PredniSONE and prednisone

Prednisone has messed up my head. I had Bells Palsy (which is paralysis of one half of the face) and can be very scary. I have had some depression before but this stuff made me fall off the face of the earth. I went from someone in control and quite happy to the absolute pits. The depression was quite severe and sudden and I had no ability to stop the downward spiral. It has played havoc with my life. In its defense, it cleared the Bell's Palsy up very quickly but the grief it has caused me through my altered mind state wasn't worth it. Insomnia (eg - no sleep for 6 nights straight) was a trigger and then the mood swings took over and then bang....full blown depression and an inability to focus, work properly or function. I am now on the road to recovery but it has been a pretty turbulent 2 months. Be very careful with this drug....very, very careful.

I am 50, pretty healthy, but have had a new condition of inflamed and severely painful joints and muscles limiting activity. Doc put me on 60 mg prednisone for 3 days, then 40 mg 3 days and 20 mg 3 days. First day was ok. Since then I have been a raving lunatic! I read the post about the person chasing their cat around and had to laugh and relate. I flipped off the neighbors workers because they were backing up a truck and it was noisy! It is all I can do to keep myself in check. I have canceled/rescheduled all unnecessary appointments until next week when I am finished. I "sleep" about 3 hours a night. Last night I peed the bed. I eat constantly. I have to work and concentrate (teach college) and that is so hard. I imagine my students must think I am on meth. I can't take it any more. I have 1 day left and I am not going to take the last one. I hope that this regimen will have calmed down the inflammation and if it recurs I will seek alternatives. AM NEVER going back to prednisone unless it is life or death situation.
Good luck to all those out there who have to take it long-term. Bless your hearts.

I've been on prednisone for nearly 3 years continuously for Ulcerative Colitis. I've been on 60 mgs for quite a while but I am now down to 4 mgs. Once I went below 10 mgs. I started experiencing severe itching on my entire scalp and then upper back, ears and collar bone. I went to a dermatologist but she can't see any reason for the itching. Has anyone else had this side effect while tapering? It's making me crazy!

Hello I am 40 yrs old and got a lung infection which cause swelling in my lungs so the put me on high doses of prednisone via IV for 21 days in the hospital. The drug saved my life and took it at the same time.

After I got out of hospital i was on 60 mg for 6 weeks the 30mg for 6 weeks then 20mg the 10mg. It has been a living HELL over the last 5 months or so.

I told my DR. i have very bad blurred vision and he said it because the med runs my sugar up but I check my sugar and limit my sugar and it around 100 all the time which is normal soits not sugar. Then he said well them you need to see an eye dr. cuz your eyes are going bad. I begged to differ with him and told him if there was something wrong w my eyes then why is is one day I see fine and the next day all blurred and then back to normal!? it this stupid steroid if you ask me plus on day my right eye is bad and next day my left uggh!

The WORST side effect it the brain fog as yall call it. OMG I feel like im loosing my mind and going crazy. The dr. says hes never heard of such with a wise remark and says you know where your at now right? I know where i am and what I say but I feel like its not really happening. Its like im dreaming it. I feel like Im trapped in my head and I lookout blurry eyes.

Before I was a very confident independent person but now I feel scared all the time i feel hopeless and ive went through 3 girl friends over the summer because of the extreme forward attitude the med gives me. I am not the same person I was. I some time just want to die. I'm extremely tire if i do any exercise at all.

Plus I have all the other typical side effect like the moon face and weight gain. I don't even look the same cuz my eyes have huge bags under them and a double chin I never had.

I feel for all of you because i know what your going through.
I saw one comforting post in here where someone said within 2 weeks of completely getting off the pred. he was his normal self.
I CAN TELL YOU HOW GLAD I WAS TO READ THAT!

Please if you have finished the med and have got back to normal don't forget about this post. Please let us know because we need any hope we can get to keep our chins up and not loose hope and go completely crazy or worse kill ourselves.

I have about 4 more months of this LIVING HELL and I will surely let you all know if it get better. If you have come off of it and are reading this PLEASE let us know if we get back normal at least w the brain fog. I can take all the side effect ok except for the crazy dream zone zombie feeling.

