PredniSONE and blurred vision

Hello I am 40 yrs old and got a lung infection which cause swelling in my lungs so the put me on high doses of prednisone via IV for 21 days in the hospital. The drug saved my life and took it at the same time.

After I got out of hospital i was on 60 mg for 6 weeks the 30mg for 6 weeks then 20mg the 10mg. It has been a living HELL over the last 5 months or so.

I told my DR. i have very bad blurred vision and he said it because the med runs my sugar up but I check my sugar and limit my sugar and it around 100 all the time which is normal soits not sugar. Then he said well them you need to see an eye dr. cuz your eyes are going bad. I begged to differ with him and told him if there was something wrong w my eyes then why is is one day I see fine and the next day all blurred and then back to normal!? it this stupid steroid if you ask me plus on day my right eye is bad and next day my left uggh!

The WORST side effect it the brain fog as yall call it. OMG I feel like im loosing my mind and going crazy. The dr. says hes never heard of such with a wise remark and says you know where your at now right? I know where i am and what I say but I feel like its not really happening. Its like im dreaming it. I feel like Im trapped in my head and I lookout blurry eyes.

Before I was a very confident independent person but now I feel scared all the time i feel hopeless and ive went through 3 girl friends over the summer because of the extreme forward attitude the med gives me. I am not the same person I was. I some time just want to die. I'm extremely tire if i do any exercise at all.

Plus I have all the other typical side effect like the moon face and weight gain. I don't even look the same cuz my eyes have huge bags under them and a double chin I never had.

I feel for all of you because i know what your going through.
I saw one comforting post in here where someone said within 2 weeks of completely getting off the pred. he was his normal self.
I CAN TELL YOU HOW GLAD I WAS TO READ THAT!

Please if you have finished the med and have got back to normal don't forget about this post. Please let us know because we need any hope we can get to keep our chins up and not loose hope and go completely crazy or worse kill ourselves.

I have about 4 more months of this LIVING HELL and I will surely let you all know if it get better. If you have come off of it and are reading this PLEASE let us know if we get back normal at least w the brain fog. I can take all the side effect ok except for the crazy dream zone zombie feeling.

I WOULDN'T WISH THIS KINDA HELL ON THE DEVIL HIM SELF!!
Let's pray for each other that the Lord keep out minds strong until we get off the nightmare drug call Prednisone.

side effects:
brain fog, blurred vision, puffy eyes, depression, confusion, dizzy, moon face, buffalo neck hump neck, hopelessness

Prednisone has been a life-saver for many years. I have SLE and along with all the heavy-hitting immune suppressant meds, I take tapered doses of prednisone 4-5 times per year when joint and muscular pain are so severe I'm bedridden. When I'm on prednisone I feel like I'm on vacation!!! The pain in my body is totally eliminated except for one area: I get horrible sinus headaches. It feels like my sinus cavities are on fire and there's pressure within my eyes and blurred vision. Once I finish my tapered dose the pain trades off - painful body and normal sinuses.

Has anyone every heard of this?

I HAD THE USUALLY SIDE EFFECTS OF PREDNISONE-WEIGHT GAIN, CONSTANT HEAD ACHE, BLURRED VISION AND AFTER SOME MONTHS RAPID HEART BEAT WHEN I LAID DOWN AND EXTREME FATIGUE. WELL, IT TURNS OUT THE RAPID HEART BEAT AND FATIGUE WERE NOT FROM PREDNISONE AND I ENDED UP HAVING A HEART ATTACK AND NEEDED BYPASS SURGERY. MY DOCTOR HAD DONE AN EKG DONE PRIOR TO THE HEART ATTACK AND THE RESULTS WERE FINE. MY INSURANCE COMPANY REFUSED ECHOCARDIOGRAM WHICH WOULD HAVE SHOWN PROBLEM WITH MY HEART AND COULD HAVE AVOIDED THE HEART ATTACK. I WOULD ENCOURAGE EVERYONE WITH "RACING HEART BEAT" TO GET IT CHECKED OUT.

