PredniSONE and drugs

I have had rheumatoid arthritis for 20 years,controlled reasonably well with a combo of methotrexate, naproxen and enbrel. I do a 10 day course of prednisone several times a year for bad flares. I absolutely hate taking prednisone because it turns me into a crabby, edgy, insomniac who can't stop eating. It makes me bloat and that REALLY makes me nuts because I've done so well at weight watcher's, I don't need that nasty, upset stomach over full bloat feeling. And the "roid head" headache thing ? I'm on the phone all day at work so that's bad, too. The insomnia is the worst, really, because I just lie there awake. When I stop taking it I return to normal within 2 days. I only do it when I am absolutely desperate - I already lost some tendons in my left hand to arthritis related damage so I tend to use the prednisone when the fluid builds up in the right hand or if I'm really too sore. I'm also aware that long term prednisone usage is a one way ticket to osteoporosis / osteoarthritis, so I really have to feel like I cannot deal before I take it. It's a hate/hate relationship.

short and unsweet, was put on it for osteoarthritis by a bone doctor ,took it for 1 week and had to get off it because the side effects were horrible. panic attacks, severe mood swings, dizziness, disorientation and more. The worst was yet to come 2 days after I told my doctor I couldn"t take it anymore. I was getting ready for work and thought I was having a heart attack. I drove myself to my doctor (praying the whole way, cuz God is in charge). He took my blood pressure which was 200/187. I was rushed to the hospital where I was admitted and put in the cardiac unit overnight for observation. Thank God I was released the next day with no APPARENT side effects. I have not been right since. I still have panic attacks, severe mood swings and fluctuating blood pressure. Do yourself a favor and when anyone mentions Prednisone RUN! Oh, I forgot to mention my doctor said had I waited another 20 minutes I could have been a goner. My osteoarthitis is worse(now I have to see another specialist) and I have medical bills out the wazoo. Prednisone is a very very dangerous drug nd the doctors are still prescribing it. What is wrong with this picture.

I went to the doctor Wednesday for a swollen foot which was diagnosed as gout. The doctor gave me a shot of prednisone mixed with something else (?). Within two hours my groin, hip, thigh, and stomach was in pain. It is now Saturday and I can barely walk I am in so much pain. Has anyone else has this problem after only one injection?

My 62 year old husband has had Parkinson's for about 10 years now. The other day he was prescribed Prednisone (20 mg tablets, twice a day) for 5 days. After the first day his pinched nerve problem was greatly improved, and as a side effect, his Parkinson's symptoms disappeared completely and he was like normal again! This is a miracle to us and we are looking for medical research to help prescribe Prednisone for Parkinson's', or some agent similar. Did the Prednisone make the other Parkinson's drugs more effective; or did the Prednisone fix the Parkinson's on its own. We don't know. For 5 days, it was bliss; I hope we can get someone to weigh the side effects against the miracle of being normal without any Parkinson's symptoms!

I've been on Prednisone for about a month now and have experienced the racing heart. I've been thru so much lately and hope we can help each other here....for the asthma and other reactive friends - try an ALCAT test. This will tell you what foods/meds you have an intolerance to. They send you a kit and you may be surprised what happens to your body when you consume something that your body doesn't like. They have also just given me a script for Methotrexate because my RA numbers are high...I've done my research and so far am refusing to consume that toxic drug. Has anyone tried Minocycline (or other drugs in the cycline family) for joint pain, RA??? I hear it works and at least those side effects aren't deadly.

I'm 15 years old and i've been taking prednisone for a few months, and from what i've read i'm on a really high dose. i was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis and another autoimmune disorder concerning my muscles at the same time. my doctor told me prednisone was my only choice; it was either that or i would lose the ability to walk. he told me there'd be side effects, but i had no idea it'd turn out like this or i would have fought harder for another course of action. i started out on 30mg twice a day, and since then was weaned down to 20mg twice a day and now i'm down to 30mg once a day. i've been looking up a bunch of information trying to figure out if there's a way to lessen the side effects or any hope at all that they will get better. apparently there isn't much. after reading a bunch of these stories i gotta say i'm not feeling great about this. i totally understand everything everyone is going through. i'm sure you can imagine what it's like being smack in the middle of high school with a huge puffy face, acne so bad on my face, chest, back, neck, and shoulders that wearing a bra could put me in tears, and mood swings so bad i've lost friends over it. everyone knows how brutal high school can be, where appearance and attitude are everything. and i try to tell my doctor about it and he literally looks at me like i'm a whiny teenager and says "you're just going to have to deal with it." and people like my mom and my closest friends don't get it either. nobody understands how beyond frustrating it is. i'll get into the worst moods and not have a reason for it, but i'll stay angry for hours or burst into tears over someone looking at me the wrong way. it'll get to the point where i have to isolate myself from other people because the abrubt mood changes get so bad. as bad as i hate to admit it, the pain from the arthritis is gone now and supposedly my muscles are doing better too. developing arthritis caused me to have to quit cheerleading, something i've loved doing for 6 years, because the pain got to the point where i couldn't get my arms above my head or bend my knees. however, i'd almost rather deal with the horrible joint pain than deal with the side effects of prednisone. if your doctor gives you and alternative method, take it. i've always been confident in the way i look and really outgoing and happy and now i sometimes catch myself thinking about suicide. that's shocking to me because i've got so much going for me, but this medicine makes me miserable. and when i complain about it, anyone i'm talking to just looks at me like i'm being a cry baby. my mom does too, she'll say things like "you just have to do this. i know it's not what you want but to be honest i'm sick of hearing you bitch about it."
i feel a little better knowing other people feel the same way - like nobody gets whats going on with them. the prednisone does give me days of really great euphoria and days when i feel like i could run a marathon, but waking up in the morning to the acne and huge face puts me to tears every day. i have to pee all the time, usually getting up at 2 or 3 am. i don't sleep well anymore and i do sweat all the time. which also sucks being a teenage girl. i'm always hungry, and when i eat i never feel full so i don't know when to stop. my neck and face have put on so much weight that when people see me in the halls or out and about they ask me what happened. mind you these are people i don't talk to, just ones i know from classes or whatever. and it's pretty bad when teenage boys i've never really talked to ask what happened to your face. kind of a blow to the ego, or whatever is left of it at this point.
i'd like to know if, as my dosage gets lowered, the side effects will diminish and when i'm off the prednisone completely if they will disappear altogether. any help there?
or if there is any way to help the acne or puffy face

