PredniSONE and heart

I was put on a 13-day DexPak and got off of it after 6 days! The doctor wanted to try it before surgery of spurs in my neck. The side effects are horrible. Finally my heart is slowing down and the itches have subsided, but the weakness and shakes remain. I'm also numb in parts of my body and everything tastes like salt water. When does this stop? It's been 36 hours.

Hi all, im so glad i found this site as many are too. Im 22 years old and was diagnosed with colitis at 14 and was put on 40 mg of prednisone to combat it. I can honestly say it generated the worst time in my life.. I went back to school and was overwhelmed with massive panic attacks feeling like my heart was gonna rip through my chest. Big moon face etc. I recently have had an attack and was put back on steroids its always my last last resort. I just feel very detached and anxious all the time constantly feel like im lost. I am now in the process of stopping them first day without 1 and I feel as explained. The worst thing is that no one seems to understand the effects, they cant understand why you'd rather be ill than go through with them. its not good for you on the whole. Good health is the unity and prosperity of all aspects; Body Mind Soul. Hope the best to all.

This for a shoulder injury I was taking 80mg a day just for a couple days.
However that same day I got flu shot then read in the Interactions not to get any vaccinations may cause serious complications. Three days later got a steroid shot the started to reduce the meds, feel terrible, night sweats,heart burn, every thing I drink taste like salt,having to urinate all the time. being dizziness, up till wee hours in the morning.

I am so relieved to have found this site... i have been miserable for almost 2 weeks, i broke out with hives last week and never found the cause but with that and some breathing problems they put me on prednisone. I have been miserable since, i couldn't eat drink sleep or do anything else at all pretty much and i have had diarrhea, and a ton of other symptoms... i feel bloated acid reflex muscle aches headaches dizziness chest pain & pressure very weak feeling mood swings and depression the jitters and heart racing and from what i read and researched this is all from the steroid prednisone.... thankfully the doctor ended my dosage sooner than it was prescribed and last night i took my last pill... i now am just wondering when or how long will it be till i feel myself again and can have a good nights rest?? I will never use this medicine again!! I am just soo relieved to have found some answers on here.

I have been on Prednisone 40mg x 5 days and am now reducing to 30mg x 5 days followed by a 10mg reduction q 5 days until I am off the med. I have read your blogs and my heart goes out to you all.

Has anyone lost their sense of taste? I can only taste salty things, but just the salt only. I have the nausea, stomach pains, depression, mood swings, inability to focus and a tremendous amount of 'floaters' in my eyes. In general, I am extremely drug sensitive, but the Prednisone has brought me to a place I don't want to be.

I welcome your input on the sense of taste issue. Thanks in advance for your comments.

I was on prednisone for 1 year for chronic pericarditis, finally weaned off and no problem with my heart since. It now been 5 month and I now have chronic shoulder and foot pain, I've read that it can take up to a year for your body to adjust and produce the correct levels of cortisone, I'm taking voltaren when the pain is too much, I feel like a 75 year old in the morning and I'm only 48. I feel so sorry for everyone who has had issues as well.

I have BOOP and was put on Prednisone. I was told this is the only treatment to control BOOP. Soon as I got on it I would pour sweat from my head so bad I was dripping all down my face. I had the shakes so bad in my hands I could not even hold a cup to drink. Before the Prednisone I had a night cough but not too bad. After being on the Prednisone I felt like I was drowning and coughed all night and couldn't sleep.I found out that if I took a antihistamine every 4 hours at night I could get some relief from the non stop coughing. My heart would race when I would lay back down after I would get up to got to the bathroom. I also felt more short of breath then before the prednisone. I had leg cramps so bad I would scream in pain. I never get headaches but did on the Prednisone. also blurred vision. I called my Dr. and still haven't been squeezed in for an appointment. I have weaned myself off the Prednisone and I will die before I take it again. I really felt it was killing me. I have NEVER been so miserable.I can only hope that when I can FINALLY see my Dr. that they will come up with ANY other treatment. Prednisone made me feel much worse the what it was suppose to treat. Anyone on it that wants off beware that you HAVE to taper off and it takes time or you will damage your adrenal gland beyond repair and you could die!! Please be careful!!

HELP!!!!

Ok heres my story- I herniated a disc in my back about 4 years ago. I had a microdicectomy at the time and took prednisone starting at 40mg and weening off for a 14 day cycle. i had NO problems.

4 months ago i reherniated the disc. after 2 cycles of 14 days each on prednisone and 2 epideral injections in my spine it DID NOT work. i then started vicodin. i upgraded to percocet about 2 months in. i had the surgery again and after the surgery...yup another 14 day cycle of prednisone. i am off the percocet now ( i was on about 40mg per day for 14 days) and just finished the prednisone 4 days ago. this is what I am feeling:
restless
crawling out of my skin
sweating just stopped yesterday
heart pounding
cant sleep

Do you think this is from coming of the prednisone????? If it is how long does this usually last??