AM

Well, let's see, I am 37, I just had my third child a year ago. When I had my first child at 19, I entered the world of Rhumatoid Arthritis, I did not take anything for it, it just seemed to go away by itself. After the second child it flared up but not long enough or hard enough to remember. After the third child at 36, wow did it get bad, so bad i couldn't get her out of her crib. That was the day I started 10mg of pred a day,,it made all the symptoms of the RA almost disappear...almost...which was a miracle,,,but it made all the side effects of the med start,,,,weight gain BIG TIME, bad moods, maybe 2 hours of sleep @ night,,,hair loss which scares me the most, blurred vision, buffalo hump looks like I'm looking for something on the floor all the time,,a wonderful neck that looks like i swallowed a couple bananas whole,,hmmmm,,,,let's seeeeee,,what else, easy bruising thankfully I like the color purple, oh, and me and mr. potty have become well friends. At first, the doc thought it was hypothyroidism because I also had 2 periods a month, but a blood test told threw that theory out. I just want to say,,,,I like that my RA is better because of it,,,but I am as of yesterday taking myself off of good ol prednisone, and sticking to a high dose of IB or Tylenol. It's just not worth it.

Started taking prednisone about 3 months ago for a serious flare-up of my Sciatica. My Sciatica was so bad that I couldn’t even stand up. After a couple days of prednisone, I was able to walk, but still had pain on my left side, from my back down to the tip of my big toe. Symptoms started getting better, but then the side effects started. Gain 40 lbs, can’t sleep, muscles are so weak it’s hard to walk, blurred vision… one day (laying on my bed) I noticed I couldn’t even see the clock on the cable box anymore. Lumps started appearing. One on my wrist and one big one on my upper arm. I cut my finger 5 days ago and it still hasn’t closed up completely yet. It even still bleeds. I know on the side of my pill bottle it says “This medicine may lower your ability to fight off infections”, but man! It sucks when you have a little cut that just won’t heal. Anyway, I’m sick of the side effects and they only seem to be getting worse. I’m stopping today! I would rather fight through the pain of my Sciatica than to deal with all these side effects. I just hope (and pray) that the side effects go away without doing (if not already) major damage.

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...

Hi everyone,

I am a 25 year old female who was diagnosed with Crohn's disease one year ago. I stumbled on this website and wanted to share my experiences to let others know they are not alone and that their side effects due to Prednisone are completely normal.

In Nov of 2007, I was in the hospital for a Crohn's flare up and was put on prednisone through IV (240mg/day). After a three days I was released, but one week later, had another flare up and was back in the hospital in December of 2007. This time, I stayed for 6 days and was on 240mg/day again through IV, along with taking Flagyl and fluids for my flare up and infection.

At first, I lost about 10 lbs due to the flare up and all of the medication I was on. However, within 3 weeks time, I gained 28 lbs and was a complete mess. I looked different, felt different and was emotionally and mentally drained.

My side effects included: Severe moon face, buffalo hump, increased appetite, hair thinning and severe hair loss, night sweats where I would have to change pajamas 3-4x a night, OCD to the point where I would have to clean my entire apartment (even if it was already clean), restlessness, anxiety, no sleep and sometimes I would go days without sleeping, increased thirst and dehydration, swollen eyes and headaches, depression and mood swings, upper and lower abdomen swelling and weight gain (28 lbs in 3 weeks), suicidal thoughts, unbearable muscle and joint swelling and aching, forgetfulness and memory loss, blurred vision and dark hair growth on my face near my sideburns and underneath my chin and on the bottom portion of my face. Bottom line: it was unbearable and nobody warned me about the harsh side effects of the drug.

When I left the hospital, I was put on 60mg/day and eventually weaned off Prednisone over the course of 2 1/2 months and took my last 5mg dose in mid- February 2008.

