Poison oak symptoms and conditions

been taking 20 mg for several months, stopped it for about a month, and started back taking it at night for 1 month now. It seems that every time I bump my hand or arm it turns into a bad looking blister, someone asked me tonight if I had poison oak, which I don't. I have had blood tests and everything is normal. It really looks bad.

first day on, super shaky, felt like I had drank 20 cups of coffee. First day off of the drug extreme exhaustion, headache and bloating. Taken for a strong case of Poison Oak, which the drug made no change, didn't even slow down the spreading.

I can't believe what I am reading! I have been a competitive runner for over 25 years, and in the past two years I started running mainly trail ultras - races up to 70 miles. This March my husband noticed a huge dent in my left glute muscle that over the course of four races got worse and led to a secondary dent in my hip area. I just assumed I had injured my muscle somehow, but no amount of rest, PT, or stretching has helped.(it's been 6 months now) I developed hip bursitis, medium to severe pain in all my joints, including both knees, my left ankle, and extreme spinal stiffness.

None of the experienced PTs I've been to have seen anything like my dent, and they are baffled by my worsening condition. I'm so scared I'll have to give up running altogether, as my joints are failing me. My PT has advised me to go to my regular doctor to get bloodwork, X-rays, an MRI & all tests done to see if something is wrong with me that is beyond muscle-skeletal. Before all of this, I had low back issues but no joint issues at all.

I found this web site by chance, and suddenly I remembered that several months before noticing the dent, I received 2 steroid injections in my butt, as well as pills & cream for a super severe case of poison oak that covered my whole body and face. Do you think my doctor will tell me if it was Kenalog if I ask?

I, too, am very very interested in any other stories of severe joint pain and inability to run especially after receiving these shots. I hope we can help each other figure this out & get answers.

I went through a horrible withdrawal from ativan two and half years ago. It sent my CNS into overdrive. But I eventually got better. I have been extremely well and able to teach full time this past year. Then I got a very bad case of poison oak and was put on prednisone for 9 days, starting at 40mg. and then coming off at 10mg. I am so very sick again. It took me a year and half to recover from the benzos. How long does this horrible diarrhea, nauseousness, inner vibrating last???

I also received a kenalog injection from a dermatologist for rashes that wouldn't go away. He told me ONLY that it would probably mess up my menstrual cycle. I thought "yeah sure that sounds great" I just wanted relief from all the itching. The rash did go away but i started to notice a dent where they gave me the injection. It has since gotten bigger and I am scared and wondering what is going on with me. My doctor never told me of atrophy or even that it was a possibility. I consulted with another doctor who told me he is not sure how this couldn't happened and that they probly injected in the wrong site. i now know after coming to this site that i am not alone and it is the kenalog that has caused me grief. Doctors need to be responsible in letting patients know every detail about the drug they are using on us. I was reassured by him that my only side affect would be irregular periods. Hopefully one day mine will go away but until the people need to be educated on certain steroids.

I have taken, for the first time in my life for poison oak, prednisone- 60 mg for 3 days, 30 mg for 1 day, and 20 for 1 day. A week after the dose ended, I took another dose of it. As soon as that was over, the symptoms began with extreme low energy and dizziness, and eyes not feeling to well. I have been like this for a week, and would like to know how long this will last? And what can I do to speed up the process?

Hi guys,

I have written several replies to people on the side effects of Prednisone.

Mainly I have dealt with how long it takes for your body to go back to normal after being on it. This is because i was on it for ten years and have been off it for three and have dealt with side effects and adrenal insufficiency.

I am trying to create awareness for what people go through on Prednisone and also trying to create some support for people out there.

So I have recently created a group on Facebook called Survivors of Prednisone. For those of you who are on Facebook you might be interested enough to have a look and maybe find other people who you can share things with and know that you are not alone. Also I can answer questions if you want to ask me things.

good luck and hope to see you there,

Anne

Hello everyone. Thank you for sharing your stories. I no longer feel so confused as to what I am experiencing while on Prednisone. I was prescribed this medication for my back (I have a ruptured disc). I am 24 years old. I took a short five day treatment of prednisone about three weeks ago. I was very foggy and forgetful. I was tired and bloated. The worst side effect I have noticed is ACNE! Oh my gosh, I haven't ever experienced a breakout like this before. This breakout is a continuous side effect long after I stopped taking the drug. I went to the doctor again yesterday for a check up on the status of my back injury. He has prescribed a THIRTY day treatment and even more aggressive approach with prednisone!!!! I am so scared to start this treatment because of what I have already experienced. HELP! Does anyone know if the acne will clear up? Will it scar? Does anyone have any tips on this?
Thanks.

I had the shot in my right glute in April of 2006 and I have a hole the size of a lime in my hip now. For all those that have had this happen how long does it take to stop it from eating tissue away. It is still getting bigger every month and has yet to stop. The doctors say that this is the first time they have seen this and others at the office had the same drug injected and having the same problem but not as severe as mine. I never was told that this could be a side effect and I would never have had this shot given to me. I am a 21 year old and have a huge hole in my hip, not right. Please if anyone has any info, let me know when I could expect it to stop eating my hip away.