I WENT TO MY DOCTOR FOR AN EAR INFECTION. HE PRESCRIBED ME SOME ANTIBIOTICS LIKE USUAL AND THEN ADDED "PREDNISONE". THIS PILL IS THE WORST PILL EVER!! I WAS TAKING 40MGS A DAY AND BY THE 3RD DAY THE SIDE EFFECTS REALLY HIT ME. I FELT SO UNEASY SO NERVOUS AND VERY PANICKY(YEA I KNOW I CANT SPELL) N E WAYS. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT WAS HAPPENING TO ME I THOUGHT I WAS GOING INSANE I COULDN'T KEEP MY THOUGHTS TOGETHER MY HEART WAS RACING, I EVEN BURST INTO TEARS THAT NIGHT. I DON'T KNOW WHAT MADE ME THINK TO READ ABOUT THE SIDE EFFECTS BUT AS SOON AS I DID I STOPPED TAKING THEM. I HAVE BEEN OFF THEM GOING ON 4 DAYS NOW AND IM BARELY GETTING BACK TO NORMAL. IM STILL A LITTLE ANXIOUS AND VERY TIRED THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND I DON'T EAT. I STILL CANT SLEEP THAT WELL BUT I GUESS I JUST HAVE TO RIDE IT OUT. IM NEVER GOING TO TAKE THAT DEMON DRUG EVER AGAIN IN MY LIFE. ITS A HORRIBLE DRUG THAT CAN CHANGE A PERSON FOR THE WORST.

Another update:
It has been 16 days off the prednisone and I still have the puffy face and the hives have returned. The Dr. said they could not send me for allergy testing because the prednisone would interfere with the tests for a month or 2. Wow, I had no idea this stuff can stay in your system for such a long time and I only took it for 7 days, so my heart goes out to all of you who have been on this drug for months or years. I can't even imagine what you must be going through. I was put on this drug for hives, but some of you are on it for far more serious conditions so I have no idea if it would be wise or unwise to discontinue this drug for those of you in that situation. Talk with your doctors tell them you want off and to advise another alternative to at least try. I see that the prednisone is no cure for hives it just treats the symptoms and as soon as the prednisone was stopped the hives were still there. In my case the chance of this drug damaging my body for just a moments relief from hives was not worth it. How wonderful for those who are able to tolerate this drug but for most people it seems to have horrible effects on the body. May God help you all to make the right decisions.

I was started on prednisone for Dressler's Syndrome.. a heart inflammation. I have been taking 20mg daily, now 10.. I am having severe muscles cramps and rippling in my legs.. achy all over ,sweating, peeing all the time.. I am miserable. Why do doctor's dole out this stuff with out a thought???

I have been on various doses of prednisone on and off for 9 years for a kidney disease. The doses have varied from 70mg to 5mg. I have just about had enough. I cannot describe how debilitating this drug is. Every side effect on here I think I have had except excessive energy. Here is a small list:
Moon Face
Buffalo Hump
shaking like Parkinson
body aches
EXTREME weakness
heart palpitations constantly
joint pain
something would go on with my knees in the morning....it felt like something was boiling. It would be my guess as to what the "Bends" must feel like....it feels like someone is stabbing you in the knees with a knife.
Sleeping at least 16 hours a day
I could barely make everyday at work. It was so miserable to not be able to wake up, I would push myself in 15 minute increments....
You cannot know what it is like to be bed ridden for weeks and to have no doctor understand or believe what is happening to you. You just seem fat and lazy.

I am emotionally scarred by this medicine, there is not a day that goes by that I'm not terrified of having to take a large dose of this again. I just can't.
There is no quality of life at all. You can't do anything.
On top of that, there is no one to talk to, not even a doctor that understands what you are going through.
God help anyone that has to go through this. I understand.

UPDATE: This is my third day being off the prednisone, I still have the puffy face and neck and whenever I try to do anything I experience the heaviness and chest discomfort and just a funny feeling in my head. I have to stop and rest and let my heart slow down. This is the weekend so I am going to try and wait this out for a week and if no better then back to the Dr.
How are all of you?

The purpose of prednisone for sinus sufferers is to open up the sinuses. Now, I have found that 40-50mg a day is usually QUITE sufficient to do that. (For me – everybody is different) And, as I get better, I taper off each day to 30mg, then 20 as needed. What doctors forget is that people react very differently to medications. Why take more when all it does is make the side effects worse? The doctor doesn't know how you feel, YOU know how you feel. Don't blindly take this dangerous medication, LISTEN to your body.

If you have taken 40 mg, your sinuses are completely open, and your heart is starting to race, do NOT take any more that day! Or, at the very least, wait till it stops and then take 10 mg or even 5 to see how you do. I advise never taking all your prednisone in one dose - try to space them out over the day so you can see how you react. Never take any later than dinner so you can give the side effects time to wind down if you experience them.

