I'm 15 years old and i've been taking prednisone for a few months...

Hi,

I also have rheumatoid arthritis and was put on 100 mg of that poison a day for 5 years and yes it destroyed me. Know one understands or will ever understand especially Dr's. I'm so sorry your going through this but I think I can help if your willing to make a few changes in your life. Not allot just everything!! I got my self off prednisone and after being on my death bed I now run help people weight lift (Heavy weights bodybuilder style). Alonng with my regular career.

So yes there is great hope. E-mail me if you would like @ ds3175@comcast.net. Ask you parents if it's OK to e-mail a stranger off this board PLEASE!!!!

PS methotrexate is small does of chemo therapy, you don't want that at all. They tried that on me also.

Take care and hang in there. Tell me about your diet to start with.

I am so sorry for what you are going through, i could only imagine, i got RA in college (my senior year) it was terrible! I can only imagine what it is like to deal with this in High School. I also went through a time where I was put on prednisone and I ended up gaining 50 pounds, my face looked terrible, my stomach was so swollen that people were always asking me when my due date was.

I think you might want to consider going to another doctor. There are BETTER options for RA now, you should not have to stay on prednisone. I RARELY am on it anymore and I refuse to take methotrexate (it made me sick and it can cause long-term damage to your liver and you are too young to risk that) Ask about Embrel, Remicade, Orienca. If this doctor is an RA doctor they SHOULD be looking at those options. If he is your primary doctor, that is your problem, most primary doctors are too scared to try these treatments but I'm telling you, taking embrel and then now remicade has save my life. before I was pretty much bedridden, now I'm active and exercise every day, I have dropped the 50 pounds and most days I feel pretty good (its pain I can manage)

I can totally relate to everything you wrote! I am 29 yr old mother of 2 (age 7 and 19 months) and on June 5 I broke out with hives from a severe allergic reaction to a medication that I was prescribed (Effexor XR - DONT ever take that stuff). To make a long story short, I ended up being hospitalized for 6 days and was LOADED with a ton of prednisone (400 mgs a day for 6 days) which made me really sick. I am now down to my last 3 days of 10 mgs of prednisone and I hope to get my life back. I have been an emotional wreck (and still dont feel like myself) during the entire time I have been taking this medication. I have been trying to function normal but it was nearly impossible to do. I go from sadness and tears to anger and frustration in a matter of minutes, I havent been able to sleep for weeks no matter how I try and am so tired but have enough energy to run for hours but I cant do anything because I cant function on this medication. It is a very difficult thing to explain to anyone that hasnt experienced it. I imagine that it is very hard for people to listen to complaining about it but someone has to listen to you and try to help you through it. Not only does it mentally mess with your mind, but the weight gain, acne hair thinning are not fair. I suggest that if there is ANY alternative, you try it. I dont think that anyone should have to live on that medication, no matter how much of a "miracle" drug everyone (including doctors) says it is. In my opinion, it has way too many mental side effects to function and maintain a normal life. It really is a mind altering drug. I wish you the best of luck with treatment and try to think positive, maybe that will help. I can only pray that my children or I never have to take that medication as long as we are alive.
My twin sister takes methotrexate (however you spell it) for severe psoriasis and she doesnt have many complaints about it. I think it may cause nauseas but it works so well that she gets through that. Occasionally she will take dramamine if the nauseas is too bad and that helps.

so many of the diseases of our modern civilization are caused by inflammation due to our overly processed diets. we've loaded up on omega-6 oils and totally disregarded omega-3 oils.
try taking omega-3 oils, Carlsons is a great brand. i've recently had a kidney inflammation and i am taking 16,000 mg of fish oil a day which has enabled me to get by with much less prednisone than is usual with my problem.
it's also made my skin better (softer) and my HDL cholesterol is 104- my kidney doctor said he had never seen HDLs that high. if you can lessen your inflammation naturally, you will need less prednisone. the omega 3 oils have only good effects. prednisone will do some good but it can also do a lot of harm