I wanted to post for those going through a short course of prednisone and report that things will get better. I was prescribed prednisone at the ER for poison oak that had been getting worse over the course of 2 weeks; it looked like one knee was in the process of dissolving (soaked through 9 of those triple-layer 3x3 gauze pads in under an hour). I took 60mg for 3 days, 40mg for 3 days, and 20mg for 3 days. During that time I don't think I slept more than an hour total per night, I broke out in hives and cystic acne, and my face and stomach bloated. Then I had panic attacks as I was tapering off of the prednisone. At the end of a week after my last 20mg pill, I was almost euphoric at feeling like I was in my right mind again. All the other side-effects receded within 2 weeks and it does not seem to have had any lasting effects on my blood glucose (I'm part of a clinical trial for a vaccine). When I got reinfected with poison oak (that oil will hang around on anything it touches) I got a presciption for a topical corticosteroid from my GP and nipped it in the bud this time.

I have been taking prednisone for just over a week for a bad case of poison oak. I have noticed mild side effects such as irritibility and puffiness in my hands and face. I am breast-feeding my 2 1/2 year-old daughter and she has been moody too. The last two nights she has had a bloody nose, I wonder if that is also a side effect of the prednisone?

I started taking maxide toward the end of July 2005. In early September, I developed a rash that itched so bad I thought I would go out of my mind. It started on the backs of my upper legs and progressed to my ears, face, and neck. I took prednisone to take care of the rash with the doctor and me thinking it had to be poison ivy. Two days after stopping the small dosage of prednisone, the itching was back in full force. I have since stopped taking maxide.

A younger less drug skeptical me took prednisone for poison oak (talk about the remedy worse than the disease!). I had a major allergic reaction (hives, difficulty breathing, etc) and was given a big shot of benadryl at the ER.

This may sound crazy, but this was four years ago, and I am not sure my body ever got over it. My immune system is no good, and I (a person who takes great care of myself-happy, love my life, organic foos, exercise, etc) was SO sick the winter after the prednisone.

I still catch everything that seems to come by, adn I think its related to that vile drug.

I researched and did learn that according to studies, pred can depress the immune system for up to a year. If that is what the studies say, i am willing to bet its a hell of a lot longer than that.....

I'm 21 years old... and I've been on Pred. for about two weeks now.... started out on 60 mg for 5 days, then 40 mg for 5 days, and now I'm on the home stretch with one 20 mg for the last 5 days. I had a reaction to some poison- though they never figured out what it was (though, I'm pretty sure it was poison oak and I had terrible hives reaction over my entire body).

But just from being on this medicine for two weeks I've experienced the following side effects:
- Increased appetite. Gained 3 1/2 lbs in a week and a half.
- Lack of deep sleep.
- Frequent trips to the bathroom throughout the night (3-5 times) - probably some how related to how much I'm consuming.
- Overall feeling of muscular weakness.
- AND worst of all, sweating at night. I'll have the a/c as low as it can go, and I still sweat through a few shirts at night. Does anyone else have this problem? It's driving me crazy... it's pretty gross. :)

I've been taking prednisone for about a 2 weeks, due t oa severe case of poison oak, and even within this short amount of time i have noticed several side effects the steroid has had on my body. Some of which would be deppression, insomnia, weight gain, and appetite increase. When ever i was in a sad sittuation, my emmotions seemed magnified, as if one of my friends had just died. The insomnia has occured several times, though notably only when i workout a few hours before bed. in the first 5 days of using prednisone, i gained about 6.5 pounds! and i noticed that i needed an exessive amount of liquid throughout the day.

How long after stopping this drug do the side effects go away or how long does it take to get it all out of a person's system? I'm talking about weight gain. It has been over two months since I stopped taking it for poison oak and only took it for seven days, but I gained 15+ pounds that I cannot lose now to save my life. I would appreciate any and all advice regarding this. Maybe I need to do something different, but I sure can't figure out what that would be.

Thanks.

I am wondering how long after quitting this drug does it take for the side effects to go away, in particular, weight gain. I was on it for only seven days for poison oak that I had had for over a month at that point. It worked on the poison oak, but omigosh, the hunger was terrible. I gained 15 pounds in those seven days that I cannot seem to get off me now. I have been doing the Atkins diet for the past year or so, but since the prednisone, it does not seem to be working any more. I'm not sure why I can't lose any weight at all and am extremely frustrated at this point. Any and all advise would be greatly, greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

I started taking prednisone 16 days ago for systemic poison oak. I should never have started. It made me feel awful in many ways and I couldn't wait to decrease my dosage and be finished with it. Today was the last day. And then I again started having "really bad heartburn" like I'd been having since I started it...but then the "heartburn" changed and I realized I was having severe chest pains. I ended up fainting once and almost fainting again on the way out to the car to emergency with my husband and son's help. During the short car ride I thought I could be having a heart attack...it was very scary. My fingers and toes started tingling and then vibrating strongly. I didn't know what was happening. They got me to emergency where I felt taken care of almost immediately. They were almost certain I was in fact having a reaction to the prednisone. They see this quite a bit! They took all sorts of tests to make sure it wasn't my heart, etc and they started me on an anti- anxiety IV which started helping fairly soon. They sent me home with more of this medication in case I start feeling bad again in the next few days. Hopefully this will be the end of it....and I know I will NEVER go on prednisone again in my life!

I'm taking Methylprednisolone to combat the rash that developed from my Poison Oak exposure. My dosage is 6, the first day, five the 2nd, 4 the 3rd, etc for 6 days. I am having a hard time concentrating. I feel like my mind is racing, and my body is full of nervous energy. I have no pain, and the rash is fading fast.