my doctor just put me on something called methotrexate or something like that to help wean me off the prednisone, and does anyone know what those side effects will do? or if they'll affect the prednisone side effects?
i'm constantly obsessing over gaining weight and what my skin looks like and what i eat and how heavy my face feels and the occasional pressure in my eyes to the point where i just want to be put out of my misery.
and after reading other people's stories i really don't understand why this drug is still given out as freely as it is. but maybe all doctors are like mine, they just don't get it.
best of luck to anyone who's on prednisone, my heart goes out to you; i'm right there with you
sorry this became like a book it wasn't meant to be this long

22 years old i have had Coltis for 5 years,flair ups pretty much the whole time, i have been on Prednisone a lot this last time has been the WORSE!!! All i can say is i hate it!! i was put in hospital the 4th time steroid thou the iv for 5 days sent home got worse again back to hospital then to try Cyclosporin thou the iv and also the steroid thou the iv. Ten days later they sent me home on prednisone coming off the iv was hard the pain in my legs was unbelievable!!! finally i was sent home on prednisone,coliform anemas,salfak anemas,and salfak granuls,i thought the worst was over but it was far from it... I turned in to a complete loony,crazy women i don't even know myself anymore my poor partner and kids. Having to deal with the pain and everything eles that comes with having a flair up but then also going though the side effects of the prednisone and the coliform was unbearable, i just wanted to die! My flair up was not getting much better and i hated myself as i felt i did not know myself with the mood swings, the crazy flip outs,crying all the time.My partner has been great having to pick me up off the ground and turn the crying reck into someone half normal. I hate the moon face,weight gain, im hungry ALL the time,night sweats,sleepless nights sore teeth,I have come off it now its been 4 days, so now all i need to stop its the coliform then i will be steroid FREE!!!!! i cannot wait!! For my face to go down and to be normal and back to the good old me! I forget what shes like... Coming off the Prednisone has been hard with the leg pain,muscle aches,head aches,mood swings,nausea. Its just hard as no one around me understands what im going though or what it feels like so i just sound like a sookie cry baby or a raving loony. does anyone know how long it takes for moon face to go away??? I wish everyone luck with there battles with Prednisone, its one of the hardest things i have had to deal with. =) your not alone. stay strong and be positive even throu your lowest times.

I have been on prednisone since I was two years old (I am now sixteen) because I have Autoimmune Hepatitis IIa. I would like to point out that there is still a life worth living being on prednisone, maybe I say this because I do not know life without it, but at least we're alive! Last year I had a flare up of the AIH and had to 6x my dose of prednisone. It sent me into a spiraling depression of constant sleep, crying, hopelessness etc....but I made it through. Just PLEASE keep hope that things would get better, because I know what it's like being on the dreaded drug better than most.

They think that I have either crohns or ulcerative colitis. I have tried antibiotics, lialda, mesalamine enemas, with no improvement. After another colonoscopy they put me on prednisone at 40mgs, 30, 20, 10, then 5 decreasing weekly. Well the first week was okay. I had some of the side affects, insomnia, extreme hunger, and crazy. I could deal with that. But then when I decreased down to 30mg, my body flipped. I awoke from the middle of the night with burning pain in the knees. So bad I took 4 ibuprofen and threw myself in the tub with epsom salt. I thought okay that was weird because I have never had a joint pain in my life. I saw the gastroenterologist that day bc I was still having abdominal pain. He totally blew off the knee pain and said he had no idea what that was. I thought okay maybe it will go away. A few days went by and nothing. 3 days later and I awoke one morning crying in pain because of my legs. I called the on call doctor who also said he had no idea and go to the er. So I went crying hysterically for 4 hours. Even after 3 rounds of dilaudid I was still in pain. They suggested a Rheumatologist. So I went to one a week later who said I was going through steroid withdrawals. And there is nothing we can do but treat the symptoms of pain. I am now down to 10mgs have been out of work for 2 weeks and am absolutely miserable with severe leg pain, muscle weakness and fatigue. He also adjusted the drop down increments to 5 instead of 10. Anyway I will never take this drug again and I think they rushed to this one. Just wanted to share. I am glad I found this website because I went from a fully functioning physically fit 28 year old to a crippled crying crazy person. I think I was scaring my husband, honestly, until we both read some of your postings which were similar.

