PredniSONE side effects

I was put on PredniSone for a lung virus that i developed asthma due to. I had been border line asthmatic for 10yrs. Dosage was 6tabs 3days, 5 tabs 3days ...etc... I am two days from finishing my dosage and I have had sever leg cramps for the past week. I wake up 2 to3 times a night and have to walk around. I wake up at least 3 times and are able to straighten up enough and go back to sleep. I have also had to get up 2 to 3 times a night to urinate. This is uncommon for me. Hopefully with discontinued use these side effects will stop. I need to get a good night rest. I will never want to take PredniSone again.

My daughter is 12 and just started taking Prednisone 5 days ago (40mg - she weighs 105lbs) .. I've been watching her salt intake - tonight she looks a little pale to me - is that a side effect? has anyone else experienced that? She has Ulcerative colitis (2 years this month) - started w/asacol, colazol, 6mp (gave her pancreatits) now is on methotrexate since Nov '07 - was put on prednisone because of a recent flare - to me none of these medications have put her into remisson - always goes 3-5 times a day - sometimes blood - sometimes not - don't know if prednisone will help - so afraid of the side effects -
Dr. said if it doesn't - Remicade will be the next option - after that surgery - only thing - my daughter has never complained of pain - except when she was on 6mp -
sorry for babbling - just so scared...

Prescribed Prednisol & Predsol June 2007 for acute ulcerative colitis. Three months, oral and rectal, got it under control.September 07 got large fluid appearances both knees which took two weeks to subside completely.
Soon after & whilst playing golf got stabbing pain left Achilles. Repaired by op. Thereafter commenced getting aches in muscles and joints and generally across entire body structure. Extreme pain in rt hip, imaged and shown as necrosis of femur joint. April 08 rt hip joint replaced. Continual muscular pain overnight which abates with movement during day causes sleep deprivation and consequential lethargy.
Most interested in proven supplements and/or prescription antidote!

Hi

I just started taking 20mg of Prednisone for a shoulder injury. So far I have all but loss my appetite, which sounds strange to me since my doctor told me to expect to gain weight very quickly. I have also loss my need to sleep. I was up from Saturday 11:15 am morning the first day I began Prednisone and wasn't able to get to sleep until Sunday night around 10:00pm. I'm sweating like I'm constantly being rained on, it is so darn annoying. I also started to lose my voice last night and then again today, is that normal with is drug? I'm so full of energy all I do is clean our house, work out in my flower beds, etc. I'm kinda of scare of this drug and I'm glad I will be off of it next Tuesday unless my shoulder isn't better when I start physical therapy tomorrow. I wish you all the best while you are taking this drug.

Keep us posted on how you are doing.

Marlene

I was prescribed 20mg 3x daily for five days to treat "Reactive Airway Disease/Bronchitis." Yesterday was my 5th and final day of taking the medication and I noticed both of my shins began hurting for no apparent reason when I walked. I didn't think it had anything to do with Prednisone. Then, last night, I suddenly felt weak as if my blood sugar had dropped tremendously and ate a grapefruit while trembling with weakness to stop this feeling. Again, I made no association with this and Prednisone. Last night as well, I noticed that my shoulders suddenly became achey on both sides of my backbone for no apparent reason. This morning, I woke up and the pain from my shoulders had spread to my hips and the entire area between my shoulders and hips is tender to the touch. Today, after not taking any of the medication, I feel mentally blurry, have moments of what feels to be low blood sugar and flu-like symptoms. I'm also still experiencing the muscle pain in my back and hips although my shins seem better. My pharmacist told me to call my Dr. and seemed surprised to learn I was not weaned off this medication. All of the symptoms I have described above are side-effects that should be reported to a Dr. immediately, according to my pharmacist. Another less-serious side-effect that began yesterday is swelling in my feet, hands, stomach and face. I also had diarrhea today.

I have now tapered to 10mg prednisone every other day and will end 75mg Cytoxan Aug 19th. Just went to the Dr. and she said protein is back in urine (bad) but also rising in blood. (good) I can continue to taper prednisone but will have to have another 24 hr urine speciman to determine wether I have to go on cyclosporine. Was originally diagnosed with Minimal Change Disease, but now she thinks it could be another kidney disease. Has anyone had successful tapering with the addition of cyclosporine? Does the urine protein ever get higher? What about side effects of cyclosporine.

Hi All - I have been off prednisone for one week and I am not doing as well as I thought I would be at this stage. My symptoms are not flaring, which is a very good thing but I am so tired and feeling very depressed and low energy. I thought I'd feel great once I was off the evil prednisone but so far I am feeling almost as bad as when I was on it. My moon face has not started to go away, which sucks, but I guess I have to be patient. I am so tired of this situation as it feels never ending. Part of the problem is I have continued to work throughout my ordeal, and it's been very hard at times to carry on like a normal person who is not sick. I have been sick since last November (with an autoimmune disorder) and I had really hoped by this time that I'd be on my way to being better :( Prednisone saved my life but the side effects are horrendous, as are the after affects of it. Good luck to all who are taking it. I share your pain and frustration.

My son is suffering from psychosis because of prednisone. He had severe poison ivy and was given 10 day course of pills that tapered and a shot. Since then he has been in the psych ward for a week , released given respirdal and lithium. After 3 weeks we tried to wean him from the respidal but the psychosis came right back. ;He is 17 and never had any symptoms of psychosis or mania before. He has every symptom now. BTW his psychosis did not appear until he was finished with the prednisone for several days. Will he ever recover?????

I was prescribed a 6 day pack of 4mg Methylprednisolone (Medrol) at the ER for an allergic reaction I was having to a gel that I used on my sking. The Medrol worked great at stopping the allergic reaction. My swelling, pain, and rash began to rapidly clear up. Unfortunately I began to have many side effects. On day 5 I was unable to get out of bed I was so tired and dizzy. I had a headache and mental confusion and unclear thinking. I called my primary care provider on a Sunday to ask if it is okay to stop taking the steroid. She said it was and that it was unlikely the medrol was causing my symptoms. She told me I had a virus. I told her the symptoms I was having were listed as side effects on the drug info sheet but she did not believe me. IA few days later I made an appointment to see a doctor, not the same one who took my phone call. This doctor said all of my symptoms were from the Medrol. She knew because of personal experience she saw in her mother who was also taking steroids. She told me medrol can cause a manic response or a depressive, the latter is what I was having. As part of my exam she wanted me to have blood work but said I should wait at least 2 weeks to allow the drug to get out of my system. It is now 19 days since my appointment and I am still having side effects: nausea, complete lack of appetite, dizzy, and tired all the time. I put a call in to my doctor today and am waiting to hear back. I am sorry that I took this medication, will never take again. How long will it take for this med to get completely out of my system so that I feel normal again?
A friend told me her mother had a manic episode on steroids. When I was younger I took steroids for a brief period and had much milder side effects.