In summary: I have found that taking unneeded prednisone after you have achieved the needed relief will not do much good, if any. However, the lack of sleep will be very detrimental.

One final tip: I have found that after I start to get better, 20mg prednisone taken with a couple Sudafed is about as affective as 40mg prednisone. However, be VERY careful combining medications if you get fast heartbeat! Two examples are cough medicines and (especially) Sudafed! I advise trying a half dose of Sudafed (1 pill or half a 12hr pill - 12hr pills are great for nighttime) first if you are on prednisone. You can always take more, but you can't un-take a pill.

Disclaimer: I've taken prednisone many times, but I'm not a doctor, yada yada...

I started taking prednisone when I was only 12 years old and I was on it for about a year and a half. At the age of 10, I was diagnosed with glaucoma, uveitis and cataracts and for about 10 years now I have had all these illnesses. My experience with prednisone had been HORRIBLE. Within two months alone, I gained 50 pounds, my skin started to get really really thin, I started to develop stretch marks ALL over my body with the only exception of my face and hands. I started to get the chipmuk cheeks to the point that my family was afraid that I was going to literally explode. My liver was damaged. My kidney was damaged. The vertebrates in my spine where being chipped away. There was a point in that year and a half where the doctors told me that there was a 70% chance of me going blind. The bottom line was that PREDNISONE WAS BRINGING NOTHING FOR ME EXCEPT RUIN. On top of that, I was constantly depressed. Kids at school would point at laugh hysterically at me. And if people weren't laughing, they were struck by fear and were trying to figure out what exactly I was. I remember this one instance in my school cafeteria where one girl stood up on the lunch table, pointed at me and screamed SHE'S AN ALIEN!!

I was and still am scarred physically and emotionally. My arms and stomach are really saggy because the skin is soo thin. As I said my entire body is scarred with stretch marks. I can't show the slightest bit of my body to anyone because I am so ashamed, embarrassed and afraid of peoples judgments. I am afraid that no one will ever want to be in a relationship with me.

All I can tell you is that though I stopped using it about six and a half years ago, this dreaded drug has truly ruined my life from the very start of my childhood.

I have been on prednisone for 11+ years due to having had a heart transplant. The prednisone keeps my heart from rejecting.
I have not taken it for 2 days and I am in the process of passive suicide.
I am driving out west into the desserts to sit and die. I can no longer
be around people for I am afraid I may kill someone or at least significantly hurt them. I have been homicidal and suicidal for 11 years due to this med. I would enjoy killing everyone and everything. I hate myself and I want to die.
Prednisone made me become "Evil"; Hell incarnated. I don't want to live
in a mental institution and my doctor will only give me Seroquel thinking this will help me. I tell him it doesn't help me but he thinks it does. Stupid fucking doctor. My transplant docotrs won't even listen to me when I talk about "mental" issues. Everything pisses me off. It is raining outside and this makes me so mad and stressed.
I have been in this psychotically angry and agitated state of mind for 11 years. I have punched myself many times in the head and banged my
head against walls trying to get homicidal and suicidal thoughts out of my mind to no avail.
I would like to try ECT (electro-convulsive-therapy) but I won't even
mention this to my doctor because he will literally laugh at me and make me so god dam mad that I would enjoy killing him right then and there. I'm sick and tired of living in hell everyday.
Do not take prednisone no matter what, unless your life depends on it. And then what type of life will you have? Maybe a life full of hate, rage, anger, homicidal and suicidal thougts even when you dream.
Fuck life!
Arthur X 1968-2009

I hate predisone. I took it for 5 days, 40mg a day because of my bronchitis. After my last day of taking it, I became really emotional. I was crying for no reason. My heart was beating really fast, I was dizzy and insomnia is the worst. My legs also ache really bad and they are so weak.

I've been off of prednisone for 4 days and im starting to feel a little better but I still can't sleep.

Does anyone know how long the insomnia will last?

I am allergic to Prednisone. My primary Dr. does not believe me nor does most of the medical profession. The arrogance and assumptions that Dr.'s make has me at my wits end as I am allergic to many things. The 2 main things are any form of Ibuprofen and Prednisone.
I had an LAVH and oophorectomy performed last Tuesday.
To make a long story short, after surgery the attending Dr. ordered Motrin. I went into anaphylactic shock and was aware that I was in serious trouble but didn't know why. I thought I had developed a new allergy as all my known allergies were clearly listed on my chart. As they were moving me to ICU he stated he was going to give me Prednisone and my family told him no, you cannot give her that, she is allergic to it. Once inside ICU I became aware that I was in a fight for my life as they were going to keep experimenting on me like a guinea pig until they killed me. The Dr. came to me and said he was going to give me Prednisone and I fought back. I told him l would NOT take the Prednisone. I told him I did not want him or anyone else there to administer one more thing to me. I would not take anything except Benadryl and I demanded to be discharged. (IV/Oxygen/Catheter/everything still hooked up to me) Luckily, my surgeon showed back up at that point and took charge of the situation, immediately administered the Benadryl I had been asking for and I did indeed leave the hospital later that night with her blessing.
I believe in my heart that had they given me the Prednisone there is a good probability it would have turned tragic.
You have to fight for yourself because sometimes the Dr.'s think they know more than you do about your own body.