I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis at the end of 2007 and have been on prednisone since then. I started on about 105mg a week and am currently trying to reduce it but it is really hard as the moment the dosage goes down I lose all mobility and cannot even get out of bed. I am only 23 years old and really feeling the disease to the extent that I cannot even cope with my life. The prednisone has really taken its toll on me and the side effects are crazy! I just want to go back to my old self as I am finding it sooo hard to get through a single day. My side effects include:

Insomnia, tooth sensitivity, depression, anxiety, mood swings, moon face (my face is so swollen that I cant stand looking in the mirror anymore, dizziness, temper, feelings of uselessness, nightmares, night sweats, water retention, and to top it all off the arthritis is getting worse and I am in constant pain. Is there anything anyone can suggest then please help me!

my boyfriend has been on prednisone for 4 years and he is terribly snappy and aggravated all the time and short tempered and does not think that he is... i love him so i deal with it but its getting harder because he dosnt feel this is correct every time i ask him something he bites my head off and almost everything i do irritates him gets on his nerves the mood swings are out of this world sometimes and he totally thinks im being a lala in his words...will someone respond to this so i can show him and he will know im not just saying these things
all this

I have been on Prednisone for 3 months for PMR (polymyalgia rheumatica)and so far the pros have far outweighed the cons. PMR is an extremely painful condition that affects the shoulders and hips especially at night and early morning, I spent all of December and January sitting upright in a chair trying to sleep, untill I was diagnosed and prescribed Prednisone and oxycodone. I started at 25 mg and I'm now down to 15mg. The side effects that I do have are weight gain (about 10 pounds), mild mood swings and insomnia.I am an avid bicycle rider (25-35 training miles per day on week days a lot more over the weekend),I am 60 years old and now back on the bike. The strange thing is after about one month back in training I am much stronger this year than last even with the added weight. Last year, a solo, 30 mile hard ride I would average about 17 mph this week I went out on my same training ride at 19.4 mph, over 2 mph faster. Everything I read about Prednisone says that it wastes muscles,but I have become stronger. Is it possible that it's the Prednisone?

I was diagnosed with Crohn's back in the 80's finally, after suffering since I was 12 and being told I was a child with a "nervous" stomach...dad used to tease me because I had to use every bathroom I came across, not realizing there was a problem. I had a portion of my bowel removed in 84 - the ileum valve along with a portion of the upper and lower bowel surrounding it, which, at the time was the most diseased portions. Removing the valve means that I must inject vitamin b-12 for the rest of my life as that valve is the place - the only place in your body that absorbs and uptakes that vitamin for you. As with any inflammatory disease, other inflammatory problems can occur because of the high inflammation running in your body. For me, this meant a form of arthritis, rheumatism or whatever. Doc wants me to go to the rheumatologist, but so far I have gotten by without YET another diagnosis on my plate. Before the surgery I asked my internal specialist if seeing a nutritionist would help me. I was so, so sick at the time. He scoffed, looked disgusted and asked what do you eat that makes you sick? I said everything. He said, then what is a nutritionist going to tell you to eat that isn't going to make you sick? At the time, I was so sick I just wanted to die and accepted that as an answer. After the surgery and many courses of different drugs for Crohn's - all of them with side effects that kept me from living a "normal" life - all side effects seeming worse than the actual disease itself I did a tremendous amount of studying on the history of Crohn's.- Burrill B. Crohn (1884-1983) was the man to discover it. In one of the articles I read he prescribed a very low carb diet to his patients which seemed to help in the majority of them to keep flare ups at a minimum. I have found, through years of experimentation with different diets ranging from health food diets on down the line, that the low-carb diet keeps my disease in check. People are like kids though. They don't always do what they know is good for them. I love chocolate, breads and sweets. In some studies I have read that you crave what may be bad for you because the bacteria your gut harbors wants to live and makes you crave what it needs to live. So, when I yank carbs from my diet - after the initial withdrawal stage and cleaning out of the gut from having done so (much diarrhea), I begin to feel almost like a normal person again with energy and pain-free. I slowly introduce fruit back in - but, through a series of colonics I had some years back, the practitioner was able to determine many foods I was allergic to just by noticing what comes out in the movement that has not been digested. Apples I can have, but not the peel. Cantaloupes - no - watermelon - not very often, etc... you can mostly tell by looking at the stool what your body is rejecting. It is its way of telling you what not to eat. Like a kid though, I stray from what I know has been tried and true and when I stray too long, joint pain comes on with a vengeance. That is when I get slapped back on the steroids to get the inflammation to back off again. When I'm not on the diet the joint pain can be controlled with Celebrex, but, when not on the diet and not taking Celebrex, the pain is out of control and has to get reeled back in with a course of steroids. So, if I can stop being a stupid kid (I'm 50) and just friggin' do what I know I need to do, I'm 95% pain-free and medication free. I have stayed mostly med free now since I was diagnosed in 84 or so through the no-carb method. The only times I had to take meds for this was when I was stupid with food for too long and one other - I had a kidney infection that I didn't know I had. It threw the Crohn's out of remission big time causing me to have to be on heavy-duty antibiotics, steroids, etc. It nearly put me in the hospital. I thought I was having a Crohn's flare-up only, but turned out the kidney infection was there and caused the flare-up - inflammation - when it hits you anywhere in your body it can cause that Crohn's to rear its ugly head. It took them years to diagnose me and through my own trial and error, I have learned how to live nearly and mostly drug free with this disease. For me, the drugs and effects are worse than the disease itself. The drugs make it hard for me to work and live. I can live near normal without them and with the diet. Your doctors will tell you differently. Doctors are put through med school on grants from pharmaceutical companies, therefore, they only learn how to treat with meds - they get kick backs from the meds they prescribe too. They do not learn how to treat through nutrition, nor do they want you to know that either. There's big money in meds - look around at all the hospitals and the many, many people taking all these drugs - synthetic drugs that are created to mimic receptors in your body so that your body accepts them, only to have to work hard to throw off the toxic substances - the synthetics they are created with so they can be patented. It is the PRACTICE of medicine and they are PRACTICING on you. Do your own research and study and conduct your own trials. I'm not saying don't go to your doc and don't take the meds - get it under control, but once you have it under control, find a way to keep it there as drug-free as possible. Your liver that has to process the toxicity of those meds will thank you for it. Your entire body will thank you for it. When the bad flare-ups happen, get your juicer out and drink nothing but fresh juices for 3-4 days. Juices are pre-digested. Your body doesn't have to work hard to assimilate the nutrients in them. Did you know that your body never does anything MORE strenuous than digesting? You could run a marathon and the amount of energy your body expends would not even come close to the energy it takes to digest your food! When you are ill - pull the food so your body can free that energy for your healing. You won't believe how much better you'll feel. Once you get it reeled back in by only having liquid for a couple of days, make sure your starch and sugar intake are lower when you begin to eat again. The bacteria in your gut feeds on carbs - starches and sugar. A good read is Marilyn and Harvey Diamond's "Fit For Life" - it has a good explanation as to how the digestive system operates - how the bacteria works - how your body has different acids that are used to digest your foods and how some of the acids that digest some foods do not mix well with other digestive juices and how to avoid that combination. This has been my trial and error - I prefer to NOT have to see the doc for Crohn's often...I haven't been to a gastro guy in 9 years or so. I do have a regular doc that, if I have flare-ups, will put me on a course of steroids for a couple of weeks to reel it back in, but the fact that it has to be reeled back in at all is my own fault because I was a bad little girl and didn't watch what I ate. For me - that's the simple solution - the food. But, you have to get it under control first before you go that route. I take the drugs til I feel better. Then I get off them and mind the diet. By the way - the arthritis - when on the diet troubles me very little. When I'm high carbing and high sugaring - the arthritis KILLS me... hope this helps any of you... I have studied this disease and nutrition since my diagnosis in the 80's... if I had it to do over again, I would go back to school and become a nutritionist...