I WOULDN'T WISH THIS KINDA HELL ON THE DEVIL HIM SELF!!
Let's pray for each other that the Lord keep out minds strong until we get off the nightmare drug call Prednisone.

side effects:
brain fog, blurred vision, puffy eyes, depression, confusion, dizzy, moon face, buffalo neck hump neck, hopelessness

i went 2 the specialist yesterday that put me on the prednisone due 2 me having crohns as the joint pain in my ankle has been so painful and his now told me that the prednisone has giving me arthritis im really upset about it im 25 and im in a lot of pain the specialist said 2 go home and rest my ankle for the weekend its been 2days and its still not better iv got 2 go back and see him on Monday and if it hasn't improved which i doubt it will his going 2 change my medication he wanted 2 up the dosage of prednisone to 30mg as im down to 10mgs now and i told him that i have received every side effect possible 2 the prednisone and its just starting to reverse and there is no way im going to le you put me on a higher dosage i want 2 come off this drug as quick as possible and he surgesseted another medication that will help with the arthritis in my ankle but it will make me nausea i told him id rather that then all the symptoms iv been having in the last month then be put back on the prednisone

I was prescribed medrol by my GP due to an ongoing rash that needed to get under control. I believe I had the 40mg dose/wein pack. The first two days I felt as though I were on speed. Day 2 at the grocery store I stopped to take my blood pressure because I was sure my heart was racing out of my chest. Thankfully, it wasn't and happened to be palpitations that I was having. I had hot flashes where my face and chest would get red like a sunburn. There were the sweats and the leg weakness/soreness. I did have sporadic headaches but, nothing a Tylenol wouldn't alleviate thank goodness. I've read here that numerous people had very bad headaches. My last day on the meds I started to experience the fatigue. Today is my first full day off and I certainly felt flu like. Sporadic lightheadedness, weakness and fatigue that would all come and go throughout my workday along with sporadic energy. I'm glad that I found this site so at least I know that this is normal and will subside in a few days. Other side effects I experienced were worsening of my post nasal drip along with a funny taste in my mouth, mood swings, insomnia, hyperactivity and muscle aches.

iv been diagnosed with crohns 2months ago iv now been on prednisone for 4weeks i started on 40mg and now down 2 15 the last week my ankles have swelled up and now my right ankle is so painful to touch and walk on, and nothing is making it better, pain killers don't work, massaging it doesn't work, putting deep heat on it so to night i iced it for 15 mins and put a heat pack on it several times the pain went away for 10mins and came back its so painful im almost in tears, im down 2 15mg now so im not eating as muchas i was b4 i wasn't getting full i just keeped eating, my mood swings arnt as bad iv got moon face as they call it and i hate it as theirs no shape at all 2 my face, im getting pimples as will iv retained all this fluid and i feel like a marshmallow can someone please tell me that this pain will go away or is their something i can take 2 make it go away this is the worst medication in the whole world when i get off the prednisone and i have another flar up id rather have the runs and stomach cramps then all this drama iv been having in the last 3weeks iv also changes my whole diet and its made a huge difference 2 how i feel

i was put on prednisone 3 days ago due to asthmatic bronchitis. i was put on 60 milligrams a day. which to my understanding is a really high dosage.
long story short my cat would not stop meowning and it made me so darn angry that i wanted to throw him around the room and kept chasing him around screaming at him to shut the bleep up and tearing him out of the window every time he tried to get up in the window. i love my cat dearly and he is like my child. i have never EVER treated him badly. he gets more love and affection than most people give their children. he was crying and scared to the point of defecating all over my room. this had no affect on me. it just made me more angry. normally when an animal is scared or hurt i am incredibly empathetic.
on top of it i have had severe nose bleeds, and severe heart palpitations. this is after only being on it for three days.
i know this product is good for its purpose but as far as the side effects go, i think i would just rather live with my asthma symptoms. i was scared that i was going to lose control and injure myself or my cat or anyone who got in my way. i do not recommend this drug by any means.

I have been taking prednisone for three years now and I love it. When I am off of it I cannot breath and I get fluid in my lungs and my arthritis comes back and I ache all over. I could not live without it. The only side effects I have is a little weight gain, sweating, and moon face but the side effects are better than the all over acheing and not being able to breath. This drug has been very good to me.

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 had a bulging disk and a pinched nerve and was put on PREDNISONE - 60mg for 5 days, then 40 mg for 5 days and then 20 for 5 days. I had a round face to begin with, which I always hated, but now, my face just looks like a balloon that someone painted a face onto. I have a huge face, a double chin, huge stomach, I look 5 months pregnant and I absolutely HATE myself on this drug. I've been off now for a week and nothing has subsided except the sweats -- very embarrassing! I work and in the middle of a meeting, I sweat so badly that it rolls off my giant red face in rivulets. I'm just miserable. Does anyone know how long it takes to get rid of the side effects of this demon-drug?? I want to stay in the house and hide.