I was on Prednisolone for 6 weeks and finished them 2 weeks ago....I gained 18lbs in weight, which I still haven't lost..The swelling in my face has started to decrease...My stomach is so bloated, I look about 6 months pregnant and cannot get into any of my Jeans..I suffer permanent indigestion and constipation, plus discomfort and aching in my chest and around my heart..I have booked to see my GP again this week as I feel so uncomfortable.

I was on it for 6 weeks as I had a severe chest infection...I had a highly increased appetite (which has now reduced)..I put on 18lbs, which I can't lose..I am still feeling a lot of discomfort due to my stomach being bloated..I look about 6 months pregnant and can't get into any of my Jeans,
I have constant Indigestion and reflux, plus discomfort and aching in my chest, especially around my heart...I have book to see my GP again this week.

I am 16 years old and i have an orbital inflamatory psedotumor myositis, which causes me to see double. It is a condition the doctors are kind of just playing a gussing game in how long i will have to take the steroids. Everyone is different., i have been to many doctors and they have described it to me as an autoimmune disease within my eye and not my whole body. I was put on 60mg of prednisone. I have been taking it for over 3 weeks now. I was sapost to be symptom free within 2 days, but it took me 9 days before i noticed a difference in my vision. I am going on my fourth week now and still see double but not as bad. The prednisone has been absolutely awful. i handled it farley well the first 2 weeks and since then it has been pure hell. I do get bad mood swings,and i really don't mean to act the way i do. People i was once really close to don;t want to be around me anymore. Mostly i think i am frustrated with the acne it has given me. I am completely plastered now all over my face neck and chest. It is really embarrassing. I just wish other people realized how frustrating it is. Its like i wake up every morning and take an UGLY pill. I am really self conscious to begin with and was actually feeling pretty good about the way i looked until i had to start this medication. It really does suck. I can't even imagine what some of you are going through right now after reading everyones stories. My heart really does go out to everyone who has to deal with this, and i will pray for all of you. If any one has the same diagnosis as i do or knows anything about it and how long it takes to be treated please let me know. I am begging to worry because i don't think the prednisone is going to work for me. the doctors are thinking about putting me on methotrexate which i am also concerned about but it is not sapost to make you break out which is really all i am worried about right now. I have already back down from prom after working my but off to pay for my dress,and i really don't want my summer to be ruined. i wake up every day and want to hide in a whole were no one can see me. going to school is really hard to. The girls love to make fun of me and the guys are just kind of turned off from how i look.
How long does it take for the acne to go away after getting off the prednisone.and does it go away as you taper the drug down? also how long does it take before most people develop a moon face? i have a range of being on prednisone anywhere form 2 months to a year. There is a possibility that i will never be able to be off of it.

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.

I was put on prednisone for asthma. I tapered down from 80 mg to 10 mg over 2 weeks. After coming off of the prednisone, I experienced nausea, extreme dizziness, felt disoriented, and had muscle weakness so bad that I could barely stand up. After several trips to the emergency room, my doctor, and an endocrinologist, they figured that I needed to be tapered off of the prednisone more slowly. The endocrinologist started me back on 10 mg of prednisone and tapered me down to 2.5 mg. Since I have stopped taking the prednisone, I have experienced dizziness,headaches, tremors, a rapid pulse rate, blurry vision and a sensitivity to light. I have been off the prednisone for two weeks now and every day is different. I have some good days and some bad days. Although I have my strength back and the nausea has subsided, the dizziness is debilitating and it seems that my balance and fine motor coordination is off. I feel very mentally foggy. The doctors do not seem to have any answers for me as to why all of this is happening. It has been a very scary and frustrating experience. I am concerned that the prednisone has done some serious damage to my nervous system. Has anyone ever had these side effects? Do they eventually subside and how long will it take? It has been the longest month of my life dealing with all of the effects of this medicine. Any advice would be appreciated.

So far i am a 14 year old boy facing prednisone and have been on this drug over 4+ month periods at 10 mg first time and 100 second time. I have chrons's disease and it is hard to treat when it has a flare, so they have to put me on prednisone. I have experienced some of the worst side effects imaginable along with many other suffering victims of this drug, and they include: Headache, Severe Acne, Flu-Like Symptoms, High Blood Pressure, 50+ Pounds Gained, Moon face, Stomach Pains, and Much More. After i have been weened completely off i have notice these: SCARY Heart Palpitations, Out of Breathe, Feels like something is beating in my stomach, and feels like my heart drops to my stomach like pacing.