I was giving prednisone for only 5 days (not sure about dose, but it tapered to one pill on the last day) for a bronchitis induced severe asthma attack. I have only had asthma twice in my 50 years, both times associated with a bad case of bronchitis. The "doc in the box" reduced his original dosage due to the 3 corisone injections I recently had in my spine. After reading these posts I feel grateful I wasn't on a higher, longer term dose. I have some of the same side effects listed here including uncontrollable appetite, fat gain around the middle, water weight gain, constantly having to urinate, superhuman energy, heart palpitations, and approximately two weeks after finishing, I began to get a mustache (hairs that were previously white became brown over a two week period). I have read on the internet and been told by my pharmacist that this is temporary. I have also read and been told that the 2mg estradiol I take every day since my hysterectomy causes the body to retain and not rid itself of the steroids as it normally would (estrogen is actually listed as drug interaction with prednisone). The doctor in the box apparently just ignored this interaction and prescribed it anyway. However the main reason I am posting is a very strange possible side effect that occurred approximately 1 week after my final dose. I was awakened in the middle of the night with SEVERE pain (felt like bone pain, not muscle) in my right knee that lasted until morning. By mid morning it was gone. The next night I had the same experience but in both knees. It lasted about 5 more days, gradually tapering in intensity, and then just went away. I do have severe arthritis in my lumbar and cervical spine, having had surgeries to repair injuries from a snowmobiling accident. I have normal arthritis elsewhere for a 50 year old, but have NEVER had issues with my knees. Has anyone had this strange symptom? None of my doctors (internist, rheumatologist, physiatrist - who gave me the injections and prescribed physical therapy for my spine) had any explanation. The only explanation I have is the prednisone because I had taken the Z-pac (antibiotic) with no side effects several times in the past. Weird!

Incidentally, I am off the prednisone for about 5 weeks, am still hungry all the time, still fat, still bloated. Unfortunately the extra energy is gone. Best of luck to everyone on this strange drug. My heart sincerely goes out to all of you on long term therapy. God bless.

I have been on prednisone continuously now for 15 years. I was put on it in March of 1995 for a lung condition called chronic eosinophilic pneumonia. I was 122 pounds when I first started prednisone. Now 15 years later I am 197 pounds. I am 35 years old with osteoporosis. I have dealt with depression, terrible headaches, stomach ulcers, hormonal imbalance, hair loss, swollen feet and ankles, I now wear glasses when I didn't before, I have thin skin now that looks older than my 35 years, I deal with night sweats, and in the summer out in the heat my very round moon face turns red as a beet. But, no one can get me off the prednisone. I have seen many specialists, and within 1-2 days of starting to wean past 10mg I get so sick I have to be hospitalized, I literally can't breathe or live without it. I hate this stuff and what its done to me, but I have no choice but to take it or I will die. Doctors have tried alternate medications, nothing but prednisone works. If there is ANYONE who has had to be on it as long as I have or have had success in getting off it after being on it for so long, I would love to hear from you.