After a year of battling effects from an eye injury, an optho-neurologist finally came to the conclusion that I had orbital inflammatory psuedo tumor. I was told to take 60 mg immediately and then take 2-40mg doses (AM and early afternoon). On Friday, July 18th I took 60 mg at 6:30 p.m. and was so nauseous and barely slept. That next day I took 40mg in the morning and another 40mg around 2:30 p.m.. Although I had been, throughout the year, experiencing pain in my left eye and cheek..what I experienced by 4:00p.m. that next day was more severe than ever. I started having shooting pain and a headache so excruciating that I was in tears. (I had two children naturally).
By 10:30 I had several hours of this pain when the worst happened. The left side of my face drooped and I had difficulty speaking. By the time I got to the hospital I could not move my left arm and left leg. After five days in the hospital and every test imaginable (cat scan, MRI, EKG, etc) they ruled out all stroke, MS and anything else that would show up on these tests. During the hospital stay (although they did not cite prednisone for this event), they started tapering me off. I went from 80 to 50 in one of these days and thought I would DIE. There was no pain reliever/narcotic strong enough to take away the headache. I spent ten days tapering and prayed every day for the end. Sweating, no sleep, crying and did I mention...my headache has still NOT gone away. I have a couple of hours here and there without this pain but for the most part I have been in this hell even after my taper. The clincher is that NO ONE at the hospital or afterwards would admit that this was a side effect but they also could not provide a response. It took three weeks for me to work my way back to walking and using the left side of my body. Has anyone heard of this before? Good luck to all of you, it has meant a lot to read your comments.

My husband initially took Prednisone after getting strange lesions, severe joint pain, severe fatigue and severe stomach cramps/nausea. It worked great he was tapered off and no problems for about 18 months. Then he go sick again (2/08) and has been up and down on Prednisone for 7 months- currently taking 60 mg. daily. Some doctors think he has Wegener's, but testing is inconclusive (Wegener's starts with upper respiratory stuff, which he also had). His mood swings are severe and he's a different person, twitching, hand trembling, muscle spams, malaise, anxiety/depression, very fatigued, insomnia, severe stomach cramps/vomiting. How do you tell which symptoms are the Prednisone and which are the disease process? They want to taper him to make him sick enough to get some test results that show organ damage or something, but everyone chickens out and he ends up getting increased. How long should he be on Prednisone and not be put on something stronger?

I have been prescribed Prednisone after I had an adverse reaction to an antibiotic which i was taking after an insect bite became infected. I am covered in a sore extremely itchy rash of weels all over my body.

I took 6x5 mg of Presnisone with breakfast and as I was feeling ill because of the rash I took it easy and lay on the sofa suddenly about 60 to 90 minutes after taking the pills I had an overwhelming feel of wanting to be sick and diarrhea, my head was spinning and I came out in a cold sweat. I become very anxious and felt like I would die, so quickly and severely did this come upon me.

All I could do was lie down and let it pass. fortunately my husband was at home and I felt reassured that if needed he would ring for emergency treatment. after a while this feeling passed but did return about an hour later. It took about six hours before I could move my head without feeling sick.

I spoke to my GP on the phone and he said I shouldn't have had a reaction like that, it was not the usually side effect! Reading the post on this forum I think it most definitely a side effect of Prednisone.

Now I have to decide whether to take it again tomorrow I am still very itchy and the rash hasn't got any better but no worse. My GP suggested taking 3x 5mg for breakfast and 3x 5mg with lunch.

I only have to hopefully take it for one more day after that. I do feel for those of you who have no choice but to take.

I have taken one 7-day prednisone taper (40-40-40-30-30-20-10) for severe back pain due to a herniated disk on my S1 nerve. I noticed an improvement in ability to stand up, pain decreased, mood was happy, energy level up. Negatives? none. Thirstier than usual. Once dosage was decreasing, pain returned. I am about to try another prednisone taper, only on a 12 day schedule. I am looking forward to some relief and hope to avoid any negative side effects. I do not think prednisone is negative if you don't take too much and you drink a lot of water.

hi all. thanks for writing your comments here. it has helped me today, another HORRIBLE day of prednisone hell. i have been seriously ill for 8 months been told ever other week I'm likely going to die from lung disease (i'm 35) and after a painful lung biopsy have been told my lung problems are almost all reversible... after a year on high dose prednisone. i was on 40mg a day for a month a while back and was so out of control from rage and crying and insomnia and panic/suicidality, ravenous appetite, that they lowered me to 30. then after biopsy they said i should be on 100mg to cure me, we settled at 60mg. it's been 24 days. The moon face started about one week in. i've gained 8 lbs. i am an emotional wreck. i have at least one rage filled attack per day where i am screaming and want to kill somebody or destroy something. some days i am so filled with hopelessness and worry i just want to die. my body changes (after just losing 30 lbs and being a work out fanatic my shortness of breath makes it impossible to walk up 2 flights of stairs without resting) face changes, acne, excess body hair (oh my god please make it stop i'm like a chia pet and i'm so afraid it is going to get worse) double chin, puffy eyes and cheeks, absolutely uncontrollable emotions and mood swings, inability to be logical or reasonable. i don't want to leave the house, i'm panicked and scared all the time. i never sleep. ambian gives me minimal relief (just started taking it) i feel like i'm losing everything, except my lung functioning is returning and i'm not going to die from this illness (they assure me THIS week) i understand light at the end of the tunnel, but living like this is unbearable most days, almost impossible the rest of the time. am i alone with the severity of this? or are all the others like me too busy hiding the sharps and crying in a corner to write on this board? thanks for listening :)

figures, forgot to mention what HELPS. no eating after 8 (7pm is better) no salt, no sugar, exercise, even just a walk every day, anything physical, i walk like a grandma on the treadmill but i still do it, sometimes it is the only thing that stops my crying. no alcohol, support and understanding from loved ones, it's not you, its the drugs. good luck.
figures, forgot to mention what HELPS. no eating after 8 (7pm is better) no salt, no sugar, exercise, even just a walk every day, anything physical, i walk like a grandma on the treadmill but i still do it, sometimes it is the only thing that stops my crying. no alcohol, support and understanding from loved ones, it's not you, its the drugs. good luck.