Hello,
How long do side effects last after completing steroid treatment? I've been off of pred for 4 months for crohn's first time. I was on 40/30/20/10 for a 6 week period. When I got to 30 my legs went into extreme pain. They felt like they were on fire, burning knees. Went to several doctors. One said steroid withdrawal, one said inflammation of nerves from Crohn's. Neurologist put me on neurontin to get off of the pain meds. I am still in excruciating pain and wondering if it really is steroid withdrawal. I can barely walk at times with extreme sharp pains, like someone is stabbing me in the legs. Can't stand for long periods of time and pain pills barely touch the pain. During steroid treatment, they gave me 3 rounds of Dilaudid in the ER and I was still crying, and I don't cry. Has anybody ever had this effect this long after being off the drug??

My husband was prescribed 80MG of Prednisone a day because he had cerebellitis. Yes, they saved his life so for that I'm happy, but now he is out of the hospital and I have little to no patience with him. He is crying all the time. Everything I say or do makes him cry (and he's never been the crying type). He is needier than he's ever been before and I go to school full time and work full time so I have very little time to spare. It is very difficult to have all my home time taken up by everything he is afraid of----because that is all he can think about. In fact when he can't cry or talk to me about his fears (about not getting better) he obsesses about them keeping him from sleeping. We are finally able so go off the the medicine so I'm hoping that his anxiety will go away with the meds!

I used prednisone for sinus inflammation and it gave me bad side effects such as: irregular heartbeat and stomach upset and anxiety. It actually did help with the inflammation but I stopped using it because of the side effects. It made my lip puff out too, which i did not mind because i have small lips and i looked better with a bigger lip, lol! I am thin so if it made me swollen i did not care because i need to gain weight, i am only 105 lbs. I just started taking methylprednisolone tablets packet and they seem to work better and if it causes increased appetite that would be good for me because i lost so much weight because of my teeth and sinus pain i had everyday for four months. So far it is working but i just started it and will keep you posted. It does seem milder than plain prednisone I suggest you switch to this if the prednisone is not working for you. It sounds like most people are on too high of a dosage and take with food and a lot of water. Hope everyone feels better soon.

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.

Male 28. Was diagnosed a couple of months ago with Ulcerative Colitis and was prescribed Prednisone. A large dose to start with then tampered off for 4 weeks. The first week I felt great, better than great, fantastic. The only downside was difficulty sleeping. The following 3 weeks, without any exaggeration have been among the worst I have ever experienced. I think the lack of sleep finally caught up with me, so I was constantly tired and generically felt depressed, also knee ache, eye pain, inability to think clearly (quite a problem when you are an Engineer), lacked energy or strength – and the Acne. Never before have I had Acne like this, and I used to suffer quite bad during my teens. Its just so aggressive, every few hours there seems to be new ones appearing. It seems to occur when ever I step down the dose. I think having this bad skin has really added to my depression over the last few weeks, it has been especially difficult considering I have been in the process of starting a new job. To top all of that my UC seems to be worst than ever! I’m worried that when I go back to see the Doctor next week he is going to put me on some equally-annoying medication or maybe another course of Prednisone if I’m lucky.

Does anyone know of some natural alternatives that are good for UC, very reluctant to put anymore man-made chemicals into my body.

Please someone help. I've been on prednisone for a year and a half. told I had Adrenal Insufficiency and as I was weaned off complained to my doctor about mood swings and not being able to sleep. Now down to low dose and experiencing free fall feeling in chest,shortness of breath and worst of all rage. Want to break things and just die.My mood swings escalated and they want to up my prednisone and told me to see a psychiatrist! My eye sight has changed this past year for the worse. Need new glasses and if they up it I'll go blind! I want my life back. I use to be the most level headed, peacemaking person and now I don't know who I am. Please someone HELP I need advice how to get out of this vicious cycle.
Thanks in advance

Was in the hospital receiving IV and inhaled steroids for breathing problems. Sent home with 10mg prednisone twice a day. It was even worse. ---puffy face, no sleep,and extreme weakness in my thighs--hard to even walk up stairs. Had a CAT scan of my lungs and my dr. was alarmed---said for a 112 pound woman,my stomach was the size of an obese person! now I'm going to have a stomach emptying test to see if that or the steroids is the problem.