i have been on prednisone for 5 years off and on and he moon face is there the hair loss the weight i really want to come off it so bad the asthma is a big issue in my life i wish they would come out with a better drug for us asthma patients the withdrawals i have been going through are the hair loss i use to have long thick beautiful hair thin face smaller body i am hoping some day i will get it all back
hopeful

hi everyone, i'm a 36 y.o. male and have been on and off of prednisone for 25 yrs. my experience has always been more positive than negative with taking this drug. it has helped me to breath better and has made me to feel extra healthy and even physically stronger. but i have my suspicions about this drug also. it has given me a false since of good health and i feel like i want to keep taking it just to feel better. i have only taken the drug after an asthma attack for about 5-7 days. early on the only side effect was increased appetite and occasional insomnia. but the last time i took this drug the doctor increased the milligrams and a VERY UNUSUAL side effect occurred that never happened before. I HAD HALLUCINATIONS! i have never had these side effects before and on the leaflet of possible side effects that came from the pharmacist for the very first time i saw hallucinations listed as a possible side effect. the hallucinations were damn near demonic in nature. the experience went like this... i woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and on my way to the bathroom i passed my dresser mirror and in the mirror was writing on the mirror in a mist! just like it would be when you get out of the shower and take your finger and write on the mirror. THERE WERE LEGIBLE WORDS ON MY MIRROR! mind you this is in my bedroom and the shower was off! at that point i refused to read what i saw in the mirror! it was weird enough what i saw i didn't need to read it. i refused to be fearful at that point cause i realized i was hallucinating and not getting a haunting. when i woke up later i went back to the mirror and of course no writing in the mirror. IF THERE IS ANYONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED THIS PLEASE TELL ME YOUR STORY PERSONALLY! MY EMAIL IS ******! i would like to know that i'm not alone in this. to make it easier for me to see your response please type prednisone in the subject box on the email cause i receive a ton of emails and spam. and i would really like to hear other stories and experiences of taking this drug with very weird side effects!

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.

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.

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!!

I was on Prednisone for a year and weened myself off because of the side effects.I'm back on it now and can't wait to be off again.Not that i felt that much better off of it.They started giving it to me through my i.v. in the hospital about 2 weeks ago.I was admitted for a Crohn's Colitis flare up and dehydration.The first 3 days were ok but then i felt the Prednisone kick in.It wasn't that bad until i left the hospital and started 40 mgs by mouth.I couldnt really sleep at all.Really bad panic attacks.Crazy dreams, hearing voices.I'd wake up every 20 min. dripping with sweat.I'd panic all day and night.Now I'm being weened off and am taking 20 mgs.I'm really weak.Can hardly type this.Its hard to walk.My arms and legs feel so weird.I'm having a really hard time concentrating.I feel like I'm on drugs all the time.Really dizzy,every things funny looking.Its like a really bad panic attack that never goes away.I have 2 more days then I'm down to 10mgs.Then another 7 days then I'm off.Hopefully this will all pass and i can be normal again.I can't live like this.I don't even know if any of this is making sense.I hope all is well with everyone of you and will keep you in my prayers.Hopefully we'll all be normal again soon.God bless,Carl

Are you aware about short and long term side effects of this Devil's drug??? Of course, everybody reacts differently while take or withdraw. But there are high number of people who react terribly bad!!! Doctors do not want to recognize and discuss this. They just keep silent... Do you know exactly how Prednisone works??? Nobody knows this for sure, even doctors!!! From my personal experience, and despite gradual withdrawal, I developed extremely high blood pressure, weakness, panic attacks, depression! Practically it ruined my normal life! Doctors have no clue how to deal with its devastating side effects. Steroids are not selective. When you take a steroid, the drug infiltrates the nucleus of every single one OF YOUR CELLS AND STARTS MONKEYING AROUND WITH GENES IT FINDS THERE!!! It probably plays with hundreds of genes. And just a small number of these genes control the pain and inflammation associated with inflammatory diseases, so steroids turn many of these genes off which is good thing. However, because steroids are not selective, they also regulate the genes that control kidney, liver, BRAIN, and HEART function - which is not good thing!!! It is likely that steroid treatment plays with other genes, too, including those we do not know about a lot right now...So, Prednisone pervades the entire body, which increases the likelihood of short-term side effects and long-term DAMAGE. My advice is: THINK TWICE BEFORE TAKING PREDNISONE!!!

I was on Entocort and experienced terrible anxiety, racing of my heart, and would cry at anything. Doctor took me off Entocort cold turkey and put me on anti-anxiety medication which is not really helping. Another reason he took me off Entocort is that i had colonoscopy it showed that I did not have crohn's and colitis like they thought I had. What I was wondering is how long after stopping Entocort will my anxiety and racing heart go away does anybody know. I was on it for 4 weeks.

My daughter is a chronic asthmatic and has been on Prednisone for over one year. Since then she has experienced headaches, nausea, sleeplessness, depression, extreme anxiety, mood swings, blurred vision, aching... just about all of the side effects listed. Of particular concern to me are the mood swings, which at this time we are considering having her evaluated. I didn't realize that this drug could do soo much in terms of her behavior. Please help me to understand what is going on with her. She is 12 years old.