my grandmother started prednisone the day after the fourth of july and that Sunday in the car she thought the radio was on, but when she went to turn it off it was off, she hears joy to the world all the time. Sometimes its louder than others but its always there. She started out on 40 mg a day for polymyalgia, now she is being tapered off of it but her doctor says shes not a typical patient and there is no way the prednisone triggered it. I think it has to be it cause it happened about three days after she started taking it. Anyone know anything about this kinda thing happening?******

My husband was stung by a wasp. He had a major reaction of hives and fainting spells. Naturally we went to emergency where the doctor prescribed.. you guessed it.. PREDNISONE !! sigh. He was told to take it only the next morning of his attack as the prednisone would make him too irritable to sleep. He woke up the next morning and all his rash was gone and he was feeling like a million bucks. NO more side effects from the wasp sting. We were always wondering WHY he needed to take prednisone for a wasp sting but wanting to listen to our knowledgeable and GOOD doctors, my husband took the prednisone. He was told to take 10 5mg pills in one shot, therefore, 50 mg. per day and then eventually wean himself off. Well, he took but the first 10 and within the 1/2 hour he developed an even greater reaction to hives than the day before. He became very agitated and moody... We drove back to the hosp. only to see the same doctor who'd tell us that he didn't HAVE to take the prednison if he didn't want to and that he was SURE that the prednisone had not caused this latest and worse reaction !!
For crying out loud. This is the year 2008. Couldn't the doctor have told us ahead of time that if the symptoms disappeared before even filling in the prescription ( which is what happened in this case ), THAT He should never have taken any drug? Prednisone is a killer. I know.. My mom DIED because of this darn drug only to find out that they were treating her for a disease that she probably didn't have after years of using PREDNISONE. These poor older people think that the doctors are GOD and that they have to listen to their every word. My husband, on the other hand, has thrown the drug away after just ONE USE. PLEASE, people, find other doctors and solutions and get second opinions.

I was put on Prednisone for my COPD. Right after starting a 30 day script (I don't remember the dosage) I started experiencing SEVERE muscle cramps. Legs, feet, hands, abdomen, ribs, back. It was the most terrible experience I have ever had and I refuse to take it again. I also gained 30 lbs in 30 days. Which I have had extreme difficulty taking back off. I am now, two years later, experiencing great difficulty with my knees. I believe that I will always suffer the side effects of this, yet another, wonder drug. The wonder is how many people's lives is it ruining...

My 86 year old father was recently started on Prednisone therapy for about 5 weeks to treat aggressive eczema. Since the initiation of the first does, he has had extreme mood changes. The worst one has been aggressiveness and irritability. He was on 40mg daily for 2 weeks and has been weaned down to 10mg this week and then 5mg next week. He also had sleep disturbances at night which kept the rest of us awake at night. Fortunately, the geriatrician gave him a prescription for Seroquel to calm him down. When he became angry, he had the strength of many men. He was paranoid and was verbally inappropriate. All I can say is that this is not my father and I have 2 more weeks left of drug therapy. With chronic renal failure, he is likely to carry the side effects a little longer. I wonder if he will swing to the other side of the pendulum when the prednisone is completely finished! In any case, his eczema is almost resolved and the itchiness is gone.

I have been diagnosed with Ulceritive Colitis as well. I am about to be put on 30mg of prednisone and am terrified of these effects. I've gathered a lot of useful information from this forum and am thankful for that. Imuran, azothioprine, and remecade seem to be the most successful drugs as alternatives to prednisone. I'll ask my doctor about all three and hopefully I can avoid the prednisone. I'll be sure to post my results soon.

Thank you so much for your website. I cannot begin to tell you what this drug has done to ruin my life.

I had been on it for over 4 years on a misdiagnoses (Never should have been on it) and was told
“It was no worse than Tylenol.” Ok I thought as I was suffering from a few swollen joints every
now and then but was fine otherwise.

Then one day I was working and someone noticed my face was swelling. I looked in the mirror and
low and behold my face was rubbing my glasses. I asked my doctor and he said “it will go away soon.”
I am very athletic so I continued to run and work out as I slowly went from a 30” waist to a 50” inch waist!!
People at my office thought I was on a food binge like no other. My wife was stunned on how fast this
happened as was my family. Now the problem had gotten much worse. Constant body aches and swollen ankles.
After a year I went from jogging, to walking, to using a cane to using a walker…how sad my family felt
for me and no friends insight. my company then laid me off as I used the walls as a walker and simply could
“perform up to par.”

Next came the extremely high sugar, blood pressure, Glaucoma and I suddenly noticed I was having problems
seeing. Went to the eye doctor and was told I was getting cataracts but it would take a couple of years to form.
90 days later I could not drive and could barely see in both eyes, now I was almost blind.
Now 80lbs overweight almost blind with Glaucoma, high blood pressure, diabetes and cataracts. not to mention severe depression and mood swings that were unbearable, and yes still using a walker from severe muscle pain.

Well the time came where I lost my health insurance and was unemployed. I was out of Prednisone
one day and called my doctor. He said come in for $320.00. I said I didn’t have it and pleaded for them to call
in a 30 day supply, I was told that they “weren’t a charity” and “go to the emergency room” click!! My wonderful
doc was gone. Well I went to the emergency room the next day and was told “they don’t give refills.” I had been
off prednisone for a day and as some people know if you stop that high of dose for that long you may die from
adrenal crisis. So I stood in the emergency room for 12 hours waiting to go into this crisis! Finally a nurse convinced
a doctor to see me for 30 seconds, gave me a refill and a list of welfare clinics and booted me out the door. They
hated my appearance and hated me for no cash.