It is now 2 months since I have been off Prednisone and as of now, I have only lost 7 lbs, but much of the moon face has gone away and I don't seem as swollen in my chest. My appetite returned to normal the day I stopped taking the drug and my mood swings subsided one week after stopping Prednisone. I still have the buffalo hump, but it stopped hurting and I am now able to sleep through the night. The fluid retention seems to have moved south towards my legs, arms, and lower abdomen. My doctors say that within about 6 months after stopping Prednisone, most of the fluid retention should go away and they recommend walking for 45-60 minutes/day to help with the fluid/weight gain.

Overall, prednisone helped to save my life and put my Crohn's into remission, but is one of the WORST drugs I have ever taken. My heart goes out to anyone who has had to take this drug and trust that you are not alone--and the side effects are real and they are harsh. I am slowly seeing that it takes time for the prednisone to leave your system and my doctors say that every day there is less and less in my body.

Stay positive, stay active & stay Healthy!!

I have asthmatic bronchitis. In June 2006 I came down with an infection in my lungs, which also set off my asthma. Between the two I was hospitalized and put on 240 mg of intravenous Prednisone and the antibiotic Levaquin. I was cured of the infection and was able breathe normally again but it took a great toll on my body It took me 3 months to taper off of the Prednisone and almost a whole year to feel myself. I was a strong, physically active person before this happened to me and I have not gotten my energy level and endurance back to what I was before I was sick. When I was released from the hospital I went from 160 mg of intravenous Prednisone to 80 mg of pill Prednisone. That step down was too severe and I went through intense joint and muscle pain in my body that it woke me from a sound sleep in the middle of the night. I luckily had an old Vicodin that I took which only made the pain bearable. I should have upped the Prednisone to make it go away but I wanted off. This pain lasted one week with each day getting less. The side effects I experienced from then on were so plentiful that I almost can't remember them all. The physical problems were, thin skin that bruised or ripped and bled profusely with the slightest bump, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, muscle cramps in my legs and hands, sleeplessness, dry mouth and frequent urination. My stomach bloated and got stretch marks. I didn't have any before that. The muscles in my thighs and upper arms atrophied so bad that I could not walk up stairs w/o using my arms to help. My arms were also very weak and I got hemorrhoids; another muscle that was affected. I had a bad case of the drops. I couldn't hold on to anything and broke many glasses. I got moon face that took a couple of weeks to go away after I was off the Prednisone. Because I was on such high doses, my hair died and stopped growing. About 40% of it fell out in one month. It took 6 months to grow back and it all grew back curly. On January 30, 2008 my bronchial tubes closed again due to a sinus infection. Again I was hospitalized with 240 mg of intravenous Prednisone and Levaquin. This time I responded much better, because I jumped on the infection/asthma instead of waiting. I stepped down from 240 to 180 to 90 to 60 and decrease 5 mg a day until I was off. This time I did no lose my hair land did not get hemorrhoids. The other physical effects were pretty much the same but much less severe. However, this time the emotional effects of Prednisone were much worse than last time. I was not a nice person. I was short tempered and argumentative and even had to stop myself from resorting to violence a couple of times. That is definitely not who I am. Prednisone stops your adrenal glands from working and adrenaline is you chemical way of coping with stress. I have been off of the Prednisone for one week and still find it hard to cope with the slightest controversy. My brain is still in a fog and I get confused easily. I cannot handle too many questions at once and forget things. My face is still round. Both times, I have found it the hardest dealing with the Prednisone at the very end and even after I finished taking it. I think it builds up and even though the chemical is suppose to be out of your body in 24 hours, it's effects stay a lot longer. I thought I knew what to expect but the second time was different again. It is a horrible drug but my trade off was breathing. Sometimes I think, that if I have to go through this a few more times, the side effects will kill me before the asthma. I wish all you Prednisone users loads of luck and stay positive.