Extreme Weakness, extreme excessive sweating, nausea, dizziness, itching, terrible headaches.In addition, I seemed to have contacted a moderate case of the flu. At least I had what seemed like the flu. However it is possible that it was just more of the same from the prednisone. My doctor gave me prednisone for a pinched nerve in my neck and a herniated disk in the same #7vertebrea. He gave me 12 days. As soon as I started taking it, I began to feel very weak, I had headaches, terrible exploding headaches. I found that I began to itch on my arm for no apparent reason, except for a bracelet in the area.In addition, I began to have excessive sweating, extreme sweating, the water would be pouring down my face. At that time, I would feel my heart pounding have some dizziness, and just overall bad feeling. It was debilitating, I spent a lot of time on the couch because I could not function in my daily activities. I went from exercising for 90 minutes to barely being able to get through 15 minutes. My question is will I go back to "normal" when this medicine gets out of my system. What is the half life of this drug? Should I do a detox of some sort. Worst of all, the problem with my neck has not really resolved and I will probably need some other sort of intervention. I never got that burst of energy that other people experienced with this medication.

My name is M. and I recently and FINALLY got off of prednisone. I was on it for 7 years and came to believe that I could never get off it, until I was finally referred to an endocrinologist, who helped me to get off of it. Unfortunately, my adrenal gland has stopped working so.... I now take a medication with virtually no side effects called hydrocortisone. I will probably have to take it for the rest of my life, but its a BILLION TIMES BETTER than the horrifying prednisone.
-TO L. IN AUSTRALIA- I hope this tid bit of info can be helpful to you. I don't know if you've seen an endocrinologist or know that if you're disease can be managed by another med you can probably go from the pred to the hydrocortisone. I truly hope the best for you, You are only the second person I've ever found who's been on the pred for longer then I was. I hope I've been of some help to you truly, my heart goes out to you.

Hi everyone well yesterday i started to to take Prednisone 2 hour later my heart is racing along with high blood pressure , so ill try to calm my self down blood pressure kind off got back to normal but heart still beating rapid, today i woke up my blood pressure was fine but my heart still pounding do ya know how long it t takes for my heart to go back to normal , and im sorry to hear about everybodys different reactions to this stupid pill hope everybody gets better.

I was prescribed the 4mg methylprednisolone pack along with 50 mg tramadol for acute tendinitis in my wrist. I took the first 3 days of the prednisone and only 2 doses of the tramadol over the three days. For a total of 60 mg of prednisone.

The first day I had hot flashes and insomnia but attributed it to the tramadol because I had never taken it before and had taken the prednisone several years ago for poison ivy with no adverse reactions. I didn't take the tramadol the second night and then took it again last night along with my daily dose of prednisone. I had extreme difficulty falling asleep, heart burn, hot flashes; and tossed and turned all night trying to fall asleep. At around 2am, I began to have difficulty breathing, tightening in my chest, confusion, and racing thoughts. It felt as though my throat was closing up on me. My anxiety progressed to the point that I was pacing back and forth. I woke my husband up and told him to prepare to take me to the ER. After calling my insurance's 24 hour help line, it was recommended that I go to the ER. I had an x-ray, blood work, urine drug screen, and echocardiogram. Luckily, everything was negative. The ER doctor told me that I likely had a reaction to the prednisone and commented that some people will experience these symptoms when taking it. He stated that he had a similar reaction when he took it and it felt like he was climbing the walls, which is an accurate description of my experience that night. He recommended that I either stop taking it altogether or call my primary care provider and cut it down. He prescribed me xanax and administered some to me at the ER which greatly helped. The next day I stopped taking the pred but am still having dizziness, chest tightness, hot flashes, and mental dullness. I have decided to never take this medication again. Fortunately, I don't have any of the physical sx that some have experienced, and my heart goes out to you. I think the mental symptoms were traumatic enough for me and can't imagine having both as I would be a basket case. I have mood swings, some melancholia, and am very fatigued.

I think it is imperative to research any medication that is prescribed to you before you take it. Many providers will say that side effects are rare, but my experience is that side effects are more common than rare. My prayers go out to those of you who are going through what I am going through. I hope that it clears our systems quickly because this is no way to live. I'd rather put up with the pain of tendinitis or carpel tunnel than to have these symptoms.

Hi everyone,

i need to tell you about what just happened to me, because it seems most people are definitely not informed of all the possible side effects of prednisone - not only just relating to the dose of prednisone you take but also for how long.

I have been using prednisone for almost 14 years now, the doctors all tell me i'm unlikely to ever get off prednisone now because i've been on it too long. I know all about it's usual side effects (water retention, mood swings, thinning of all tissues including blood, acne, anemia, etc etc).

One side effect i was not advised of, not even in any educational material about prednisone either, was that long-term dependence can lead to Acute Adrenal Crisis. Which is deadly if not diagnosed and treated promptly. Thus i nearly died two weeks ago. I became rapidly ill with vague symptoms that i now know are symptoms of acute adrenal crisis. *THE ONLY REASON THE ACUTE ADRENAL CRISIS OCCURRED WAS BECAUSE OF LONG-TERM USE OF PREDNISONE*. Not many doctors will warn patients in advance of this. It is however, very very important that people are aware that long-term use of prednisone needs to be very carefully weighed with the benefits of using prednisone (i was started on prednisone in 1995 to treat severe Crohn's Disease).