My 12-year old son has been high dose prednisone for his asthma flare ups. I know that the "moon face" is common. However, since using this prednisone, he has bad acne breakouts on his forehead, cheeks, chin and even in his head. He also has broken out in a rash on his neck. Common or uncommon? There seems to be nothing to help with the acne, either.

I've been on Prednisone after and allergic reaction to penicillin (Amoxicillin) (bullous pemphigold - large blister on my arms and legs, some on the back and very little on the stomach) I've been on the medication for three days (40mg/day) I cannot standup or move my hands, my entire leg hurts and the foot is swollen (it could be from the penicillin). I'm hoping it will go away after I come off prednisone but has anyone experienced long term pain from this drug?

I'm pretty sure my pain is from the allergic reaction. Has anyone had long term pain from any type of bullous reaction?

I've took a very high dosage of prednisone for 6 years, from the age of ten years old. 17 years later, i still have an extreme moon face. The only thing that has ever helped me was a facial exerciser (a microcurrent devise), but those results can be hard an expensive to maintain. As anyone else ever had a moon face that wouldnt go away even after stopping their prednisone usage after a long period of time? Does anyone have any advice for me, on how i can finally get rid of this horrible extreme moonface? my face and all my facial features are swollen, including my eyelids, this has been goin on for years. I also have suffered for years from severe chronic diarrhea from an illeostomy reversal. Please help me.

My Mother was diagnosed with Rheumatoid arthritis 30 years ago. She has been on prednisone at low doses since then. About 3 years ago she started imagining things, and hallusinations. About 2 years ago her prednisone dose went up to 60mg a day due to a stroke of the optic eye nerve. She has since been tapering down, now at 15mg a day. But tapering down makes her arthritis more painful. She has developed diabetes, loss of sleep, loss of apetite, loss of muscle tone. When she gets bumped, it's a big opened gash, rather than just a bruise. With the higher dose she was more moody & would get angry easier. The hallucinations & paranoia continue & are making me more & more concerned. I haven't read about this in any of the stories. Has anyone else experienced this side effect? I spoke with her Rheumatologist who suggest a psychiatrist to prescribe anti-psychotic drugs. She's already on 11 pills a day, does she need another?
Please let me know if anyone has experienced this as well.
Thank you.

I am 65, suufering from ulcerate colitis. Imuran kills my lever, I had to take a strong dose of prednisone.up to 60 mg. now after ten days I am on 30 mg.
it helps for colitis but I am not sleeping. I took sleeping pills, I can sleep about 2-3 hours in 24h.
Who could help me to be able to sleep again ? What kaind of sleeping pills or tranquilisers are recommended ?
Thank for answering also directly to my Email ******

Thank you.

It was comforting to read the stories from patients whom have the same issues with the prednisone as myself to assure me I AM NOT CRAZY. I am 43 years old and have severe asthma. Just this past April I was hospitalized for a week with asthma and was given so much steriods via shots, pills and IV drip that I have gained 25 lbs since April 16. Have swelling of the face, facial hair, swollen legs and a bloated belly. I cannot take it any more. I do not feel attractive and am in constant pain from the carpal tunnel I have developed in my hands, wrist and arms. I wish there was some way to return back to my normal active life and my normal body.

I'm a 34 year old petite 110 lb female and have been on Prednisone for 7 weeks now for a kidney disease (Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis). The treatment is supposed to be 3-4 months to see if I go into remission. If not, then I'm "steroid resistant" and they will have to move to a more aggressive treatment (a type of chemo). So I'm praying that this prednisone works!!

The first 2 weeks were a peice of case, then I developed many side effects, but the following being the most troublesome:

- 2 weeks - Edema. I got really bad fluid retention in my lower body and was put on a diuretic. A few days later my heart started pounding so hard I thought it would pop right out of my chest. Well turns out I was totally dehydrated from the diuretic so I'm off that now but the edema seems to be under control anyway (following a low-sodium/low carb diet). At the same time as the edema my skin dried right up too, and I need to put moisturizer on all the time. Even when I bend over I feel the skin on my back stretching.
- 2 weeks - Bloating. Really bad bloating. I'm bloated constantly now. Eating a low sodium diet helps, but not much. At night I weigh 5 lbs more than I do in the morning. I have terrible gas (burping mostly) all of the time. Sometimes it looks like I'm 6 months pregnant! And I'm sure people think I am because as I mentioned I'm normally thin and now I have to wear looser clothing to hide my belly, which doesn't really work and just looks obvious.
- 3 weeks - Sore knees. It feels like there's something growing in between my kneecaps that make it very difficult to climb stairs and it feels spongy when I walk. I can not put any pressure on my knees, I can't squat down, bend to pick something up, kneel, anything. And it gets worse at night.
- 4 week - Moonface. And my face has been blowing up like a balloon ever since. As I sit here and type I can actually feel it throbbing and growing still. I've got fat on my neck under my chin now that actually feels like it's choking me if I sit hunched over. I'm finding the moonface very difficult to cope with. I do not like to look in the mirror any more. I feel like a candy apple.
- 4 weeks - Cramps. Terrible terrible hand and feet cramps. Sometimes if I'm using my hands to chop vegetables or write or even use a fork, my hand cramps up like a lobster claw. I try to use the other hand then the same thing. And then almost every day, my feet. First one, then the other. Excruitiating cramps that seem to go in 15 minute intervals that make it impossible to walk, stand, sit, anything.
- 4 weeks - Very moody and aggitated. I am usually very easy going, now i have patience for nothing. I will be in a good mood one minute, the next I feel like I can kill someone. My boyfirend and our dogs are being very patient with me... I just hope they know it's the drugs not me! I just don't seem to have any control over my emotions.
- 5 weeks - Extreme fatigue. I used to have lots of energy, especially at the beginning of my Prednisone journey. But now I'm just wasted all of the time. I walk to and from work and the last couple weeks I want to just lay down on the side of the road and have a nap as I walk home. I used to do pilates (as much as possible with the sore knees) but it's too hard now. And forget about any elliptical training or cycling. It's enough just to get to and from work and I'm just exhausted.