I have read some of the board and would like to know if anyone else has had prolonged side effects after being off Prednisone for almost a year. I think Prednisone caused all my current health problems. Was on the higher dose 5 day plan for a severe inner ear infection. I stopped taking it after the third day cold turkey, which I know was wrong because of blurred vision and stomach distention so bad I thought I was going to burst (almost the same as when I was pregnant). The first 4-6 weeks of stopping it were pure _ ell. So many withdrawal symptoms. I went to my doctor and he said I couldn't possibly be having all those symptoms from the Prednisone since I was only on it three days (but it is the regimen where you take the higher doses/multiple pills in the beginning and then it lowers the dose each day). Every few days it seemed I was having something new happen - heartburn, sweating, headaches. Then my thyroid function began acting up (hypothyroidism) and glands seem to swell with my monthly cycle. I started having a daily dry throat. All my symptoms seem to be on my right side: blurred vision, dry throat, swollen lymph glands, ear pain, groin swelling. It is one month shy of a year when I originally took the Prednisone and nothing has decreased, only new symptoms appear. My doctor keeps treating each symptom individually and won't look at the whole picture. I tried acupuncture and it didn't help. Any suggestions/comments?

I started taking Prednisone in late November for inflammation of my lungs, a complication of influenza A. I started at 50 mg daily, then went to 75, then was hospitalized and went to 160 intravenously. After about a week, I was reduced to 120 then 75 by mouth a few days later. After 15 days in the hospital, I was released only to come back two days later with internal bleeding. I was released two days later and my doctor knocked several days off my withdrawal plan. About midway through all this, I started having a constant mild headache. After my second release, the headache started to get worse. The headache became debilitating and I spent some time in the ER where codeine helped. (I'm allergic to morphine which would have been their choice). The codeine helped for a day or two, but when I got to 60mg of codeine with no effect I gave up on the pills. My doctor gave me some sort of anti-inflammatory shot which helped.

I've been off Prednisone now for over a week and still have a constant headache, but most of the time it's not bad and only moderate at times. On average I see a gradual improvement.

I have had increased appetite and energy (in the beginning) followed by face and neck swelling, headache, nausea, blurred vision, internal bleeding and large muscle weakness.

I know that I needed something to stop my lung inflammation, but the cure has been worse than the disease at this point.

I have been on 50 mg. of prednisone for about 6 weeks. After 2 weeks, I became very dizzy, weak and have blurred vision. I am now tapering off by 5 mg. every 3 days. I am still experiencing dizziness, weakness and blurred vision. My doctor said by the time I'm down to 15mg. per day, I should start to feel better - not soon enough for me. It is one of the worst experiences I have every had. I have IBD and the prednisone did not help one bit.

I am a 22 year old female, 5'4'' and 120 lbs. I was recently diagnosed with asthma and was put on Prednisone for 4 days - 60mgs, then 40 mgs. I experienced blurred vision, mood swings (nervousness, depression), headaches, fatigue, and nausea. The day after I stopped I got a very sore neck and shoulders, and was so tired I didn't want to get out of bed. I now feel pretty much back to normal, but the whole experience was very scary while I was going through it because no one really warned me about these effects. I would burst out crying suddenly, and the vision thing was scary because you feel like it will never get better. I felt so unlike myself that I stayed in bed pretty much all four days I was on it and the day after I stopped. I hope I never have to take it again, and I am sorry for those who must take this drug long term. On the positive side, it does seem to have helped my asthma symptoms, although some of them returned after I stopped the medication.

I've had ulcerative colitis for about 12 years now and I have been on prednisone at least twice a year since. I've kind of gotten used to the feeling when I am on the drug and just deal with it. It is hard with the blurred vision, fatigue, sweating at night, and trying not to yell at my kids but I think I get by pretty good. I am currently on 60mg now and have been for about a month, I think the older I get the worse it is trying to deal with the side effects. I am experiencing all the side effects everyone has talked about and can wait until I start tappering off. Working out helps when I feel up to it. It's also hard trying to get my family to understand what I am going through.

I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus in 2001 and have been on Prednisone since then! I started on 60 mg and am now going off of the drug.