Acute adrenal crisis can happen over weeks, months or years - in other words, it can come on so slowly that by the time you know there's something wrong you're already very very ill and in great danger.

I am very glad to have found this website and i hope you will all refer anyone who has any experience with prednisone to this site - education and knowledge is power - the power to stay alive.

(by the way, the treatment for acute adrenal crisis is to load up on prednisone - seems i'll probably never be free of this drug unless i can get my adrenal glands to begin working again (as prednisone "takes over" for the adrenal glands and they effectively go to sleep, and this is especially true for long-term use)).

My sympathies to everyone who has to go through the many nasty experiences with prednisone, especially the young children (I had to start it when i was 16). It really does mess with your body and mind, and in my case, became lethal.

Please pass on all your information relating to use of prednisone to everyone you can - it really is that important and seems to be the only way to avoid most of the disasters related to prednisone use.

take care everyone,
Linda
(Australia)

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

I had been on a prednisone dose pack (not too strong??) about a month ago for a neck injury to take away some inflammation. No side effects to mention and my neck felt tons better. Yesterday I went back to my dentist after 5 days of pain from a root canal. He put me on a prednisone dose pack saying there was some inflammation in the bone, very common, and the prednisone should take care of it. I took my dose yesterday, didn't sleep well (common side effect it seems) but then today my heart is racing and feels like it skips a beat. I have read this happening to folks on much higher doses, anyone have this kind of side effect with 20 mg/day?

Hi. I was diagnosed yesterday with Bells Palsy, (the entire right side of my face is completely paralyzed) and given prednisone, a tapering dosage. I started my first dose of only 20 mgs last night and went to 60 mgs today, will keep on that dose tomorrow as well as one more day, taper down to 40 mg for two days, then 20 mgs for two days. My heart feels like it's going to beat out of my chest! I can feel it it's beating so hard and I can also hear it when lying down .Very freaky. My blood pressure today was 164/107. My normal bp is 110/70. I take medication for high blood pressure but it's not doing much good. I am also a diabetic and my sugar is whack! Had to increase my Metformin. I'm assuming since no one has died from taking this HORRIFIC medicine, we'll all live through it but at times, I feel like I am going to have a frigging massive panic attack! I have to calm myself down, listen to music, meditate. That does help some but not enough .I will be sooooooooo glad when I'm done taking this SH*T! Another thing I've noticed is I am bone weary weak, like I've run the Boston Marathon, competed in the 1000 meter butterfly medley and then played 3 sets of tennis on top of that! GOOD GRIEF, HE INVENTED THIS CRAPOLA?

I was placed on 80 mg daily times 3 days, then 60 mg daily times 3 days, then 40 mg daily times 3 days, then 20 mg daily times 9 days for chronic sinus disease by an E.N.T. (ear-nose-throat specialist), felt good while on it.........now my heart is stuck in the racing gear and I am under my internal medicine doc for this.............that is a very, very bad feeling and hope its not long term.............................

I am a 25 year old, who was perfectly healthy prior to recently when I was diagnosed with Nephritic Syndrome and Minimal Change Disease and possibly FSGS (kidney diseases) I was put on 60 mg of Prednisone for 1 month then I was lowered to 40 mg for one month and I am then dropping to 30 mg. I am also taking Fosamax for my bones and a Vitamin D pill because my last lab test showed low vitamin D levels.

I am dizzy constantly and can not live a normal life, I can not drive or do any activities that I had previously done. My chest is so tight and constricted all of the time, my heart rate is so fast and pounds at my chest. I have no energy to do anything, I can barely open a door at times. I am beginning to grow unwanted hair on my face. My abdomen is always bloated. I have pain in my rib cage, and shoulders. I feel very sore throughout my entire body. I do not really sleep at night, so I look very tired all the time.

I have actually lost weight, I have no appetite at all. I am down 10-15lbs.

Now for the Pro- my Kidney Diseases are currently in remission and this has happened much faster than the Nephrologist had thought.

I am very anxious to getting my life back to normal and getting off the Prednisone.

Has any one else experienced increased heart rate, chest tightness, or rib pain?

I wish everyone the best in their roads to recovery!!