One day I decided to end this nonsense and tread everything I could from sources I hadn’t read that were very old
regarding what was wrong with me. I went on self imposed diet of 1000 calories a day and lost 60 lbs…yes!!
I stated weaning from the Prednisone and took a ton of supplements I had read about. I got down to 7.5mg every
other day. Yes, suffering tremendous total body aches, severe mood swings, dizziness, severe hunger and
confusion but I plowed though. By the way I don’t recommend this but I couldn’t get a refill for a prescription from anyone
because I ‘had made to much money.” So I turned to the Internet for everything. I bought 500 5mgs for $23.00 screw the doctors I don’t need their prescriptions. I am now totally off for 6 weeks I do have some bad stiffness, muscle aches and mood swings but after 4 years of pure hell I am truly thankful to be off this dangerous drug, it ruined my life.

So I went to a new Doctor finally and my diagnoses was a food allergy and simply had a small stint of bursitis a total mis- diagnoses from my first Doctor! Doctors aren’t gods so take it from me trust yourself first and do your research.

My prayers to all who suffer from this drug. Damn the incompetent doctors who wrongly prescribe it!

Dan

PS Does anyone know how long these severe body aches last after completely stopping. Its been 6 weeks and its just a little better. My doctor told me to fight it out or get back on pred. NO WAY!!

Thank you so much for your website. I cannot begin to tell you what this drug has done to ruin my life.

I had been on it for over 4 years on a misdiagnoses (Never should have been on it) and was told
“It was no worse than Tylenol.” Ok I thought as I was suffering from a few swollen joints every
now and then but was fine otherwise.

Then one day I was working and someone noticed my face was swelling. I looked in the mirror and
low and behold my face was rubbing my glasses. I asked my doctor and he said “it will go away soon.”
I am very athletic so I continued to run and work out as I slowly went from a 30” waist to a 50” inch waist!!
People at my office thought I was on a food binge like no other. My wife was stunned on how fast this
happened as was my family. Now the problem had gotten much worse. Constant body aches and swollen ankles.
After a year I went from jogging, to walking, to using a cane to using a walker…how sad my family felt
for me and no friends insight. my company then laid me off as I used the walls as a walker and simply could
“perform up to par.”

Next came the extremely high sugar, blood pressure, Glaucoma and I suddenly noticed I was having problems
seeing. Went to the eye doctor and was told I was getting cataracts but it would take a couple of years to form.
90 days later I could not drive and could barely see in both eyes, now I was almost blind.
Now 80lbs overweight almost blind with Glaucoma, high blood pressure, diabetes and cataracts. not to mention severe depression and mood swings that were unbearable, and yes still using a walker from severe muscle pain.

Well the time came where I lost my health insurance and was unemployed. I was out of Prednisone
one day and called my doctor. He said come in for $320.00. I said I didn’t have it and pleaded for them to call
in a 30 day supply, I was told that they “weren’t a charity” and “go to the emergency room” click!! My wonderful
doc was gone. Well I went to the emergency room the next day and was told “they don’t give refills.” I had been
off prednisone for a day and as some people know if you stop that high of dose for that long you may die from
adrenal crisis. So I stood in the emergency room for 12 hours waiting to go into this crisis! Finally a nurse convinced
a doctor to see me for 30 seconds, gave me a refill and a list of welfare clinics and booted me out the door. They
hated my appearance and hated me for no cash.

One day I decided to end this nonsense and tread everything I could from sources I hadn’t read that were very old
regarding what was wrong with me. I went on self imposed diet of 1000 calories a day and lost 60 lbs…yes!!
I stated weaning from the Prednisone and took a ton of supplements I had read about. I got down to 7.5mg every
other day. Yes, suffering tremendous total body aches, severe mood swings, dizziness, severe hunger and
confusion but I plowed though. By the way I don’t recommend this but I couldn’t get a refill for a prescription from anyone
because I ‘had made to much money.” So I turned to the Internet for everything. I bought 500 5mgs for $23.00 screw the doctors I don’t need their prescriptions. I am now totally off for 6 weeks I do have some bad stiffness, muscle aches and mood swings but after 4 years of pure hell I am truly thankful to be off this dangerous drug, it ruined my life.

So I went to a new Doctor finally and my diagnoses was a food allergy and simply had a small stint of bursitis a total mis- diagnoses from my first Doctor! Doctors aren’t gods so take it from me trust yourself first and do your research.

My prayers to all who suffer from this drug. Damn the incompetent doctors who wrongly prescribe it!

Dan V

All that I can say is anyone taking this medication, be prepared. I am 24 years old and was diagnosed with Crohn's disease. I was in a severe flare up and was prescribe Prednisone. I looked like a balloon in the Macy's parade. Along with looking like I was 500 lbs in the face I was a woman on a rampage. I would blow up at the drop of a hat. I could not sleep, I was not the person to be around. Even after I was taken off of it, it took some serious time for me to be back to my normal self. This is an absolutely HORRIFIC drug and whomever invented it should be jailed for what it does to the people taking it.

My boyfriend was put on prednisone for an allergic reaction to an antibiotic. He did fine while taking the medicine for three weeks. They did taper the meds. He has been done taking it for a little over a week now. He is irrational and moody. He is easy to irritate. I am scared of him and I left him this morning. He was so out of control last night I could not get him to calm down. Luckily I did not get hurt but there is no way I will go back to that house. There is such a thing as roids rage and it's awful!!!! DO NOT TAKE THIS MEDICINE!!! EVER!!!!