I gained about 60 pounds, I have a classic moon face, buffalo hum (on neck), and the bloaty belly--and I hardly eat. I went from being in shape and running three miles a day to barely being able to get off the couch! Here are some of my other side effects;

*sleep issues
*gum/teeth are more frail
* severe eye problems (blurred vision, loss of peripheral vision, depth perception problems)
* excessive hair in places I don't want and hair loss in the places I want to keep it on!
* mood swings
* inability to concentrate for long periods of time
excessive fatigue

My advice on this drug--if you can--avoid it. If not--be proactive in getting your doctor to get you off of it as soon as possible at a slow rate.

I am now on 5 mg being tapered off permanently! Thank God!

I have been on Pred. for 10 days for a severe ashtma attack I was in hospital for 5days,I just tooke mt last onetoday but I have extreme pain in neck,shoulderand piyt of stmach, I have blurred vision and my tongue literally hursts when I chew, I also feel as if my lungs do not.... fit in my throrax, I am miserable due to this drug,,,

For those who become increased in thirst and urinating after taking Prednisone, you might want to check for your sugar level in your urine or blood.

I was recently on Prednisone for 2 days with 60 mg per day (3 pills of 20 mg) and I started to have severe lower backpain. I went back to see my doctor and found out that my sugar (or glucose) level was high in my urine (and the sugar level was same to that of a person with diabeties) and I stopped the medicine right away. I have been monitoring my sugar level for 5 days now and it is still high now especially 1 hour after meal (i.e >200 whereas a normal sugar level should ~ 80-110).

As some of you, I had anxiety, sleepless, swollen face after taking the medicine for 4 days but now these have stopped. However, the high sugar level still remains the problem of concern.

Do any of you know whether the high sugar level is temperoray problem AND how long the sugar level will come back to normal (being thirsty, blurred vision or sensitive to light can be the results of high sugar level).

Please advise.

I have been on Prednisone for seven months and these are my side effects.

Severe gout six times .
Bloody nose for five weeks during my sleep at night. I woke up with blood all over my face and bed covers.
At first constipation then runny stools.
Blurred vision.
Teeth ache.
Face so swollen that I am biting the inside of my cheek. Big double chin and a gaggle below that.
Pains moving from joint to joint.
Headache.

I took 60mg prednisone for 4 days to relieve poison ivy. I could not continue because of the painful digestive problems, blurred vision and yes I looked like the pillsbury doughboy to top it all off. The doctor had me discontinue immediately (since I was on it for a short time), however I am still having some of the digestive problems 10 days later. My stomach is bloated and I am constipated for days. When I have a release it is accompanied with vomiting. My vision is getting better. I think my dosage was too high, when will this all go away! Oh yes, the poison ivy is gone also.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease over thirty-one years ago. I have taken Predisone many times over the period of my illness. My Crohn's Disease has been very aggressive and I have lost all but 250 cm of my bowel. Prednisone has been the only drug that has been able to help but at great cost to me. I am now disabled from the disease and the side effects of the drug. The most devestating side effect is the weight gain. I am now 80lbs heavier than when I was diagnosed. The moon face is very difficult to deal with. Everyone says they know it's from the meds but that doesn't help when I look in the mirror. The fat deposits in my abdomen are very embrassing to me as well.
The sweats, blurred vision, nervousness, hyperactivity, exhaustion, acne, slepplessness, shaking, joint pain (so bad I can hardly walk when I am on the meds), mood swings, depression, swelling (water retention so bad I can hardly bend my legs), the muscle wasting in my thighs, the conective tissue damage making it hard to heal from surgery, difficulty concentrating, bone weakness ( I break ribs very easily) and so many more...all this is too much to pay to control a disease.
They really need to find better drugs now. If you can try something else instead of Prenisone I strongly recomend that you do. It should always be a last resort.

