what they sent me home with. The mood swings were unbearable for me and even worse for my family(my mom and my 14yr old son and 11 yr old daughter) I sleep like every 3rd night, and I felt like I was just loosing my mind. Now they are trying to wean me off and I am on 20mg one day and then 10mg the next. I don't know what is worse. My entire body hurts, my legs (the muscles) feel like I ran 20 miles. I just feel so miserable all the time I don't know what to do with my self. Does anyone else have the bloating I look like a BLOW FISH, I am so bloated it hurts.
Well thank you for listening to a 37 yr old lady complain.

Where do I begin. I've been on prednisone for about 3 months now, and I feel like it has ruined my life. After having my son in February of this year I went for my 6 week check up and found out that I had high blood pressure and my kidney function was low. Before this I was pretty healthy. So, I was put on 30mg of prednisone in hopes that it would reduce or erase the inflammation. It reduced it for a while, then it went back up. While on the darn drug, Ive experienced moon face, weight gain, Im always hungry, acne, shortness of breath, and paining in my legs and back. The worse side effect has been the mood swings and anxiety, probably because it took something terrible happening to realize that they were really happening. My boyfriend told me that the drugs were making me act different, but I just thought he was picking on me as he did with my weight gain. Turns out, I have read everyone elses post and realized that many people experience what he says I've been going through. As a result of my mood swings and being so mean and demanding, my relationship may be over. I wish that he would understand that it's not me, it's the medication, but I can't convince him. Thats weird, especially since he pointed it out to me months ago. So now, I hate this drug. It's not making me better and it was a contributor in ruining my relationship. I want to just stop taking it, but Im scared I will get even sicker. There is no hope here.

Hi all, im so glad i found this site as many are too. Im 22 years old and was diagnosed with colitis at 14 and was put on 40 mg of prednisone to combat it. I can honestly say it generated the worst time in my life.. I went back to school and was overwhelmed with massive panic attacks feeling like my heart was gonna rip through my chest. Big moon face etc. I recently have had an attack and was put back on steroids its always my last last resort. I just feel very detached and anxious all the time constantly feel like im lost. I am now in the process of stopping them first day without 1 and I feel as explained. The worst thing is that no one seems to understand the effects, they cant understand why you'd rather be ill than go through with them. its not good for you on the whole. Good health is the unity and prosperity of all aspects; Body Mind Soul. Hope the best to all.

Hello I am 40 yrs old and got a lung infection which cause swelling in my lungs so the put me on high doses of prednisone via IV for 21 days in the hospital. The drug saved my life and took it at the same time.

After I got out of hospital i was on 60 mg for 6 weeks the 30mg for 6 weeks then 20mg the 10mg. It has been a living HELL over the last 5 months or so.

I told my DR. i have very bad blurred vision and he said it because the med runs my sugar up but I check my sugar and limit my sugar and it around 100 all the time which is normal soits not sugar. Then he said well them you need to see an eye dr. cuz your eyes are going bad. I begged to differ with him and told him if there was something wrong w my eyes then why is is one day I see fine and the next day all blurred and then back to normal!? it this stupid steroid if you ask me plus on day my right eye is bad and next day my left uggh!

The WORST side effect it the brain fog as yall call it. OMG I feel like im loosing my mind and going crazy. The dr. says hes never heard of such with a wise remark and says you know where your at now right? I know where i am and what I say but I feel like its not really happening. Its like im dreaming it. I feel like Im trapped in my head and I lookout blurry eyes.

Before I was a very confident independent person but now I feel scared all the time i feel hopeless and ive went through 3 girl friends over the summer because of the extreme forward attitude the med gives me. I am not the same person I was. I some time just want to die. I'm extremely tire if i do any exercise at all.

Plus I have all the other typical side effect like the moon face and weight gain. I don't even look the same cuz my eyes have huge bags under them and a double chin I never had.

I feel for all of you because i know what your going through.
I saw one comforting post in here where someone said within 2 weeks of completely getting off the pred. he was his normal self.
I CAN TELL YOU HOW GLAD I WAS TO READ THAT!

Please if you have finished the med and have got back to normal don't forget about this post. Please let us know because we need any hope we can get to keep our chins up and not loose hope and go completely crazy or worse kill ourselves.

I have about 4 more months of this LIVING HELL and I will surely let you all know if it get better. If you have come off of it and are reading this PLEASE let us know if we get back normal at least w the brain fog. I can take all the side effect ok except for the crazy dream zone zombie feeling.