There are more issues and I could go on forever, but those are the most troublesome. I just try so hard to stay positive but it's very hard sometimes. I pray that this is working, and that it is not all for not. I can't wait to be off these drugs, and my heart goes out to each and every one of you enduring the same thing and pray that it works for your too.

Good luck everyone.

:)J

After researching corticosteroids,glucortioids, especially Prednisone, for the past 8 months I kept reading that these drugs were not to be confused with anabolic steroids that athletes use for muscle building. I've come to my own conclusion that that is bull crap. Why is Prednisone not approved in Olympic competition?

I was diagnosed with Colitis just over two years ago. At the time, I was having severe symptoms and my doctor put me on 40 mg of Prednisone for 3 days, 30 mg for 3 days, 20 mg for 7 and 10mg indefinitely. The 40mg dosage caused me to not sleep at night, severe nevousness and basically feeling like I was on drugs. I felt this way until I got down to 20mg. Initially, I had swollen ankles and overall swollen feeling in my body. After I had been on this drug for more than a few months, I began to notice my hair falling out, my finger nails breaking and a severe tooth sensitivity to cold (never had this before). Over the last two years, I have been on and off of Prednisone and have had the exact same side effects each time. Right now I have been on 20mg for the last 6 months. I am meeting with my doctor this week to discuss some naturopathic solutions to get off of this horrid drug. Any one heard of using ingestible aloe vera as an alternative to Prednisone?

Was on Prednisone 2 years ago for respiratory problems 30mg. Gained 25 pounds, fat face, felt tired, etc.

However 2 years later, after weaning off Prednisone my muscles ache, joints are most always stiff, esp. hands plus my feet feel numb and my short term memory has not returned to normal----does any one else out there have similar problems. What can be done?

I have never taken Prednisone, but when my daughter was 18, she was stricken with ulcerative colitis and was on prednisone and then 6-mp for quite some time. She nearly died from the 6-mp and even after 8 years, she has horrible "growing" pains in her shin bones from the prednisone. She had psychotic reactions to the prednisone almost a year after she was weaned from it - such a severe reaction that she spent a week in the psychiatric ward of the hospital. Of course, the doctors said there was no connection btwn the episode and the steriods, but I know better.
She eventually had her colon surgically removed, and was fortunate enough to have a j-pouch created at the end of her small intestine so she does not have a "bag"! I am afraid that she will always suffer some residual side effects from all of the drugs she was on, and may, in fact, be sterile.
She has not yet attempted to get pregnant, so we will see.
anyone on these meds for more than a couple of weeks needs to research their condition and find some alternative treatment! These drugs should only be a last resort!

I have a condition called Myositis and for the past two years the specialists put me on Prednisone, my condition of myositis is an Autoimmune problem that degenerates the muscles and causes artherites throughout the joints in the body.
I am 58 years of age and survive the chronic pain by taking 5 Mg of prednisone each day along with different types of anti inflaminetery pain killers.
Some days are good and other days require a wheel chair to get around but the side effects of this have caused Cateracts in both eyes, fatty liver tissues and other side effects like mood swings and so on.....

My sister inlaw was taking prednisone - 100 mg per day, she had severe swelling, red face - she was hospitalized when her
doctor reduced her dose, kidneys were not working. she had
her dose increased and was under an outpatient program with
other drugs to be weaned off pred. She is now dead, her husband woke upbeside her and she was gone. Note she had
a history of high blood pressure.

I was on prednisone for 3 days. Took my first pill in the evening and another the next day. Took another that night. I was up all night discussing thing with my wife. I WAS WIRED. I crashed the next day, almost quit my job (I was heavily under stress at work). I went home, STILL WIRED, and shuttled my kids around all day. I started to think about my experiences as a kid. I was under severe stress. That night, I collapsed on my laundry room floor. I hallucinated all night. My wife and children were extremely frightened. They called the paramedics. I went to the emergency room. I litterly thought I had died. At the emergency room, I was disruptive and they admitted me. I spent 4 nights in a psychiatric ward, sedated with drugs but unable to differentiated my flashbacks from the past from the prednisone. It has taken nearly a week, to finally come to grips with the fact that I am not crazy. It was this drug and some stress (albeit, more than usual) that sent me into a life-changing experience. BE VERY CAREFUL if you are taking Prednisone, can't sleep, and are under stress. Your life may change forever. Mine did.