I have been on Prednisone for about two weeks now! I hate it!!! I have never liked medicine, i don't even like to take Advil. They gave it to me for something called a idiopathic pseudo-tumor behind my eye, thought that it was an infection at first but the antibiotics didn't work.. I'm on a pretty high dose, i was on 80mg for 9 days and now I'm on 60mg so far has been 3 days. I have had all sorts of bad side effects from it! WAY bad anxiety attacks, heart palps, bad night sweats, dizzy, confused, like everyone else the brain fog feeling, bad knee aches, hungry all the time but i haven't really gained wait but am bloated in the stomach. After taking it for only 4 days i almost went to the ER i felt like i was going to have a stroke or something, my legs felt like they were turning into jello, and i got really light headed, I was about to freak out! I think that it dropped my potassium levels or something, i ate a few bananas and that made me feel better. It is starting to get better now that i dropped to 60mg but i still hate it, and I'm starting to get really bad chest pain (heartburn or gas?!?) not too sure but its starting to become unbearable.. I get to go down to 40mg next week and then 30mg for a week then to 20 for a week and so on! I'm a bit nervous now cuz i thought that depressing would make it better but everyone is saying that it get worse. I hope that it don't get much worse cuz i don't know how much more that i can take! My eye looks great so the meds did the job, but i still don't know if i would ever take this again knowing this much about it! I'm glad that I'm only going to be on it just a little over a month but even that seems way too long! good luck everyone take care of your selfs! oh yeah I'm only 23 and this stung really makes you feel old, i feel at least 40 it hurts to get up or sit fast!

I was given 20 mg of Prednisone for 10 days for a rash and joint pain.
The pain went away and I felt great the rash got a little better. Two days ago I took my last pill. I woke up that night and my knees gave out. By morning I was great! Next night I woke with knee problem again had to slide down the stairs to the living room. I got to wondering if the knee thing could be associated with the Prednisone. I got on line and read all this terrible stuff. I am so Horrified! Today I am in pain like my body is bruised and my face is swollen a little. I have acid reflux as well. Non of this is typical for me. My knee thing is ok again, but I am just appalled! I have no MED insurance. I hope this isn't the beginning of worse things I am not taking that drug now. The Dr. didn't say I needed to taper...

I hope I have not damaged myself by taking this drug! My heart goes out to all of you! My question is - Why are the Dr.'s prescribing this terrible drug?

I stopped taking it after 3 days without tapering and I feel vision changes not thinking straight heart beating fast and it has been 6 days since what will happen should I see a doctor

Hello EveryOne out there...OK OK....

Now Why have I been out of touch since Sept 14th.... 2007???

I have been VERY VERY ill.....

Y'See, I went to see this new Doctor (Quack) for continued pain in my chest (sternum) area....that I have been having trouble with all Summer. (Severe Costochondritis/Fibromyalgia) By Sept 14th, this Quack who claims to be a Doctor had given me this prescription for Prednisone pills (20 mg each)....with orders to take mega doses of this toxic poison in order to combat the pain I was suffering. I was so desperate to get out of pain that I went ahead and filled the prescription and started taking the pills that eventful Friday night. I made the fatal mistake of trusting this Doctor!!!

If I had any sense God gave green apples I would have researched this a little before taking this medicine!! I would have run like all heck in the opposite direction!

I had been taking these reccomended large doses for approx two weeks back then per Doctor 'Quack's' order.... I have been hooked after the first week....and now currently desperately trying to get off of it with only marginal success!!

I have been on this Prednisone crap for some 49 days, currently and desperately trying to get off of it....with terrible side effects!! I have experienced every side effect known to the Devil himself and even discovered some new ones that I never knew was possible!? Case in point! I can't sleep night after night without terrible withdrawals all night long!!! I am forced to contend with them every night here. Not to mention I fight the withdrawals all days long too. I have this inept doctor and I am sorry I even went to him in the first place...!

The withdrawals I am now getting are harder to deal with than the original chest pain itself!!! Not to mention even eating the so-called 'wrong' foods sets off even more withdrawals almost immediately. I am now extremely sensitive to light and the sun~ not to mention.....noise....and stress....

I am much sicker from this Quack Doctor's so-called "HELP" than I ever was before....

I don't mind saying his name and trying to steer everyone away from this jerk Doctor here in Las Vegas who takes advantage of people in pain when they are desperate by feeding them toxic poisons and passing the poison off as something harmless thats gonna help them??? Just ask me who he is and I will tell you. I have no qualms about it....

Bottom line is I have spent this last month trying to get off this crap and I just found out that the withdrawals may bother me up to a YEAR after I take my last dose of this crap poison!! I have been going thru H***!!! A nightmare I would LOVE to pass onto this Quack who pretends to be a doctor!

I am down to about 7.5 mg per day now from about 180 mg that he gave me originally Sept 14 2007. Believe me this was not easy thing for me to do. I went "Toxic" on this drug weeks ago and it has affected my ability to process, think and reason properly. I feel like part of my mind is now missing or went on permanent vacation!! Dizziness,feeling like I'm gonna pass out, Brain Fog and Mass Confusion is the order for the day~depending on the time of day???