Been on prednisone for over 6 mos...started at 60 mg a day for COPD's, major lung infections at times. Yes, it helped clear that up, but as mentioned by all of you, the side affects are about to ruin relationships with friends/family. I am supposed to start weaning down to 40, etc...for at least two weeks, then 30, and so on, till off completely, but so far, once I get down to the 30, the infections start back and I end up back up to 60. Weight gain, major hunger, major burning where they go in and where they go out...eyes watery/blurred vision. Personality has become very agressive and have lost two friends this week because of my outbursts. It's like I know what I am doing, yet can't control it. I have never been so depressed, and I am on Wellbutrin but doesn't seem to be helping. Steroids leave permanent enlargement of neck and the new look on face remains for the most part...I believe you call in moon face...I just look in a mirror and don't even recognize the person Ihave become.
age 57/f

I have been taking prednisone for six years now. I have not missed a day during that time. I had a transplant and suffered rejection. I have every side effect you can think of. Blurred vision, out of control blood sugar, pain, weakness, mood swings,thrush,acid stomach,just to name a few. I really dont even know what to do,because it seems as though my life depends on it. I think my family is getting tired of having to deal with me as I am always complaining,

I have been diagniosed with bells palsy, a tempory acute auto immune responce to an infected facial nerve. Within days I began to suffer from insomnia, mood swings-anger, hunger, thirst, blurred vision. I find it impossible to relax my mind and I am very restless.

Not sure whats wose bells or Prednisone!

hello everyone,
My wife has been on prednisone since 4 weekas ago.She started with three tablets which is 60 mg.After a week they decresed the dosage to 2 1/2 tablets 50 mg and it went down to two tablets 40 mg a week later and so on.Here is her side effects: at first she experienced blurred vision but only for 10-30 minutes but they went away as the dose decresed,moon face(rounded and chubby) week joints in elbows, wrists, knees and feet.She eats a lot more than she used to,anxiety,
her eyes pulsate , irregular heart beats,sharp poking pains in neck legs head feet chest.Mood changes,gets mad at me over little things,back pains , neck pains,back muscle soreness ,cant sleep much,her head feels very big,walks very slow,gets tired fast,swollen feet,sensitive to light sometimes,headiques,feels pulsating through most of her veins,sensitive to noise,dizziness.She has about two more weeks on this medicine which she had to take due to narrowing of her blood vessels on brain(postpartum cerebral angiopathy) very rare complication after she gave birth to a healthy boy.My wife thinks it all happened because the anesthisyologist messed up on the epidural shot which he had to perform it three times on her.If anyone one out there knows how long does it take for her to get better please let me know it will be very appreciated. Thank you all
God Bless

To 14597,

I also experienced blurred vision but after 2 months of being on Prednisone at 80 mgs. Consider that everybody reacts differently to medications and you probably just got that side-effect right the way. The good news is that It went away after getting off of Pred. so hang in there.

Gypsi

I was given 20mg tablets of prednisone for 5 days due to a strange alleregic reaction to cold medicine. I ve been taking it for 3 days and since Ive had break thru bleeding and my vision is so blurred I cant make out the speedlimit signs on the road. Beacause of the upper resperitory bug and 2 allergic reactions and now feeling the side effects of the steroid I am clueless on what is going on and what I should do. If any one out there has had blurred vision and bleeding while takin this medicine please let me know I will be okay.

Unfortunately the rudeness from the responses are probably another side effect from the prednisone. I have been on for 3 months now, up to 40 mg a day and I have body aches, feels like my bones are brittle and will break if I stand up. I have blurred vision and fevers the whole nine yards. My doctor is so hard to get in to see and when I tell the nurse she says" oh thats not due to the prednisone". Yeah right. It is a bad drug. I have Chrones and have requested Remicade , which is an alternative drug which I know people that are on it and have done very well. But to my first point there are alot of side effects due to drug and the moodiness is very apparent here. If you want to vent go elsewhere .

