Kenalog and physicians

Yes, kenalog has many side effects with SOME people. I'm both a patient that takes kenalog and a third year medical student. I've been receiving kenalog injections twice a year during allergy season for the past 5 years. All I can say is THANK GOD. I can deal with a itchy/running nose, the sneezing, and the itchy eyes. What I cannot deal with are the asthma symptoms that act up whenever my allergies do. I get little enough sleep as is, what I do get doesn't need to be interrupted by waking up not being able to breath.
What must be realized here is that however many posts are on this and like sites, the people who suffer from the side effects are in the minority. For most patients this drug provides great relief with little to no side effects.
For those who said that their doctors did not tell them what they were being given, or warned about the side effects, yes, those physicians should have warned their patients about the possible side effects. HOWEVER, it is also YOUR responsibility as a patient to ASK what you are being given, and what the possible side effects are. Never let anyone just stick a needle in your butt without asking what the heck they're doing first. I'm not defending those physicians that don't tell the patient what they're doing; they are in the wrong. But they see tons of patients very day, most of it route. And many patients lack the knowledge to ask what they are being given, and what might happen from it. Even if the physician took the time to explain, a lot of people wouldn't understand or simply don't care. Don't be one of those patients. Ask your PCP: what is this drug? what does it do? what are the possible side effects? what percentage of patients experience these side effects?. Take some responsibility for yourselves.

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.

My 12 year old daughter had what was suppose to be an "intramuscular" Kenalog and Celestone shot, that left her with a divet in her buttock. We are African-American and the spot lost all pigmentation, had strecth marks running through it and she also complained of loss of sensation in the area. Now about a year later the color has returned and it is less noticeable but is not gone. I believe this happened because of poor technique when giving the injection. My daughter is thin and I believe the medical assistant was afraid to inject the solution as deep as it should have been given. I have three co-workers that have experienced the same thing. I really think the physicians should train the staff better on giving these injections or give them personally. Good luck to all and I hope everyone sees improvement as we have and that my daughters divet continues to improve.

I am forty-seven years old; I have received two Kenalog injections in my lumbar spine with x-ray guided fluoroscopy. I also ended up in the Emergency Room with heart palpatations, high blood pressure, profuse sweating, fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, and muscle weakness. I recently had my last injection three weeks ago and will never have another one. Since this injection I have experienced severe bloating/weight gain, fatigue, mood swngs, depression, and anxiety. At the moment I still do have muscle weakness and thought I had the beginnings of a yeast infection. Reading these posts made me feel not so alone. The physicians in the ER made me feel as if my symptoms where in my head and my own physician who performed the injection denies any link between my symptoms and the Kenalog. Each time that I have had these injections, a series of three, I have had to go under general anesthesia and spend several days recovering from the all the side effects of the anesthesia and the Kenalog. My physician never warned me of any of these possible side effects, and when I confronted him about them basically told me it was in my head and ignored me. Has anyone started a class action law suit? Reading these posts where a comfort to me as I felt alone since none of my physicians would acknowledge the link.