I WOULDN'T WISH THIS KINDA HELL ON THE DEVIL HIM SELF!!
Let's pray for each other that the Lord keep out minds strong until we get off the nightmare drug call Prednisone.

side effects:
brain fog, blurred vision, puffy eyes, depression, confusion, dizzy, moon face, buffalo neck hump neck, hopelessness

Hey Guys,
I'm new to all this but just wanted to share my story with everyone so I feel like i'm not so alone! I'm 23 and was diagnosed with SLE 3 years ago.
It started in my joints and then moved to my kidney's real fast. I now have stage 4 nephritis, finished 6months of cyclophosphamide in Feb and have been on no less than 40-20mg of pred for about 2years. Just when things were starting to look better it has stared in my blood so they are trying to up my dose again. It has thinned my bones so I am on special meds for that now too.
I know taking the pred is something I need to do to live but it comes at a really high price. I don't even look like the same person I used too because of the moon face. I know it's shallow but at 23 it is almost as bad as having to live with this disease. I now have really low self esteem and get anxious all the time, which is affecting my job. As much as I want to come off I also worry that I would have to stop work again as the pred is what keeps me going. All I want to do is get off it though! Anyone know any alternatives? Also, just wondering if you guys are still drinking alcohol while taking pred?
Thanks for listening guys!

iv been diagnosed with crohns 2months ago iv now been on prednisone for 4weeks i started on 40mg and now down 2 15 the last week my ankles have swelled up and now my right ankle is so painful to touch and walk on, and nothing is making it better, pain killers don't work, massaging it doesn't work, putting deep heat on it so to night i iced it for 15 mins and put a heat pack on it several times the pain went away for 10mins and came back its so painful im almost in tears, im down 2 15mg now so im not eating as muchas i was b4 i wasn't getting full i just keeped eating, my mood swings arnt as bad iv got moon face as they call it and i hate it as theirs no shape at all 2 my face, im getting pimples as will iv retained all this fluid and i feel like a marshmallow can someone please tell me that this pain will go away or is their something i can take 2 make it go away this is the worst medication in the whole world when i get off the prednisone and i have another flar up id rather have the runs and stomach cramps then all this drama iv been having in the last 3weeks iv also changes my whole diet and its made a huge difference 2 how i feel

I've been prescribed Prednisone since April and just recently experiencing hair loss (I'm Female)

I have been taking prednisone for three years now and I love it. When I am off of it I cannot breath and I get fluid in my lungs and my arthritis comes back and I ache all over. I could not live without it. The only side effects I have is a little weight gain, sweating, and moon face but the side effects are better than the all over acheing and not being able to breath. This drug has been very good to me.

I had a bulging disk and a pinched nerve and was put on PREDNISONE - 60mg for 5 days, then 40 mg for 5 days and then 20 for 5 days. I had a round face to begin with, which I always hated, but now, my face just looks like a balloon that someone painted a face onto. I have a huge face, a double chin, huge stomach, I look 5 months pregnant and I absolutely HATE myself on this drug. I've been off now for a week and nothing has subsided except the sweats -- very embarrassing! I work and in the middle of a meeting, I sweat so badly that it rolls off my giant red face in rivulets. I'm just miserable. Does anyone know how long it takes to get rid of the side effects of this demon-drug?? I want to stay in the house and hide.

I am a 52 year old post menopausal woman who received epidural Kenalog injections for arthritis in my neck (each one month apart). I didn't notice any symptoms with the first injection. About 2 weeks after the 2nd injection, I began spotting, and then bleeding for a few days. Prior to this, I had not menstruated for 18 months. I also noticed minor puffing in my face. The day of the 3rd injection, I had vaginal bleeding again, but it stopped. My blood pressure has increased, my skin appears to be thinning and I now have moon face. Does anyone know how long the facial puffiness lasts?

Male 28. Was diagnosed a couple of months ago with Ulcerative Colitis and was prescribed Prednisone. A large dose to start with then tampered off for 4 weeks. The first week I felt great, better than great, fantastic. The only downside was difficulty sleeping. The following 3 weeks, without any exaggeration have been among the worst I have ever experienced. I think the lack of sleep finally caught up with me, so I was constantly tired and generically felt depressed, also knee ache, eye pain, inability to think clearly (quite a problem when you are an Engineer), lacked energy or strength – and the Acne. Never before have I had Acne like this, and I used to suffer quite bad during my teens. Its just so aggressive, every few hours there seems to be new ones appearing. It seems to occur when ever I step down the dose. I think having this bad skin has really added to my depression over the last few weeks, it has been especially difficult considering I have been in the process of starting a new job. To top all of that my UC seems to be worst than ever! I’m worried that when I go back to see the Doctor next week he is going to put me on some equally-annoying medication or maybe another course of Prednisone if I’m lucky.

Does anyone know of some natural alternatives that are good for UC, very reluctant to put anymore man-made chemicals into my body.

I just learned that you can develop Cushing's Syndrome from taking prednisone, and that the doctor that has you on this should warn you that you could develop this. 10 mg a day usually worked for my pain, but I eventually got up to 20 mg a day, and that's when my problems really started. Of course I had already gained enough weight, which caused severe depression, but then I started gaining like crazy, and this is really weird, I was eating less, and had no appetite, but still gaining weight. I started feeling too tired to do anything, I have severe lower back pain, and get short of breath from any little bit of activity I do. I can't even take a shower without sitting on the side of the tub to rest. I also started having restless leg syndrome at night and would wake up several times. I sweat profusely without doing anything. I can just be sitting on the couch watching tv and sweat will start pouring down my face. I keep a towel with me at all times to wipe the sweat off. I definitely have moon face, and I also have sores all over my legs and face. I wish I would wake up and it was all a bad dream, but not so. I feel for everyone that has had these experiences. I am seeing an endocrinologist next week to see if I have Cushing's Syndrome. I don't even know if there is anything to do for it? Has anyone else who has used prednisone been diagnosed with Cushing's Sydrome?