Shortness ofbreath(heavy lungs),paranoia,anxiety,depression,(relieved by drugs) , weight gain...cushingoid appearance..buffalo hump and all,hunger,foggy, strange gluey feelings in my toes,afeeling of bouncing when I walk,knee swelling peptic ulcer diareahea,neck and face swelling

i have been on this drug for 8 months for my ashma . before this i would be on it maybe 6 times a tear for a week or so but i am now steroid dependent and cant live without thse . my klfe has changed so much be cause of these steroids . i went from a very confident person to someone who cant look in the mirror at myself. i have deperession , and fly off the handle cant sleep and my skin is transperent and bruid=ses so easily . i at my lowest ebb because of these drugs.

meln, #12602

Welcome to the site. Sorry to hear your having problems after taking prednisone. From everything I've researched and learned about drugs, the general concensus is; If severe symptoms persist after a week of discontinuation of a drug, see your physician. Because prednisones half life is about 4 hours, I think most physicians will feel that it's not the prednisone.
However, because everyone is different, I personally feel that anything is possible. Drugs can trigger reactions that weren't anticipated or well documentated, or within the "normal limits" of past research.
If they are severe and still persisting, I would personally recommend seeing a physician.

Let us know how it goes....Best wishes

I am getting very depressed. I was on Prednisone for about ten days back in April to help my Bronchitis. Now, it's August. I am on a 1200 cal a day diet, I walk a mile a day, I do situps until I can't sit up, I can't lose the belly and hip fat I gained. I am getting warts all over my hands and feet (immunodepressive drugs do this), and my periods (sorry to be gross) are still screwed up. Everything I've read says the symptoms should subside with the stopping of the drug, but how long does it take?

I am an asthmatic and have taken high does of pred. I have just gotten off 2 months worth....have been off 1 month now and still feel some of the anxiety. I have to agree with jules on everything. Pred. is a nasty drug...docs dont like to put you on it unless they find it necessary.....HOWEVER.....the drug benefits definitely out weigh the side effects (and this is coming from someone with panic disorder) all drugs have benefits and side effects...even asprin! You should all make sure you have a GREAT doctor and educate yourself about your meds BEFORE you take them! And try to ward off some of the side effects ahead of time....it can be done. You do not need to gain loads of weight while on pred...that is an excuse, like a woman who is pregnant and gains 80lbs Some you cant help but the ones you can try to count act with....healthy foods to munch on....drink plenty of water.....take xanx if the anxiety is too bad etc.......

Need to correct a typo;

I posted "all drugs have side-effects" What I meant to type was "ALL DRUGS HAVE POSSIBLE SIDE-EFFECTS".

I think that from reading through the posts and getting more information about different points of view regarding this drug, I am more inclined to think that if it works for you and you are happy taking the Prednisone and it has helped you overcome your disease whatever it may be, then keep taking it if it helps you. Treatment using Cortisone is a personal choice and if you experience very bad side effects maybe your Doctor can put you onto something that will have the same healing but less risk? Everything in life is a personal choice, the best way forward is to get as much information on the drugs you are taking as possible and make sure the information is from a reputable source, eg. Medical Journals etc. I don't want to scare anyone into not taking Prednisone, personally for me it made me feel ill but we are all individuals and we all need to take responsiblity for our choices in life.

So just make sure that whenever medication is prescribed to you that you research it first, and ask your Doctor about it he/she is there to help you get well, not make you feel worse.

I have recently been diagnosed with sarcoidosis. I am not looking forward to being on predisone. Are there any other drugs for treatment of this horrible disease. Thanks.

I was diagnosed w/ Crohn's Disease at the age of 15. I am now 18 and have had no luck w/ any drug that they have tried to treat me with. Endocort and Asacol. After two years of these two drugs they decided to try Prednisone because I was not getting better. I have been on it for one month at 30 mg a day. I love it SO FAR. I am waiting to see what happens. I am scared because I haven't heard the best things about Prednisone. I have had mild weight gain. I weighed 93 lbs and now I am a healthy 105. I am not getting fat, I am just putting on the weight my body was lacking. I looked anorexically skinny and now my body is healing so I am able to eat more and not get sick. I have had mild heartburn as well. Especially when I drink pop. I have had slight muscle cramps. The worst part is the acne I have been experiencing. It came on out of nowhere. But, just wash your face 2-3x a day and keep it oil free and you should be fine. And to help control the weight gain I work out 3x a week. I also am eating healthier foods.

I have been taking prednisone for about 12 years now. I have ocular myasthemia gravis and all of a sudden I might have gotten diabetes because of the prednisone. My blood level was 134 after I had a soda and chicken sandwich (about 2 hoursafter). I'm going to my family doctor this friday and get another blood test without eating for 12 hours. If I have it so be it, but if I don't I will get off this drug when possible. To my knowledge, I was never told that prednisone could cause diabetes. This angers me very much because I was never told of the alternatives that I could take. I have never gone higher than 20mg. Some days I would take prednisone everyday and other days I would not. If I were you, I would consult your doctor immediately and look into safer drugs. Prednisone may be the best steroid or near there, but it also has its side effects. You have to ask yourself is it worth taking and risk yourself of another disease.

I was diagnosed with Myasthenia Gravis in my 1st month of pregnancy..I did IVF to get pregnant and the IVF drugs brought me to a "crisis" situation. I've been on a high dose of Prednizone for almost a year now, as high as 200mg daily, now weaning off and down to 40mg every other day. I have all of the terrible side effects from this drug and assumed that I would feel better after having the baby, however some of the side effects have gotten worse! I have a huge, puffy face, gained a ton of weight, acne, severe mood swings. I can't wait to get off this drug. I know that it has saved my life and my beautiful baby's, so I try to remind myself of that when I get sad. How long will it take to go back to "normal" once I am off the Prednizone?