Sorry you ar having to deal with a miserable drug reaction--am coming off of Prednisone-down to 4 mg but started at just 10. I was totally wired, wanted to eat everything in sight (look like I am about 5 months preg.) snapped & bitched, even to the sweet dog & cat (husband is a saint) & felt that I was suffering from instant dementia. I do take melatonin --it's natural-& I sleep well. My diagnosis--polymyalgia-rheumatica--supposed to last a year or two. I think I am improving rapidly because I take herbal anti-inflammatories for osteo-arthritis--severe, I have the gene & I use my body unmercifully. I believe a lot of the auto-immunes are stress related & what is more stressful than high school? Please don't feel bad about complaining here--there are many of us who understand. Tell your mom it's kind of like having a baby with colic--it will pass. Keep busy & as positive as you can. I do hope you are seeing a rheumatologist to have all the latest treatment

This story caught my attention because your a teenager and im also a teenager..im 16 and taking Prednisone.! I never in my life thought taking a medicine would change the way you look and feel. I have an autoimmune disorder; and barely getting this at the age of 16 a couple months ago hurts really bad and especially taking a medicine that has so many side effects that are so upsetting just makes it worse. Its really hard because at my age everyone cares about appearance..so even when im somewhere and there is someone that doesnt know me that looks at me i feel so embarrassed and dont feel confident like i use to. Before i was a outgoing confident girl that loved to go everywhere and have fun and now i feel like this stupid medicine has ruined my life. I was a Cheerleader at my highschool and loved Cheerleading it was my life and i had to give that up.:(
My mom,family,friends and doctors dont understand what im going through..no one does and it gets me really frustrated because all i want is for my puffy face to go back to normal and my extra weight gain to shed. I too have thought of suicide..and i know thats beyond CRAZY but it was really weird of me to think of such a thing when before i would never have thought of that.This medicine just makes me very upset. Everyday I cry because I think about my puffy face and i just wish it can go back to itself. These days are the worst days of my life, ive never experienced something so sad.And its True if a doctor ever prescribes this medicine to you i suggest you should not take it! The only positive thing right now is that my muscle and joints dont ache like before,but im just worried if i will ever look like myself again? when i look in the mirror i dont recognize myself.:(
ive started with 90 mgs of prednisone a day in october 2008 and started slowly tapering and its now July 2009 and im at 5mgs...and my face has gone down but not completely.. i still dont look like myself..So when will my puffy face go away?? Thanks for the help i feel better that theres people ot there that feel like me, because Doctors dont even know what it feels like to be on this freakin medicine.

This story caught my attention because your a teenager and im also a teenager..im 16 and taking Prednisone.! I never in my life thought taking a medicine would change the way you look and feel. I have an autoimmune disorder; and barely getting this at the age of 16 a couple months ago hurts really bad and especially taking a medicine that has so many side effects that are so upsetting just makes it worse. Its really hard because at my age everyone cares about appearance..so even when im somewhere and there is someone that doesnt know me that looks at me i feel so embarrassed and dont feel confident like i use to. Before i was a outgoing confident girl that loved to go everywhere and have fun and now i feel like this stupid medicine has ruined my life. I was a Cheerleader at my highschool and loved Cheerleading it was my life and i had to give that up.:(
My mom,family,friends and doctors dont understand what im going through..no one does and it gets me really frustrated because all i want is for my puffy face to go back to normal and my extra weight gain to shed. I too have thought of suicide..and i know thats beyond CRAZY but it was really weird of me to think of such a thing when before i would never have thought of that.This medicine just makes me very upset. Everyday I cry because I think about my puffy face and i just wish it can go back to itself. These days are the worst days of my life, ive never experienced something so sad.And its True if a doctor ever prescribes this medicine to you i suggest you should not take it! The only positive thing right now is that my muscle and joints dont ache like before,but im just worried if i will ever look like myself again? when i look in the mirror i dont recognize myself.:(
ive started with 90 mgs of prednisone a day in october 2008 and started slowly tapering and its now July 2009 and im at 5mgs...and my face has gone down but not completely.. i still dont look like myself..So when will my puffy face go away?? Thanks for the help i feel better that theres people ot there that feel like me, because Doctors dont even know what it feels like to be on this freakin medicine.

check out a book called Coping with Prednisone on amazon.com. i haven't read it but i've hard that it's very helpful

Oh, sweetie. I am so, so sorry to all of you who are going through this. I found it especially hard being young and female.