I've been taking prednisone for asthma for four days. The blurred vision is EXTREMELY significant when the page is saying call the doctor. I'm always thirsty, I cannot urinate, and I am sooo restless. I cannot sleep more than three or four hours a stretch.
I was on 60 mg for the first three days and now I'm on 40 mg a day. Tomorrow I start 20 mg a day. Should I just discontinue now while I still have okay vision? Or will my eyesite come back to normal after the script is through?
Someone please let me know. This is all new to me.

Thank you all for all your posts. They help me feel like I am not alone in all this junk. I have been on Prednisone since mid July when I was diagnosed with Dermatomyositis. Even with all the side effects, primarily the weight gain and bloating, I feel better than I did in June. I could hardly walk. My sleeping is actually better now than it was with the pain of DM, and I have always been hypoglycemic so the elevation in blood sugar has helped me.

With that said, I have always been an extremely healthy and active person so the weight gain is killing me. I also prefer to be holistic. My biggest fear has always been long term medication, but here I am. My pred. level was just increased 2 weeks ago to 60mg / day. Within one week my face has become very round, and I look 4 months pregnant. I am very hopeful that someone will find that miracle diet/exercise regime to help balance this side effect. I work out at least 6 days per week. I eat healthy, but have recently gone back to a yeast & sugar free diet. All this with no success. I just started taking Methotrexate 2 weeks ago so I hope maybe it will give me the success Liz has seen in that area.

Other side effects: I am very happy to have my energy level back, but my strength isn't back so I get very frustrated and irritable. I have issues with blurred vision. And I have trouble concentrating. My thoughts often wonder while I am in conversation.

I hold you all in my prayers and hope that you will find ease as you go through this challenge. If we can all stay positive we'll get through it.

Best Wishes,
Elizabeth

I know this probably isn't "new"...started on 20 mg. daily after a severe asthma attack. Emergency room here had ALL my history. Doctor (?) should not have even given me this because I take Lamictal (an anti-convulsant) for bi-polar. I was never told about "weaning off" until I contacted an R.N. @ BC/BS of AL. I've had severe tremors, headaches, nausea, diarreha(sp?), black-tarry stool, buzzy-head, severe mood swings, blurred vision, swelling of all joints, sore throat, ear aches, very bad mouth sores, ravenous appetite, hot/cold flashes, dizziness, overall "where am I & what's going on" confusion, hysterical crying spells, racing heart, increased B/P...etc, etc, etc!! For me, there is NO good reason to take this demon drug!! I feel like I should be back in lock down and preparing for more ECT treatments. (Flashback from 6 yrs. ago) My prayers go out for anyone who takes this. From now on, I leave my asthma attacks to God and only God. Blessings to all.

I am almost finished taking a 3 week course of Prednisone- thank goodness! I am in my early 30's. I have had quite a few side effects that I didn't even originally know were from this drug - but now am convinced. I have had a dry mouth and a bad taste in my mouth (for about a week), had an increase in urine output, increased urination, night sweating (at back of head and base of neck especially), inability to sleep through the night, frequent urination at night (previously I never woke up at night to use the bathroom), off and on blurred vision (only in one eye), & muscle weakness of the bladder (mild incontinence) only at night. The things that bother me the most and cause me concern are the urinary issues (waking up at night to use the bathroom is disturbing my already hard to get sleep).

I experience insomnia, fatigue, snoring due to increased neck fat, moon face, painful abdominal bloating, 10 lb weight gain, increasing blurred vision, purple rash on stomach, thin skin and easy brusing,hair loss, facial hair growth, night and day sweating. I started to decrease prednisone 2 1/2 mgs. per week alternate days in early December. Everything was going well and I could see slow improvement in my condition until mid February. Since then I have had more weakness in my hands, arms legs, and increased blurred vision. Since I may have to be on a low? dose of prednisone for a long time I have some questions.
1. How low a dose is necessary for side effects to diminish?
2. Does all your hair fall out to necessitate a wig? When does it start to grow back.
3. Does the weight go back to normal without dieting? Does your shape go back to pre prednisone?
4. Will the weakness, control, and pre prednisone vision come back to allow normal functioning?