The first time I heard the word prednisone was late Dec 07 when I was hospitalized for severe pneumonia. I started off with a bad sinus infection that quickly advanced into pneumonia in a matter of a couple weeks. I tried 3 courses of antibiotics but I continued to get worse and got to the point where I was unable to breath on my own. Within a day of being at the hospital I felt like I was living in a dream world and from there I continued to get more stoned by the minute. I had no idea I was being pumped full of prednisone intravenously, along with my antibiotics. I was given a dose of 250 mgs daily, and obviously it was way too much for me. As I progressed into my dream world, I had a couple of “episodes” where I acted completely out of character, and got really paranoid and highly emotional. I pulled my IV out of my arm the one night and sat and watched the blood dripping from my hand, not really understanding where I was or what was going on. Later on I got really paranoid that the nursing staff was conspiring against me and talking about me behind my back (lol) , which I normally would not care about, but for some reason it made me really upset and I sobbed uncontrollably at times. I also tried to leave my room in intensive care a few times, as I was convinced that I was not supposed to be there and wanted to go home. My doctors were really freaked out so they gradually lowed my dose over the last few days I was in the hospital, even sent me for a CT scan of my brain in case I was going crazy. Prednisone is an extremely strong and evil drug – that is why I had the adverse reaction!! Not because I’m crazy! And one should never be given a drug like prednisone without their knowledge!! A few weeks after leaving the hospital I started going down hill again and the doctors realized that what I had was an immune disorder and not just pneumonia per se. After a few months of on again off again prednisone (never longer than a week at a time), I was put on a daily regiment (50 mgs) of it starting in May. Since then I have experienced all of the same side effects noted by everyone on here, weight gain, sleeplessness, anxiety, hair growth (the worst is on my face and fingers!!) dizziness, confusion, trembling hands, tooth aches, and the worst of all , big time MOON FACE! I feel like a complete freak most days. I am now tapering and am down to 10 mgs. So far I have seen no improvement in the side effects, accept now I have withdrawal side effects on top of everything - nausea, headaches, flu like symptoms and trouble breathing. I HATE this drug, even though I know it ultimately saved my life in the hospital and my kidneys – as I had complications caused by the autoimmune disorder. I see my doctor next week and I want off this drug completely. I am not sure the benefits out weigh the side effects to be honest. I want to feel normal again and be able to recognize my own face in the mirror  People should use extreme caution when using this drug and it should only be used to save people’s lives, not used for minor things like poison ivy. That is unconscionable!!!! Good luck to all who are on this drug.

I have been on prednisone for 5 1/2 months now, I was hospitalized starting in February until like the 25th of March for a bad exacerbation(sp) of my ulcerative colitis. I have taken prednisone for 9 1/2 months out of the last 17 months. I have experienced everything from growing facial hair I don't want to loosing what hair I do in a short period of time. Most of my hair loss started after I weaned off the prednisone about one week ago, or lets say it got much worse. I also while on prednisone got have got to experience the lovely side effect of pysicosis(sp) and am on meds to couter react what it has did to me. This is a evil and horrible drug, I hate it with a passion for all the harm it has did to me. I now have joint pain, restless sleepless nights, night sweats, tremors, not to mention the rapid weight gain. And to top all this off I am still not in remission, so this drug was used all in vain. Please be careful using this awful drug and if you have to use it, only use it for a few weeks at the time and not long term...the side effects can be horrendous and sometimes like in my case permanent to some extent. I do wonder about the hair loss, it has been worse this time than ever...I hope it stops soon.

Hi all. I would just like to agree that PredniSone sucks but it is the best out there for these diseases especially the auto-immune diseases. Drug companies do not make any money on prednisone because it is generic and there is no patent. I know I picked up 98 10mg prednisones yesterday for $5.00. Believe me when there is a better steroid that works as well and has less side effects it will be available to us all. It will cost tons but it will be sold. Researchers have been working for so many years trying to find an alternative, some have been found but do not work well enough. As bad as the prednisone makes us feel it does work on the diseases. You always have the choice to say no - that is why we should all have a health care power of attorney - just remember that when you decide not to take the prednisone you are agreeing that the disease may worsen and may be life threatening. I hate to sound so morbid but patients must be informed. When you are at the physician ask about the side effects, ask if they can give you something to counteract any mood swings, ask what lotion is best for the itchy skin (AmLactin works well for me and is over the counter). Also, my physician advised me yesterday that the side effects are worse on women due to our precarious hormones. I have told my husband to just stay out of the way and don't piss me off because I am not sure how this next 7-8 weeks is going to fare for him. I am 4ft 10in 110lbs and he is 6ft 1in 200lbs and believe me he is scared for his life. I am using prednisone for my ulcerative colitis so now that I am feeling better physicially I can return to exercise and that has definitely helped. So has turning up the music really loud and dancing and singing poorly. Yelling at the tv helps me whether it be politicians, soap operas or idiots on game shows who get the wrong answers. I also have been keeping a journal of all the rage I have and what kinds of things I could do to people who keep getting in my way at the store, on the road, in line at the pharmacy - I guess I need to put that in a safe place so it can't be used for evidence :}

I have had a skin rash called vasculitis; Have taken prednasone and my highest weight is 230lbs. I used to weigh 147lbs. I feel like jabba the hut!! If I don't take it I break out and feel like a lepper if I do take it I may still break out and gain more weight. It's enough to make you depressed and i have been. No one should live like this.

I have been on prednisone since November 2007 for minimal change disease, 65 mg, in May I started to decrease the dosage (per Drs. orders) and by the time I got to 15 mg all my symptoms came back and I swelled up again. I was again put on a higher dosage of prednisone and put on Cytoxan 75 mg. I am now decreasing prednisone, back to 15 mg every other day and will be off Cytoxan next month. Hopefully this will work. Right now my main complaint of side effects is chest pressure, anything I eat or drink makes my stomach swell and I feel like I can never take a full breath. I recently had chest and abdoman xrays and an ultrasound, all negative. Does anyone have this symptom? I also have moon face, weight gain, hump on back, insomnia, headaches, digestive problems ,shakes, night sweats, vision problems, extreme tiredness and hair loss. How long before all this goes away?

I was on a tapering dose of Prednisone taking 60mg a day for the first 4 days and then 40 for three days and then twenty for the rest of a twelve day period. I am so productive on the stuff! I cleaned my entire house, got a lot done at work, and have really reaped the benefits of the added energy. My skin and gums never looked better.

Sleeping through the night is hard because of the nervousness and because it makes me have to use the restroom (urination) frequently. It makes me sweat a lot too, so I cannot get comfortable at night. Also, I get very very thirsty and wake up in the mornings with horrible headaches on the sides of my head.

I have been off of the prednisone now for almost one week and am starting to have problems. I have a red itchy rash all over my body (stomach, legs, arms, etc) that resembles a heat rash that began to appear the second day off of the tapered prednisone pack. I am starving and want to eat everything in sight! The rash is my biggest side effect and strangely enough I was on the prednisone for poison ivy! That rash has gone and now this one is worse. The poison ivy was not as bad as the side effect rash from the prodnisone. The side effect rash covers a larger area and itches worse.

