PredniSONE and money

My son 35yrs old was given Prednisone for an allergic reaction. He has a history of Bi-polar disorder. His family doctor prescribed this. He went into total psychosis , destroyed his own home, and is now sitting in jail on charges of Criminal Mischief.....When is someone going to put a black box warning on this drug?

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!!

Hi all. I would just like to agree that PredniSone sucks but it is the best out there for these diseases especially the auto-immune diseases. Drug companies do not make any money on prednisone because it is generic and there is no patent. I know I picked up 98 10mg prednisones yesterday for $5.00. Believe me when there is a better steroid that works as well and has less side effects it will be available to us all. It will cost tons but it will be sold. Researchers have been working for so many years trying to find an alternative, some have been found but do not work well enough. As bad as the prednisone makes us feel it does work on the diseases. You always have the choice to say no - that is why we should all have a health care power of attorney - just remember that when you decide not to take the prednisone you are agreeing that the disease may worsen and may be life threatening. I hate to sound so morbid but patients must be informed. When you are at the physician ask about the side effects, ask if they can give you something to counteract any mood swings, ask what lotion is best for the itchy skin (AmLactin works well for me and is over the counter). Also, my physician advised me yesterday that the side effects are worse on women due to our precarious hormones. I have told my husband to just stay out of the way and don't piss me off because I am not sure how this next 7-8 weeks is going to fare for him. I am 4ft 10in 110lbs and he is 6ft 1in 200lbs and believe me he is scared for his life. I am using prednisone for my ulcerative colitis so now that I am feeling better physicially I can return to exercise and that has definitely helped. So has turning up the music really loud and dancing and singing poorly. Yelling at the tv helps me whether it be politicians, soap operas or idiots on game shows who get the wrong answers. I also have been keeping a journal of all the rage I have and what kinds of things I could do to people who keep getting in my way at the store, on the road, in line at the pharmacy - I guess I need to put that in a safe place so it can't be used for evidence :}

Prednisone
I am 17yrs old and i take prednisone. I was diagnosed with kidney falier when i was 13. i had my transplant at 15. well I have come to hate prednisone, I use to be 127lbs and now well lets just say i am way above that. Today i went online to find out how to reverse the side effects of the stupid medication but i can't.If you take the time to read this you should really look up cushing disease because you might want to know what that is if you are taking prednisone.No matter what i do i still gain weight.One time i went to on of my Ann Arbor checkup's and my food doctor said i was not eating enough i was on the line of developing an eating disorder.I have asked my doctors how to get rid of these horrible side effects and all they say is exercise,exercise.Well i am always active and still no results.They always check me for some of the side effects that i read above like the yellow in your eye, the lumps in your armpits swelling in my legs etc. well i hope you never have to take this medication if you do then you know what i am saying.

I was put on Prednisonsone for Uveitis, inflammation of the eye. He started me on 20mg at 9 pills a day, then each week it was lowered to 6 pills then now i'm on 3 pills and then next week it will be 1 1/2 pill and i'll be off. I got the puffy face, my feet swelled, everytime i hate my stomach bloated and hurt, my face and neck turns red, i stayed hungry although i fought the temptation of eating for not wanting to gain a lot of weight, which I don't think I've gained any. But now I wake up in the middle of the night and severe knee pain, it feels like my knees they are in some kind of device that is crushing my bones they hurt so bad. i caught a bad cough and it's been around now for about 2 weeks and won't go away, i told the nurse about it and she says, i probably just got what everyone else has gotten, just a bad cough, well what's if it's some kind of infection? I look like a chipmunk, my face is so puffy. When i get off these prednisone in another week I WON'T BE going back on them, no matter what the case. I'm in more pain being on them and have more side effects while on them than the problem i was having with uveitis. I think some co workers thank I'm over reacting, but they're not here they don't see all the pain and frustration i'm going through while on this drug. The leg pain just started this weekend and i Know i can't deal with waking up everynight like this in severe pain. Everyone just makes me feel like i'm over reactin and it's nice to know that somebody out there is going through the same thing. Any comments will be great.

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

I have had diarrhoea now for nearly (8) eight weeks.
I am currently trying to get off of a Prednisone prescription that was given to me September 14th, 2007, for Costochondritis/fibromyalgia/ Chest wall pain.

I have been very sick from withdrawals and side effects since Sept 14, 2007. The Doctor I was with at the time was trying to get me off of the Prednisone too fast and making me even sicker! I.E. cutting me one particular week during the end of October from 20 mgs to 10 mgs a day! I have since refused to go to that Doctor because he made me sick.

I stuck with that dosage at the time because the Doctor told me to; ( plus an older Brother who would call me daily and scream at me long distance to be sure I was following 'Doctors orders'!) but I was so 'out-of-it' as a result, that I had items and personal effects stolen from me by the very 'care-givers' I had hired to take care of me and help me around the house? They told me later that I had 'instructed' them to give all my stuff either to them or to the Goodwill.

The entire second floor of my house was cleaned out by the time I started feeling a bit better and the so-called 'Caregivers' abruptly quit and moved out of town! Plus! My paid-for 2002 T-Bird was sold. I vaguely remember my Brother 'ordering' me to sell it. He was jealous and didn't want me to have it. He nearly had my house offered up for sale as well...but I got better just in time. I no longer want to speak to my Brother.


At any rate, I am down to 1.5 mgs Prednisone a day and my head has 'cleared up' substantially; also I still suffer from 'Brain Fog' and other terrible side effects of trying to getting off this poisonous drug.


I am now also suffering from a brand 'new disease' because of this Prednisone.
Doctor #### has diagnosed me with "Leaky Gut Syndrome".


I cannot eat 'normally' anymore since November. All simple crabs, sugars, breads, pastas, eggs, soy, potatoes,creamy salad dressings, potatoes salad, tuna salad, egg salad...a whole plethora of food items I can no longer consume!!! I have a freezer full of food I can't touch! The Holidays were a nightmare! I couldn't eat any of the foods or desserts! No ice cream! After going to one friend's house for Thanksgiving and being unable to eat a morsel, I stopped going anywhere. The torture was too much for me to bear!


I can't eat Chinese, Italian, Mexican, pizza~ any ethnic foods anymore!


P-nut butter,cereals, mushrooms,crackers, meatloaf, etc. Too many to list!! No more sodas, vitamin water, not even gator-aide can I drink. No more teas, coffee, chai-tea, etc. etc. Especially! No 'junk-food' at the usual places. No chocolates, candies, gum, or yogurts, cheese or dairy of any kind. No shellfish either.


If I do 'cheat' and eat the forbidden food (like toast) anyway, it creates more withdrawals and severe 'brain-fog'! I cannot 'cheat' because this body 'knows somehow and I have to 'pay' for it later by means of brain-fog and terrible withdrawals for days on end.


I can't go anywhere and "Do lunch" or "Dinner" with anyone. This simple social pleasure has been stripped away from me! I dwell in a personal living hell here. Isolated from people and social dinner occasions. Depressing.


BUT ! I can drink all the water I want! GRRRR!!!!!! >:oP

...and eat dry or fresh-steamed vegetables, baked chicken and turkey (No gravies) Or baked fish/ Salmon. Or Steak all by itself...but no steak sauce; no katsup either. I can eat salad. No crutons or cherry tomatoes.(withdrawals) Italian-type dressing (vinegar and oil) This is all I have been eating for weeks now and I am sick of eating the same stuff night and day. So I haven't been bothering to even eat anymore because it is sickening to me to eat the same stuff day after day. At least this cuts down on the amount of diaoreaahh I have now.


I have lost weight and feel physically very bad.