"The side effects of prednisone include adrenal suppression, which can occur with periods of prednisone use to surpass seven days. Adrenal suppression refers to the body’s inability to synthesize natural corticosteroids, resulting in a dependency on the prednisone taken by the patient. This is why doctors do not recommend the cessation of prednisone when the patient has taken it for longer than seven days. They reduce the dose gradually over a few days in the case of short-term prednisone use, and over weeks or months in the case of long-term treatment. Stopping prednisone treatment abruptly can cause the life-threatening Addison’s disease, in which in the body no longer produces sufficient amounts of adrenal steroid hormones"

I want to SUE this Doctor for making me this sick!!!!!

SDR

GRRRRRRRRRrrrrr!!!!!!!

Was prescribed prednisone 10mg dose pack. Took my first days worth and by bedtime my heart was beating so fast it felt as if it was going to pop out of my chest and burst. I went to the hospital and per the doctors there, SVT is not a reaction to prednisone. Anyways, left hospital with a clear bill of health, heart was in good condition.
Now, If it wasn't the prednisone that caused this rapid heart beat, what was it? I really think that the prednisone was the cause but as long as I'm not sure, I fear this will happen again out of the blue.

Hi there... I have just found this site and I'm very grateful to everyone who has taken the time to sit down and tell us their story mine is very similar. BELIEAVE me I feel like I am pushing my family away and I'm losing my relationship with the one person who used to make me feel like I was the most beautiful woman in the world.
I'm a 40 yr female have or maybe had a great job that I loved... On April 12 I noticed a small red rash on my lower right leg no big deal went to the Dr. gave me some cream and sent me home well I went to work and by the afternoon things just seem to get bad my legs began to swell and little blisters started to pop up so I went to the E.R. they had no Idea what was wrong with me got me an appointment to see a skin DR. so I went home but the pain from the swelling was so bad I could not walk any longer went back to the E.R. they gave me some pain meds and called in some other DR. things had gone from bad to worse my feet had gotten to big I could not put on shoes and I had bruised completely across the bottoms of my feet they put me on 30mg of PRED. and it seem to be under control sent me home after 3 day in the hospital things were good for about a day or so I thought I would go back to work well that was not a very good idea.... My sister had to come and take me back to the ER where they did 2 biopsies and still have no idea what is wrong with me. so now they put me on 60mg of PRED the rash has gone, lots of scaring on my feet because of the blisters once they broke and dried out but I can live with that....
It's the side effects that they don’t tell you about,
MOON FACE I can't look at myself cause really that’s not me anymore,
WEIGHT GAIN I have always been thick but I can't handle the extra 30lbs I've gained,
MOOD SWINGS are unbearable,
PAINFUL JOINTS, CAMEL HUMP, BLOODY NOSE, BRUSING, SORE TEETH/GUMS, DRY EYES, FAITIGE, and worsted of all
I don’t have a support systems in my life so I'm fighting this by myself everyday, I have 3 kids that I have tried to explain all this to but they don't get it and well my boyfriend he tells me he understands that its the meds pushing him away but if I can't figure away to control this I will lose every thing including my job. I cant even get the energy together half the time to make it up and down the stairs which also comes with the pain of just trying to lift each leg up to climb the stairs, I also have the camel hump which I find very painful, The acne and the hair growth that I have to get wax off once a month cause I feel like a man I feel like a loser and as of the last couple of days I just want to give up I am now down to 20mg per day but I find that I am feeling so sick I cant think straight I hope and pray for each and every person out there that has to take this MED that you get better and I do hope that my symptoms wont come back. Thanks for being here and I’m glad I found this site. I know now that I’m not losing my mind completely. Elizabeth.

I've been on Prednisone for 2 mos. Started at 30/day for 1 month upped to 50 mg/day for 3 weeks now back to 30 mg/day prematurely. My Ige doubled in the first month so hence the increase, dr lowered pred to 30 w/out checking Ige ad now I'm experiencing some ultra yucky side effects but, not sure if its the prednisone or the itraconazole I'm on. My legs ache, and are swollen in the knee area and thigh. My face is getting cushinoid and I feel like my trach is squeezing or swelling. I've been bruising on my arms, legs, hands, heart racing, waking up at 1 am till 3 am wide awake. Having tremors/shaking hands. I have Allergic Bronchial Pulmonary Aspergillosis

I am so happy to have found this site...your stories are so helpful. I am 28 years old and I was put on 60 mg's of Prednisone for 7 days for a neck injury by a neurologist. After taking about 5 days of it, I wasn't sleeping AT ALL, was very jittery, heart palputaions, had foggy thinking, difficulty with memory, and was sparking panic attacks. My doctor said "STOP IT COLD TURKEY". I questioned that knowing that this is a drug that you should be weaned off of and he said that since it was such a short course, I'd be fine! A day or two following that, I landed in the E.R. hyperventilating and basically thinking my toughths were those of an insane person. I was discharged after 2 days, and well, it's been a week since I"ve been off and I can't sleep without a pill and still have all the same effects...is this normal and someone please tell me how long I have to live like this. The dr's all say the drug is out of my system by now! HELP! Please respond!!!!