My husband has pulmonary fibrosis and has been on prednisone since June 2008. It worked wonders for him and he was able to function normally; he started at 60 mg. He has slowly been coming down off the prednisone and is currently taking 1 mg. Since he got down below 20mg he has been losing energy and ambition and interest; he is terribly weak and any little exertion has him gasping for air; his legs are so weak he can hardly walk and only for a short time. He does not sleep during the day but does not sleep much at night either. We know these effects are the result of coming off the prednisone but I'm wondering how long the effects will last.

I just learned that you can develop Cushing's Syndrome from taking prednisone, and that the doctor that has you on this should warn you that you could develop this. 10 mg a day usually worked for my pain, but I eventually got up to 20 mg a day, and that's when my problems really started. Of course I had already gained enough weight, which caused severe depression, but then I started gaining like crazy, and this is really weird, I was eating less, and had no appetite, but still gaining weight. I started feeling too tired to do anything, I have severe lower back pain, and get short of breath from any little bit of activity I do. I can't even take a shower without sitting on the side of the tub to rest. I also started having restless leg syndrome at night and would wake up several times. I sweat profusely without doing anything. I can just be sitting on the couch watching tv and sweat will start pouring down my face. I keep a towel with me at all times to wipe the sweat off. I definitely have moon face, and I also have sores all over my legs and face. I wish I would wake up and it was all a bad dream, but not so. I feel for everyone that has had these experiences. I am seeing an endocrinologist next week to see if I have Cushing's Syndrome. I don't even know if there is anything to do for it? Has anyone else who has used prednisone been diagnosed with Cushing's Sydrome?

My 17 yr old son was prescribed Prednisone along with Accutane for Acne. His two older brothers had undergone accutane treatment when they were each 17 ish, with no major side effects - no mental disorders at all. They did not have Prednisone along with the accutane. I questioned why my youngest son should go on the prednisone but was assured by my trusted dr. of 35 years that his very low dose of 20mg a day would be no problem. We continued the dosage for 3 months and then tapered off for 3 weeks. That's when my son's trouble began. He felt a change immediately - things didn't seem 'real', he has a hard time describing the feelings. At two weeks after discontinuing the prednisone his symptoms really began to be very frightening. He is athletic and was vomiting for extended periods - probably due to the stress of what was going on in his head. We then saw 2 GPs, his Dermatologist and I contacted a Psychiatrist, His father and I didn't want him to progress to antidepressants and he does seem to be improving - nothing like some of the other stories contained here. I just wish we had NEVER gone on this - even at 20mg - for something like acne. NOT life threatening - I should have listened to my gut and just stuck with the Accutane.

Hi I am 31, have been put on prednisone for a pinched nerve in my shoulder blade. Iv taken two pills of 10 mil. For two days. one pill a day for two days. I'm stopping now. I feel so tired weak and unable to exercise. My chest is so heavy and heart flutters. I'm a smoker so it seems worse after a cigarette. I also have a few glasses of wine a day. I'm so frightened at these feelings. My tummy is now bigger in just that short of time. I really wish I knew all this first. Can any one tell me how long before I'm normal from the short usage. Please this really sucks and very scary. Also the smoking and alcohol how does it effect this? Please

I love prednisone, at least so far. I have a rash that occurs only on the back of my upper arms and shoulder blades in the deep of winter...then reoccurs EVERY SUMMER as soon as I get in the pool. In summer though, it's all over my arms, my hands, my thighs and my upper back, even my neck a bit. It starts out as a medium tingle (like pins on my skin), lots of itching..which scratching definitely makes things worse. I apply sunscreen 70 and no help. I use anti itch cream which helps to keep me from scratching...but I can't bathe in it! If I don't scratch, the little bumps are still there, but they of course get red when I scratch.

I tried meds for hot tub foliculitis...no help. I start the prednisone and VOILA! It's gone within a day or two..or quickly disappearing. Two days after the last pill, I get in the pool..and the itching starts.

I have never noticed trouble with breathing or any kind of anger / rage issues...I do wonder if those are other folks symptoms of something else. I would really look into that before blaming prednisone and not addressing the real issue.

I have been on prednisone (tapering from 5 tabs a day to one over time) and it's the ONLY thing that helps with this rash and it's cleared the rash one hundred percent of the time. LOVE prednisone, came here to see if I could be on it all summer. I have three kids, no babysitter and my pool is my only true pleasure....I live for it all year as I hate winter and fall...I'm a summer girl!