PREDNISONE.... a word that is unknown to the naive and despised by the the knowledgeable. Before i begin i want to tell you that prednisone for lack of better word F***ed me up. So heres my story with the pill. About a year ago i was officially diagnosed with Minimal Change Disease, now remember i am eighteen at the time, and was prescribed prednisone to cure the disease. Now being unaware of the severity of the drug and disease i casually continued life while taking 80mg per day of prednisone. Well this was good and all because it did in fact put me in remission, but the side effects were starting go surface. My face ballooned up "moon face", started experiencing random series of depression, became insomniatic, and unfortunately gained several pounds. Well this was not the end of side effects as for me. I continued with the medication and after 6 weeks of 80 mg i began my 5 week course of 60mg. Then after that i started 4 weeks on 40 mg and began tapering 5 mg every 2-3 weeks afterwards. Toward the middle of 60 mg the drug started taking its toll on my body as my skin lost its elasticity so i started getting gruesome strecht marks all over my body. I also became constipated for whatever reason most probably prednisone was at fault. I became very frightened actually terrified so i started to research about the drug in hopes of finding ways to avoid some side effects. In doing my research i found out very disturbing information regarding prednisone. Along with all the side effects that i mentioned above, prednisone also causes cateracts, glacoma, diabetes via insulin resistance, and osteoporosis. Now these i consider as the more severe permanent side effects as the list unfortunately is much longer. Finding out about the side effects i became extremely paranoid and started a very strict diet to hopefully avoid some permenat side effects. I admit reading about the information on prednisone created my paranoia and/or possible phycosis which ultimately led to my stress which led to my severe depression. Now this wasn't any old type of depression, i was sersiouly in need of some help. Everyone around me could tell something was wrong and really i dont blame then for in fact i felt as if my soul had died, the very essence of my being. Now magin if you can someone taking away your youth from you, sucking the very life out of you... thats exactly how i felt. To add along with the depression my grades became a wreck in college as i dropped several classes, lost a friend, developed problems with my parents as they tired to help me, and disrespected family relatives with my uncontrollable mood swings. A few weeks in of dieting and exercising i lost a lot of weight (15-20 pounds). As far as side effects non had changed i still had to deal with all that was mentioned above especially with the fragile skin that was a real burden as i had even a few stretch marks on my face from sleeping on my side. At this point of my long and what seemed to be a never ending journey i become exteremly weak. My body had no energy to run on as i refused to eat and when i did eat it was either foods that are considered free foods or protein nothing else. Everything at this time had been taken away from me including smoking marijuana (marijuana drops blood sugar as this would cause me to start feeling faint and lightheaded), alcohol (same as marijuana drops blood sugar), and the fact that i was not comfortable in my own skin (literally). I was driving myself insane. Everyday i was behind the computer searching for more and more. I was obsessed and became my worst nightmare. Oh by the way half in the medication therapy i showed 1+ grams of protein in my urine which my doctor possibly thought it could have been a relapse. This news i did not take lightly i had lost it and was prepared of comiting suicide. I cant lie, i really did not want to live anymore i just wanted to end this and suicide seemed like a very real and convienent possibility. If it had not been for my parents talking to me giving me a 3 hour speech and lecture i do not know what i would have done. Suicide at that point became out of the question because i could not do this to my family. So i went and purchased urine dip sticks to monitor the protein. The doctor had given me a 2 week window or chance to get back into remission or else he was going to prescribe me cytotoxic agents aka chemo therapy drugs. This was horrible news to me. So as i monitored my protein i found out of a very interesting trend. I noticed that my protein levels in the afternoon were in fact positive for protein and were usually up and down as far as how much but in the mornings i noticed i was always negative. Now this give me a huge bit of hope because when in researching about MCD months earlier i found out that there is a coniditon called orthostatic proteinuria which affects mostly young adolecent males and is a condition described as for some unknown reason there is protein loss in the afternoon when the person is upright and active then when they are supine or laying down the kidneys do not allow any portein loss. This condition is in fact harmless. I was very happy from then news and i told my doctor, he was somewhat doubting, but i don't blame him he is looking out for my best interest, but sure enough after the 2 weeks had past i went in again for my appointment after testing and i was negative for protein as i had expected. We began tapering after that point and i continusouly monitored my own tests at home and eventually i got off the steroid, actually today is that day after a 9 month period of heartache and distress. You know people say that they went to hell and back in a hard moment in life, well i went to hell stayed there for 9 months then came back. I feel so everyone who as ever needed to take steroids for long periods of time, i know its tough but believe it as it is indeed a potent drug and in most cases a miracle drug. It gave me a second chance at life and no matter how hard it was or how much pain it put me through i cannot complain for it did in fact cure me and thats why i can never hold any grudges. So thats my story i kno its not pretty but what can i say it is indeed mine whether i like it or not.

my doctor put me prednisone 40 mg for 9 days to treat my inflammation of my neck and shoulders. I took my last dose 5 days ago. I'm still experiencing side effects like insomnia,anxiety,nervousness,fast heart rate and upset stomach. how long will side effects .

im a 20 year old male who was given prednisone to reduce the inflammation around my spinal cord in my neck from a herniated disk. 60MG in the morning for 4 days and 40MG in the morning for 3 days...... no real weening process which im seeing probably should have been administered. while i was on it the mood swings were nuts and i noticed feeling muscle weakness and joint pain along with the occasional burning or tingling. ive been off it for 6 days and now the muscles in my legs and feet twitch and im still crazy in the head with little sleep and sinus headaches that don't quit. how long does this shit go on?

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 was diagnosed as having chrones. My doctor prescribed me with Endocort.

After taking it and still have problems I got a blood test and showed my sugar level had gone to 340- I now have diabetes.

I'm posting for my father as he's not into computers. He went to the hospital for COPD - emphysema and he was on Prednisone for 10 days that he was there followed by 3 weeks of tapering it off. I didn't listen to his complaints and now I feel bad, it seems that his blurred vision and teeth and gum pain are serious, and a couple of his teeth have basically fallen out. Does anyone know if the vision problems were permanent? Obviously it's too late for his teeth...