I've been in the exact same place. I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease at 20 and ended up being on prednisone for 6 years straight. I started out on 60mg and it took me years to even be able to go down to 20mg. I gained 60+ lbs and had the huge, puffy face that you know all too well. Between the hunger, the weight gain, the insomnia, the acne, the mood swings, and just feeling generally miserable, I became really depressed too and eventually went on an anti depressant (which I'm still on now - and you know what? It's ok!). Doctors have NO CLUE what being on this med is like, and they, of all people, tended to say really hurtful things - like it was somehow my fault I had gotten so huge. Strangers would ask me if I was pregnant. My boyfriend broke up with me and my career path came to a screeching halt when I went on this medicine. I felt like it ruined my life.

I don't have any magical cures or new miracle medicines for you to try, but I'm going to try to give you a little hope. Today, I am healthy, happy, and completely prednisone free. I have just graduated from college and live on my own with my wonderful dog. I have lost 2/3 of the weight I put on over the course of all of those years, and I am feeling better than I have in a long time. It is completely possible.

This is the advice I would like to travel back in time and tell my 20 year old self:

You have not been handed a death sentence, although I completely understand why it feels like your life is over. Try to do things that make you happy, however small they may be. Surround yourself with the few people who are going to be your true friends (you'll find out pretty quickly who they are right about now) and forget the rest. Try any new medicine that comes out. Be very proactive about talking to your doctor about new studies that are being done. If you're not happy with your doctor, go to another one. And another one. And another one - until you find one who you like. Do your own research on natural remedies and try anything you can afford - such as massage or accupressure - just be sure not to mix supplements with your other meds before talking to your doc. Relax. It's so good for your immune system. I repeat: your life is not over. You've just been dealt a difficult hand. You can do this.

Private message me if you need to talk...

Don't despair. This is your life and you can really turn things for the better. Some people get their challenges earlier than others, and 15 is very young to be dealt your hand. Still, I had to take much more prednisone than you at 18 years old and it compounded my existing acne and made it impossible to sleep for almost 4 mnths. I think the prednisone did its magic, depsite the misery and I am only on it again nearly 30 years later for a flare up or different auto immune disease called Sarcoidosis. I am doing great despite being awake for much of the night and grinding my teeth due to tension from being hyper. Better drugs will come along in your life time such as Embrel and Remicade which you may already be considering. I know other young folks with RA and one just had her first baby and works productively in a career she loves. Don't give up, don't let this illness or the drugs be your quitting play. Just look for flowers in the weeds and keep on keeping on. You are going to have so many great pleasures in life. Cheers, D

Hi there. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis last year. My doctor put me on Methyltrexate and so far it has been very good. I know there are plenty of people who have side effects from it, but so far I have not had any of them except some canker sores in my mouth every now and then, but taking folic acid every day helps diminish those. There are several other RA options out there, but Methyltrexate is the cheapest and easiest and most convenient. For some of the other, you actually have to go to the doctors office and get an I.V. for like 1/2 hour once month. Also, try taking a look at what is in your diet as well. I believe diet can help with the side effects as well. Cut out all sugar and try eating lots of things with antioxidants, as they have anti-inflammatory properties. Also try taking Omega 3 fish oil capsules every day. It's a natural method that helps me as well. I'm only 27, so I can't imagine what it's like to have RA at your age, I have had to quit a lot of things I love as well such as yoga, but I took up Tai Chi and find that has made a difference as well. If you have any questions or want some more info, feel free to email me at ambientvision @ gmail. com. Take care and good luck with everything.

Wow, I can't imagine going through this during high school. It's hard enough now and I just turned 36. I've been on Prednisone for two years...the highest was 50 mg a day. This was for chronic, unexplained hives. In the past year they've been weening me off. I've been on only 1 mg for about two months and haven't been on any for the last 10 days. I gained 55 pounds and have cushings syndrome due to the prednisone. The reason I'm writing is to give you hope that when they find a way to get you off of this...things will get better. Although I currently have joint and muscle pain from detoxing from the prednisone, I've lost 16 pounds in two months (with no diet or excercise) and my depression and anger have dissipated greatly. The joint and muscle pain is a joke compared to the issues prednisone caused for the last two years. Please, just think positive and know that something better will come along and you will see the damage from prednisone go away! Take Care!
Andrea