I have been on prednisone for 8 weeks, the first two at 40 mg., then 30. I have sarcoidosis and had a cough for several years, then shortness of breath, a fever for three weeks, very low energy, headaches every day, vision problems, mental fuzziness, fatigue, leg cramps, weight loss, a host of symptoms that were impacting my life. With the prednisone, I have had some jitteriness and occasional insomnia, though not bad. I have had increased energy, clearer mind, no cough, the sarcoid symptoms have almost disappeared. I do have increased appetite and have gained maybe 5 pounds. I occasionally have a day when I have low energy and am depressed, but most often, my energy is a lot better since taking the prednisone. So, for me, prednisone is most definitely NOT a devil drug. In fact, I believe that thinking of it this way is very harmful both to the person thinking that way and to others who come to this site looking for help. It is helpful to know that there are other people having similar problems to yours. But focusing on all the negatives without acknowleging the vast array of positives can only hurt. When I take the pills, I remind myself to be grateful that there is something that can help me fight the sarcoid. When I start being fearful of the side effects (from reading these internet sites), I remind myself of all the many people who have taken prednisone and gotten better and lived a long, good life as a result. My sister-in-law took it years ago for Crohns and loved it. My friend's daughter took it and had a few side effects, primarily the moon face, but it helped her and she now is as thin as ever and doing well. Focus on the positives, people! Where your mind goes, your body will follow. Be aware of the possible effects and work to offset them. Exercise, eat less, find reasons to laugh and be with people. It sucks to have any disease that would cause you to have to be on prednisone, but we are lucky to have medicine and people to help us. Be thankful for what is good in your lives.

22 years old i have had Coltis for 5 years,flair ups pretty much the whole time, i have been on Prednisone a lot this last time has been the WORSE!!! All i can say is i hate it!! i was put in hospital the 4th time steroid thou the iv for 5 days sent home got worse again back to hospital then to try Cyclosporin thou the iv and also the steroid thou the iv. Ten days later they sent me home on prednisone coming off the iv was hard the pain in my legs was unbelievable!!! finally i was sent home on prednisone,coliform anemas,salfak anemas,and salfak granuls,i thought the worst was over but it was far from it... I turned in to a complete loony,crazy women i don't even know myself anymore my poor partner and kids. Having to deal with the pain and everything eles that comes with having a flair up but then also going though the side effects of the prednisone and the coliform was unbearable, i just wanted to die! My flair up was not getting much better and i hated myself as i felt i did not know myself with the mood swings, the crazy flip outs,crying all the time.My partner has been great having to pick me up off the ground and turn the crying reck into someone half normal. I hate the moon face,weight gain, im hungry ALL the time,night sweats,sleepless nights sore teeth,I have come off it now its been 4 days, so now all i need to stop its the coliform then i will be steroid FREE!!!!! i cannot wait!! For my face to go down and to be normal and back to the good old me! I forget what shes like... Coming off the Prednisone has been hard with the leg pain,muscle aches,head aches,mood swings,nausea. Its just hard as no one around me understands what im going though or what it feels like so i just sound like a sookie cry baby or a raving loony. does anyone know how long it takes for moon face to go away??? I wish everyone luck with there battles with Prednisone, its one of the hardest things i have had to deal with. =) your not alone. stay strong and be positive even throu your lowest times.

A year ago I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis and began taking 50mg Prednisone per day. The worst side effects in the beginning were weight gain, moon face, facial hair, hump-back neck, bruising (for example, just by my knees being together while I sleep,) excruciating joint pain and water retention to the point I felt my skin would split open. And poor vision which could have led to glaucoma, but an eye specialist put me on eye drops to reduce the pressure to normal levels. I've felt horrified and embarrassed by the change in my appearance but relieved that my sarcoid was being treated.
I feel confident in my case that Prednisone was the necessary treatment. My pulmonologist, opthamologist and regular doctor all agreed on a course of treatment. But I really advise people to get a second or third opinion before they take it. A friend of mine was prescribed a weeks course of Prednisone for a severe sinus infection. Luckily she didn't have any side effects but I really question if it was necessary. I'd also like to stress that if you're on Prednisone and experience worsening vision, please see an opthamologist who is a glaucoma specialist because it can lead to blindness if not treated.
And lastly, sorry this became a novel! I have been tapering off and I'm down to 20mg. But recently I've noticed my hair is thinning so much. I lose a ton when I brush it and it clogs the drain when I shower. Also my skin is shedding. When I shower and use a loofah sponge like I've always done and I lose layers of skin like a snake. I would really like to know if my hair will start to grow back when I'm finally off the Prednisone or am I going to lose it completely??