PredniSONE and monster

makes me a monster that I can not even like

I am 24 years old and have suffered from Irritable Bowel Disease for 22 years. I have taken prednisone 4 times in my life, but I always had to take high dosages for a very long period of time and then the weaning period lasted for months. In 2004 I had such a bad flare-up of Crohn's that I almost didn't make it. So I say Prednisone is my necessary EVIL.
I gained 40 pounds and was a MONSTER with my mood swings. The lasting side effects have been hard for me to handle.
The Prednisone cut off blood to some of my bones which now are dead and very painful as a result. I am having major knee surgery in a week and a half because of this (which is called Avascular Necrosis). I have AVN in both of my ankles, both knees, and most likely in both wrists. I will most likely need a Total Knee Replacement, but because I'm so young my doctors are trying every other type of treatment first (otherwise I would probably end up in a wheelchair by my 50s) I am in constant pain. I had never even heard of this as a side-effect until 2004 and after I was already on a high dose for a month.
I also have cataracts from taking steriods.
I feel MUCH older than I am. I have battled a disease for 22 years but the side effects of Prednisone are harder for me to deal with.
Although prednisone essentially saved my life, I wish I would have been more informed of ALL the possible side effects.

hello, i was on prednisone for 3 weeks to treat shingles. my face is so bloated like chipmunk cheeks! is this normal and will it go away??? how long will it take? i feel like i don't even look like myself anymore. also i sweat a lot at night and have a hard time sleeping soundly. when my dose started tapering off, i was so freakin' irritable and suffered from low self-esteem. i felt like a monster inside and out. kind of still do but i am realizing that it is drug-induced and not necessarily me. thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences.

I was perscribed Prednisone after getting a monster case of poison ivy. As I was finishing the course at the end of one month, I got poison ivy again (stupid!) and started a second month. Dosage started at 60 mg and dropped 10 mg every five days.

The first symptoms were insomnia and anxiety. Then heartburn and pressure in my chest. In the second month. I began feeling pain in my knees and tingling in my arms. After 6 weeks, I got the facial hair, moon face, and mild acne.

As the dosage has decreased, the heartburn has gone away. The anxiety has also improved.

If there's a next time for the poison ivy (Heaven forbid), I think I'll suffer through the skin rash. It was all over my face and my eyes were swollen almost shut, but it would have gone away on its own.

I am 54 and have recently been diagnosed with a lung disorder known as Boop as well as hemolytic anemia both of which require massive doses of steroids. I started out on 100mm for ten days, IV. and went home on 80 two weeks later. I am now onn 50 daily and weaning off 1omm at a time to see how I am doingl. Both illnesses are life threatening if not treated so I really don't have much choice. I may even need chemo for the blood disorder as well.
I have the same miserable side effects you all mentioned. The moon face is like looking in the mirror at a monster I don't recognize. My mood swings are awful, I get so angry at my husband and son as they just don't understand what it feels like. All the aches, the insomnia, the weight, bloat and pains in back and side. I know that I have to be on this for a minimum of 6 months manybe more and I can't stand looking and feeling like this. I already had a weight problem because of meds I am still on from when I had Breast Cancer five years ago and they put weight on as well. (I used to be a size 5 and now I can't even look and see what size I wear. Of course I guess it is better to be alive and fat then dead and thin, but sometimes I don't feel that way. Why can't they find a drug that can work withougt all these other side effects.