My husband has solumedrol IVs for 4 days-500mg every 8 hours due to a MS flare-He could not walk at all before he had the IVs. Now he is home and has used predisone to wean off the IVs. He has diabetes now with severe depression and he is in a fog a lot. I understand this is basically the only way he got through the MS flare, but now he is worse off due to the side effects. It is a shame that so many people have been hurt by this medicine that is suppose to help. My ex husband was so violent when he was on predisone for back pain that it caused us to end up divorcing because he would beat the crap out of me or become so mean, then depressed that it drove us apart after 20+ years of marriage.

I started taking 80mg a day for a rash I developed after the Celestone didn't work. This has been the worst hell I have ever gone throught, I would much rather have given natural birth. 80mg a day for 5 days, 60mgs a day for 5 days, 40 mgs a day for 5 days, then 20, and 10 for 5 days. I am on the3rd day of 40 mg. My face is so swollen. I have had to cancel social events as I cannot even carry on a decent conversation. The nervousness is over whelming. I cannot work . I come home and drink alcohol to take the edge off, which the affects are greatly exaggerated, but no hangover in the morning, which I'm sure is putting my body through hell. The Dr. gave me 25mg of vistarill to help me sleep. Wonderful drug! If it wasn't for my dogs, I would be insane, as they are the only living creatures I can stand to be around. I am going to cut my dosage to 3 days instead of 5 to start weaning myself off. I read on another web site that the moon face should start to dissapear when I go down to 10 mg a day. Thank GOD!

I was on prednisone for a little over 2 months for my asthma and it got even worse so my dosage got upped and I overdosed on it and had real bad mental side effects from it. i'm a healthy male who has worked out for the last 8 years, i'm 22 years old and 225 lbs with a good build, i workout every day and run 3 miles a day. i was taking 10 mg pills 3 times a day and then got up to taking a 50 mg pill once a day and within 2 days of taking the 50 mg pill i was HORRIBLE. the mental side effects were so bad, i didn't even know where i was or who i was at times and now it's about 5 months later and i'm still noticing the mental side effects, not quite as bad, but it's like a constant headache that never goes away. i talked to my doctor and he sad that they can last several months after you take it but won't be permanent so i'm still just living with it and at times it feels like it's rough and tough to deal with but you just have to keep thinking that it will get better. the sleeping problems can also be a problem too, but for anyone out there who is debating on taking it, I WOULD DEFINITELY NOT RECOMMEND IT, STAY AWAY AT ALL COST IF YOU CAN

Prednisone is a popular medicine used to treat inflammation, but actually it is close to useless for anything. It can cause infections to flourish so any MINOR infection can blossom into acute wide spread sepsis. PLEASE use with CAUTION!!!

My Dad is 75 years old has been in and out of the hospital because of exasperations brought on by COPD. He is fine when he gets out of the hospital with 40mg of Prednisone then like many others tapers to 30mg, 20mg then 10mg until he isn't taking any. Then the exasperations start he's back in the hospital and the Prednisone cycle begins again. I have notice he has mood swings as he has become very irritable. He also use to work out with light weights ever morning, he no longer has the desire. He also use to go for walks, in the park treadmill etc. he no longer does those activities either. I also notice his eyes look different. I realize this drug is keeping him alive, but he has become a different person.

I am on my last of 10 days on prednisone and all I can say is Thank God! I am taking it for asthma and I feel worse than I did before! My chest feels like I am having a heart attack, I have labored breathing, I am confused and weak, terrible pain in my neck and shoulders, horrible metallic taste in my mouth that even Dentyne Ice can't take away, I feel exhausted all the time, I am starving myself only to gain a pound a day and I can't concentrate at all. There was no warning not to mix this drug with alcohol, and after a couple of drinks I black out. The thing that really sucks is that I am a professional flutist and it is affecting my breathing and ability to play! Someone please tell me these "side effects" will eventually go away as I am scared to death after reading about your experiences.

Sunday May 25, we brought home a new dog. Wed May 28 I started to break out in hives. I had hives for days, bad hives covering large parts of my body. Friday the 30 I woke up and both my lips were swollen to about 3 times the size they were supposed to be. I went to my doctor very concerned and she prescribed me Prednisone and Benadryl as needed. The hives continued - never completely going away. On June 3rd it was the last day of the prednisone, I was only on it for 5 days, but shortly after I took the last dose, I all of a sudden was having a hard time breathing and I broke out the worst so far. I ended up going to the E.R. because I couldn't breathe. The doctor at the er prescribed me another dose of the prednisone but also put me on zyrtec and pepcid. She was claiming that it was an allergic reaction to the dog. I had just hives again on the 4th, and then on the 5th I had hives again and then the back for my throat, my tongue, and my upper right gum went numb and I woke up at 12 am to my tongue being so swollen I couldn't shut my mouth. The next morning on the 6th I woke up to my face and lips swollen again and in the afternoon my tongue and gums went numb again. At this time the doctor wanted me to get the dog out of the house so I sent him to my mothers. I continued to wake up each passing morning with hives.Monday the 9th, my bottom lip swelled up around 4 in the afternoon and then spread to my upper lip and right side of my face before the end of the evening. Tuesday the 10th, woke up to both my lips and the right side still swollen. By the afternoon the swelling went down by on my bottom lip and large white spot appeared with 4 tiny brown spots in it. This made me nervous so I went back to the doctor and he said that being on the prednisone things can occur in abnormal ways and he thinks that the spot was just a cold sore so he gave me yet another script to take care of that. I woke up the next morning (the 11th) with hives on my arms and knees. Thursday I didn't have any hives but I started to get severely sick to my stomach and had a killer headache. This continued into Friday morning so I went back to the doctor, got a shot for the nausea. The sickness subsided for the remaining of the day but came back Saturday. Sunday I woke up with hives yet again on my arms and legs. And again on Monday. Back at one of my visits to the doctor he gave me a script to hang on to for another dose of the prednisone in case i was still breaking out at the end of this dose, so Monday the 16th I had to get this script filled. No symptoms on the 17th, and I brought my dog home on the 18th. I have absolutely no symptoms of hives or swelling of the face since the 16th, and the dog has been by my side since. I have although blown up. I am the puffiest I think I have ever been in my life. I am so uncomfortable in my own skin it makes me sick. I am VERY moody. and can cry at the drop of a pin.

