PredniSONE and comcast

Hi I am a 44 year old asthma patient. I have had asthma since the age 2 and have been on & off prednisone since that time. As a child until age 20 I was on predinsone daily. My question is has anyone experienced nerve problems due to long time use? I do have muscle weakness and spasms, but I am interested in if anyone has had nerve problems. Please email me at ****** and refer to prednisone.

Prednisone is a miracle drug that is saving my life. I realize that the side effects can happen and do. I've experienced them too: pockets of fat on my face even though I've lost 25 pounds; loss of hair; Thrush in the mouth and other yeast infections; hyperactivity; insomnia; blurry vision; the shakes; reduction in muscle tone; and secondary infections because of compromised immune system. I have pulmonary fibrosis and waiting for a lung transplant. There is no known cause, cure, or treatment of this terminal disease and most patients die in 1-5 years. Prednisone is the only drug that will at least slow the disease down until I receive that transplant call. I realize that most people on this post are not terminally ill and you can say, "no" to this drug; but just wanted you to know that for some of us it's a miracle drug.
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I was put on Pred. for severe hives after treatments for cancer (aggressive chemo and radiation) once the burns healed I came down with severe hives all over. I was put on Allegra, Clarinex, Zyrtec, Prednisone (60mg), Singulair, Advair, Atarax, and Preventil twice a day. I began feeling like a junky and the pharmacy would question my refills. I have the moon face and weight gain, with cancet treatments and prednisone total gain is 80lbs. I was ready to give up, between the pills, the massive side effects and the hives. I was intrduced to an awesome high antioxident through Market America. I started taking 4 capfuls per day and within a week stopped all my meds. cold turkey. I got hives worse the first 3 days but I was told that would happen while my system detoxed. My doctor added Plaqunel (to cover his butt) but it takes 3 months to get into your system and it is not a steriod. I still get a few hive now and then when I eat something (Red dye, barley-beer) but after I take my OPC-3 they go away without any medication not even OTC meds.
If you want information on the antioxidants I am taking you can find information at www.4thebetterlife.com or e-mail me at ******. I am also taking vitamin C and B12 with the OPC-3 because they assist with inflamation and histimine levels. I am working on the weight (I still gained and was on Weight watcher the whole time) and my face is SLOWLY returning, its been 2 months. I wish you all the best. I will never go on a drug again without researching it first and looking for more natural ways to take care of the problems and this is coming from someone who had 20-50% chance of living through my cancer P.N.E.T. Sarcoma. I am doing great no and I am cancer free and I am getting my life back after steriods.

NEED ADVICE PLEASE! Has anyone had sore tendons, muscles, joints, etc. in hands caused or exacerbated by prednisone? If so, please email me at bgoodric@comcast.net. I'm a professional harpist, and my hands are my living. I was diagnosed with RA last spring, and I've been on pred for something like 6-7 months now, waiting for the Plaquenil to take effect. I was only at 10 mgs (now tapering, went down to 1 mg this morning), but I got bad moonface and fat belly, acne, feeling sweltering all the time, hair falling out, and sore gums. Eeew.

Recently my hands, wrists, and forearms are really hurting again, in muscles and tendons this time, as well as joints. (It's really impacting my playing; anyone who thinks that harp music can't sound ugly hasn't heard me playing in bad pain.) My hands aren't swollen much though, when before, with the untreated RA, they looked and felt like they'd each been stung by a whole beehive. Now, I was writing off all this new pain as caused by my getting off the prednisone TOO soon, before the Plaquenil works fully, and/or from serious overwork. (Amazing to have too many gigs, a lovely fluke that can't be turned down even if the timing is lousy.) But I've just found this website and seen a few people noting muscle cramps and such.

Could the hand problems be CAUSED or exacerbated by the prednisone, either by just having taken it at all or by tapering off it too quickly? Getting my hands working again immediately was the whole reason I was willing to get on the darn pred to begin with!

Let's see; I've also got muscle pains in shoulders, neck, lower legs, and feet, but all these could be due to music overwork too, or walking in bad shoes. I'm 43 and not terribly athletic, so the non-hand muscle stuff isn't all that shocking.

Another question, one that other people have mentioned earlier: How long after we stop the pred does it take for the dreaded moonface and belly (and acne) to go away? Is there any way to speed it up, along with exercise and sensible diet? (My sister's getting married in a month, so I've got the prospect of photos looming. I haven't gained weight, just had it redistributed, but I'm getting real chipmunk cheeks. Incidentally, approaching veganism seems to help me with the appetite. I've been trying to avoid dairy products to lessen the RA and when I manage that, after a few days I find that I'm no longer daydreaming about Haagen Dazs and Fettucini Alfredo. Don't know if that'd work for other people? I daydream about non-dairy dark chocolate instead, I'm afraid.)

I'd be grateful for any info and any advice! Good luck to you all out there. I knew prednisone could be problematic, but not as bad as what most of you have had to endure.

After looking at the listed side effects for Pred. i can say that my wife has expierenced all of them. She has Chrons and was on Pred. for about 9 months. Just so you all dont feel like your crazy, ill post what this "miracle drug" had done for our family. INSOMENIA, she would sleep for about 3 hours a day, man was my house clean! MOOD SWINGS, she would flip out for no reason. She even wanted a devorce! For no particular reason, she " just wanted me out of the house ". WEIGHT GAIN, she went from a size 3 to a size 13.*note* she lost weight in the first month, went down to a size 2. MOON FACE, she kept saying she looked like a jack-o-lantern. BURNING SENSATION, she would just break out in a sweat, and complain of "feeling" hot. ACNE, neck, back, and chest. FATIGUE, she just couldnt move, always felt "drained". EATING LIKE A LINE BACKER, she would polish off a full sized bag of cheese curls, and look for more. DEPRESSION, would just break down and cry, for no reason. I would ask, whats worng, and get " i dont know ...." BACK PAIN, she would wake up with major back pain. We contributed this to the added weight, pressing on her back while asleep. SNORING, agian, do to he added weight.

My question is this, my wife has been off the Pred for almost 50 days now, and she has lost little weight. It kills me that she looks in the mirror and cries now because she still has the added weight. She has lost a little in the face, and in the ankle area, but had yet to loose a majority of the weight gain. Her Dr. told her that it will take another 2 - 3 months to loose her weight and get back to "normal". If some one can varify this; the long gradual weight loss, it would make my wife feel so much better, knowing that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks in advance,

******