Steroid therapy symptoms and conditions

I am an intensive care physician , one day we got a 75 year old male patient for acute allergic skin manifestation and general body swelling , the patient has been taking Lamictal tablets for seizures control after brain surgery few months before his presentation the patient was put on i.v steroid therapy along with antihistamine, on the second day we noticed that his skin is peeling off and his breathing got embarrassed , the case was diagnosed as( TOXIC EPIDERMAL NECROLYSIS) which is the most severe form of drug allergic reactions as a side effect of Lamictal administration , one week later the patient died due to acute respiratory failure (ARDS) however he was on mechanical ventilation support.

I just spent the last 4 days in the hospital due to "status migrainosus" (a severe migraine that can only be treated by hospitalization/IV. I never had a migraine until 2 years ago when I was put on Yasmin to treat endometriosis. Since then I have been anxious, extremely emotional, experienced insomnia and had bad migraines. After reading all the comments on this site, I am convinced this is not a safe drug (at least for me) and have stopped taking it.

I started prednisone last week because of an allergic reaction I had to I dunno what (yet). I started with a solumedrol shot, followed 12 hrs later by a kenalog shot, followed 12 hrs after that by oral prednisone q 24 hrs. The 'fog' is fucking horrible; I can't think straight. I'm at the end of a medic class and have finals this weekend - and I'm scared that I'll be in the middle of a fog during the exams and will fail miserably.

It's unlike anything else I've experienced. It's not a drunk or stoned feeling, it's literally like I've lost cognitive ability and cannot process information. For instance: I wanted to make some tea and forgot how to turn on the kettle.

Does anyone else experience wild mood swings? I'm not normally a tearful person, but the past few days have seen me crying uncontrollably for no reason whatsoever - and this morning, I started laughing whilst I was crying and just couldn't stop. My family think I'm losing my mind, and were I not taking prednisone, monteluklast and fexofenadine I'd agree with them. As it is, I feel somewhat reassured that it's the medications that are causing these symptoms, but holy cats, is it ever weird to feel this way.

I feel so bad for you folks who are faced with the prospect of long-term cortico-steroid therapy. If any of you would like to talk, please contact me at ****** .

Good luck, y'all!

I received 10 Kenalog injections on 9/15 in my scalp to help with hair loss. I am 34; the doctor biopsied and said I had scarring alopecia. I asked about cortisone shots and she elected to give me a series to see if it would help. The shots were painful, of course. But I'd read that steroid therapy can help regrow hair, so I remained hopeful. On my return visit a couple of months later, I pointed out the dent to her, and she said it would fill in in a few months. She gave me a 2nd shot of Kenalog in my left buttock.

I got home that night and looked up the drug and its side effects. I found this board. I cried all night.

It's 3 months later and I have one huge, tender indentation in my scalp--it is BALD; how ironic as there was hair there pre-Kenalog. I also have several less deep dents in my scalp. I've also had the yeast infection, but so far I have yet to develop an indentation or discoloration in my buttock. I am wondering if I should see a lawyer because I was not informed of the risks of this drug. And apparently rather than improving the situation it was prescribed for, it made it worse.

Sigh.

Guest, #12572
"Some patients who have weaned from prednisone report that they continue to experience the side effects of steroid therapy, such as anxiety, depression and irritability for weeks or months following treatment so give yourself time to adjust."

Bronchitis27: Bravo!! Great attitude!!! Wishing you all the best!!!

My internal medicine specialist prescribed Levaquin 500MG, one per day on 10/14/03 for lesions on right arm. Took last dose 11/07/03 when my dermatologist said I should stop taking the Levaquin and start Cipro. I checked with my nephrologist who was treating me with plasma exchanges for a peripheral neuropathy was advised they used Cipro "all the time" and it would be OK for me to switch from the Levaquin to Cipro (also a fluoroquinolone). On 11/08 I started Cipro and took only one dose before becoming nauseated. On 11/10 I left a message for my dermatologist that I was switching back to Levaquin because the Cipro caused nausea. I got no response to the message. On 11/24/03, while standing motionless beside my van, my LEFT ACHILLES TENDON SPONTANEOUSLY RUPTURED. I am now taking NON-Fluoroquinolone antibiotics. Interestingly, when I made a routine followup visit to my internal medicine M.D. on 1/20/04 and brought him up to date about my 11/24 tendon rupture and showed him literature about tendon damage as a side effect associated with fluoroquinolone antibiotics, he replied, "Oh yes, they are a known risk for tendon problems." It didn't occur to me until this moment while looking back into my journal that this is the same doctor who originally prescribed the Levaquin. The sad point of this situation is that NONE of the physicians recognized the risk of my taking fluoroquinolones. I have been on long-term Prednisone therapy for the neuropathy. The literature is filled with references highlighting the risk of tendon damage associated with the combination of steroid therapy and fluoroquinolone usage. I've been in a cast for 10 weeks and will be in physical therapy for several weeks, all of which has set back my therapy for the neuropathy and caused an overall deterioration in my condition. Does anyone think my docs were negligent?