I have heard absolutely nothing good about prednisone. I told the dr this, but he felt the perks off set the downs. I am not happy being on this med. I have 4 days left on this med. When I am done taking it, if i have no more symptoms I am going back to the doctor and asking them to give me something to get rid of this water weight. I have an appointment on July 10th to be tested for allergies. Wish me luck that it doesn't come back I am allergic to my puppy. I have become very fond of him. I would be devastated.

I would really take into consideration not taking this med. I know that when I am done taking it, I wont ever take it again. A lot of the side effects that this med can give you was the reason they were giving it to me. So I guess I just done understand why they would give me something that can make me have what they are trying to get rid of.

I trust my doctor I know he wouldn't do anything to harm me. I am just not comfortable with the side effect of this med.

Good luck to everyone out there has to be on this. I wish the best for you!

Hi my son was on Prednisone for 20 years on and off for allergies now he is allergic to the Prednisone that the creams would help him was crap. At no stage was he or I told of the side effects. Now he is in intense pain has major skin sores, swollen knees and ankles, night sweats and sleep problems. This medication is terrible and now he sits hunched up like an old man his skin is so sensitive he needs painkillers for a bath or shower.

I've been on in a little over one day. The 6 day treatment. 5mg pills-6 the first, 5 the second, and so on and so forth. I have been SO HOT! I didn't sleep for very long, and woke up a couple times in the middle of night burning up. For me, the mental side effects have been HORRIBLE. I'm a 20 yr old fairly healthy female. 5'3'' 110 lbs. I have had unbelievable depression.... really really irritable and angry. I've just felt like hitting someone 24/7. I don't want to talk to anyone, I just want to sleep, I can barely keep my eyes open. I don't know how I'm going to take 5 more days of this. I also experienced the extra sensitivity to heat that others described. I read online that photo therapy... or sun exposure will help speed up healing and can be used alongside prednisone. I just really want this all to be over with. I look like I have the plague, and I feel worse than I look on the outside. Every little stress or worry just makes me want to end it, though I know that that isn't the answer. I'm a Christian, and I'm just going to pray about it. God will take care of me. I'm BURNING UP AS WE SPEAK! I've also been extra thirsty and my skin feels so dry!

my sister was put on Prednisone for a inflamed heart and fluid around the heart, she started with 6 pills a day at 5mg for 7days, then 5 pills for 7days then 4 all the way down to 1 a day. When she got to 1 a day the EXTREME chest pains came back she was in and out of the hospital so many times it was crazy, she was then put back up to 6 a day and slowing get weaned off, however her side effects are insane, major swelling, moon face, weakness, INSOMNIA bad, rashes and bruzes are appearing everywhere, coughing a LOT, sore throat, foggy vision, shortness of breath, thats put it this way she is a MESS and to top it off her husband of 24 years passed away on April 30th, 2008 with a massive heart attack at 47 years old, she feels like she is going to go CRAZY, if anyone has any suggestions it would be so appreciated. Thank you SAD SISTER!!

I suffer from cluster headaches as well as several other ailments (Doctors say..."we know it's something we just can't figure it out"...sigh). With my latest bout of cluster headaches they decided to put me on prednisone..60 mg for 4 days...30 for 3 days..etc. until I tapered down. Worked great! Headaches went away and I was feeling wonderful (terribly agitated but physically wonderful) until I went off of it (headaches returned with a vengeance. They immediately started me on a second round of Prednisone at 60 per day. Third day, on this second round, I went to get out of bed and BAM!!! fell straight to the floor. I had absolutely no muscle control below my waist...NONE! Laid there on the floor for about a half hour (trying to get up as I flailed around). Managed to finally raise to a somewhat standing position. Walked (shuffled) down the hallway to the bathroom to try and use the toilet. Went to sit down on it and promptly fell wedging myself between the toilet and the wall...(a disturbing visual). A relative helped me (how humiliating) out from my predicament and we immediately called the doctor. I was told it was not the prednisone but a flaring of my underlying vascular/soft tissue disorder and to stop prednisone. Stopped prednisone, next morning went to get up and low and behold I could stand but I had excruciating pain shooting into my hips, knees and ankles which once again made me fall (from agonizing pain). Day three off of prednisone and the excruciating pain upon rising is better but far from over. Currently, extreme muscle fatigue...so weak my poor little muscles won't even quiver. Headaches are back. Red swollen face...ack!!!...what a nightmare.

You people are freaking me out. I just started today with my first dose of prednisone for my first bronchitis diagnosis. I've been sick for 3 months and thought this would be a good med for me to rid the coughing. I'm starting to reconsider taking any more if all I can expect is long term adverse effects. I took this once before years ago for a severe skin allergy. I got the psychosis initially but then adjusted the dose. Then, I would get euphoric and full of energy, like being on a stimulant. I had no idea the round face thing was due to this, I thought I just ate too much while I was home sick for 2 months. I think I'll try the herbal alternative route. If it works, I'll write again and let y'all know. Thanks for all the comments.

I was prescribed prednisone for cronic sinus infections along with antibiotic for 30 days. I was not weaned off just stopped completely after 30 days. It has now been three weeks and I am suffering from swelling in feet, lower legs and hands. Any suggestions on what I can do to reduce the swelling and how long this may continue? I

Does anyone have the side effect of reduced sensation of smell and taste?

I just got off of 7 days of 20 mg. Prednisone twice a day for severe poison ivy. I've always had the reducing dosages before but went to a new young doctor who said this was better. I experienced extreme insomnia for several nights. Last night I slept better, but today I'm feeling dizzy and have slight soreness in my back and neck. I'm really hoping this all clears up soon since my son is getting married in 12 days and I don't want to be dizzy and moon-faced at the wedding.

I recently went into the hospital with vocal cord Polyps problems. They had swelled and Predisone was used to bring down the swelling. The Polyps were flopping over into my airway. Prednisone is terrible stuff and I think they started me out at a MUCH higher dose than normal. They started me out with 2-20mg, morn and night for 3 days..tapering down in a 2 1/2 week period. I started feeling worse than when I went into the hospital. My tongue and mouth was on fire.then moved to my lips..heart pulsing, swelling ankles, and dried my mouth and throat so bad. I just felt weak and my whole body seemed not to work right. Like everyone say's..this stuff should never be given to human or animal. Something ain't right with; this picture..that's for sure. I've had just about every side effect you can name.