Was on Prednisone for 11 days for an injury to my neck. I knew nothing about the drug except what my doctor told me that it would reduce inflammation in my neck and help with pain.

Well, it did nothing for the injury and pain in my neck. BUT.... I had HORRIBLE menstrual cramps and got my period 8 days early. I've had my period for 9 days now AND terrible pain in my upper left leg. I thought the pain was related to my leg and as the days went by I realized it was in my left hip! It's so bad I can't lift my leg without extreme pain. I KNOW IT'S FROM this awful drug.

I've been off of it for 4 days and the pain is still with me. I called my family dr. and was told Prednisone doesn't do that. BULL!! The paperwork I got with it from the pharmacy show "Changes in menstrual periods" "muscle/joint pain" "bone pain".

I wish I knew this BEFORE I ever took it.

Does anyone know if these symptoms and problems will go away after stopping it? I called the pharmacy and was told it will take 2-3 weeks for it to get out of my system!!

Has anyone had problems that eventually went away after stopping the drug?

Thanks and I hope everyone else is okay soon! This drug should be off the market. I received no help for my neck pain at all!!

Constant weight gain. Just had a kidney transplant Dec 2008, started off with 60mg prednisone now I am done to 5mg but I will gain 5 pounds and will stay at that weight for several months then go up another 5 pounds. I am eating healthy and exercising. I need help and advice!!!!!!!!!!!!

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 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???

A year ago I was diagnosed with Sarcoidosis and began taking 50mg Prednisone per day. The worst side effects in the beginning were weight gain, moon face, facial hair, hump-back neck, bruising (for example, just by my knees being together while I sleep,) excruciating joint pain and water retention to the point I felt my skin would split open. And poor vision which could have led to glaucoma, but an eye specialist put me on eye drops to reduce the pressure to normal levels. I've felt horrified and embarrassed by the change in my appearance but relieved that my sarcoid was being treated.
I feel confident in my case that Prednisone was the necessary treatment. My pulmonologist, opthamologist and regular doctor all agreed on a course of treatment. But I really advise people to get a second or third opinion before they take it. A friend of mine was prescribed a weeks course of Prednisone for a severe sinus infection. Luckily she didn't have any side effects but I really question if it was necessary. I'd also like to stress that if you're on Prednisone and experience worsening vision, please see an opthamologist who is a glaucoma specialist because it can lead to blindness if not treated.
And lastly, sorry this became a novel! I have been tapering off and I'm down to 20mg. But recently I've noticed my hair is thinning so much. I lose a ton when I brush it and it clogs the drain when I shower. Also my skin is shedding. When I shower and use a loofah sponge like I've always done and I lose layers of skin like a snake. I would really like to know if my hair will start to grow back when I'm finally off the Prednisone or am I going to lose it completely??

I am on a 6 day treatment of PredniSONE 4mg for a foot injury that caused massive swelling. The swelling was gone after the first day of the treatment, but the side effects started the second day for me. I freaked out yesterday thinking that I was having a heart attack. I even asked the doctor if there were any weird side effects and told him that I have anxiety about taking medicine. He said it's harmless, and not to worry. I felt safe taking it the first day but now I've been experiencing increased heart rate, flushed face, pain in my muscles, left arm, and chest, tingling and itching, I can't sleep, when I do sleep in the morning I wake up tense and frustrated, I've lost my appetite, it's hard to go to the bathroom and I can't seem to get my thoughts together. I had an anxiety disorder before and had I known the side effects of this medicine I would not have taken it. Today I decided to skip a day by only taking three pills today and two tomorrow. I just want OFF THIS STUFF!!! and I never want to take it again. I can't believe its on the market and doctors are soo shady about it! And all this from the lowest dose... 4mg.

I'm sitting here in tears reading all of your posts because I've also been on prednisone and have horrible side effects. I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in my lungs in June of 2002 and, after starting at 60 mg/day then, I have been on 20 mg/day for years now. The very first posting that I read mentioned problems with the femur bone. Besides all of the other problems associated with this devastating drug, in December, 2007, I broke a bone in my left foot with no known cause for it. Then I started experiencing pain standing or walking in my left leg and was diagnosed with a fractured femur bone and after several months of trying to get it to heal (including an ultrasonic bone healing system), it just kept getting worse until an orthopedic surgeon recommended that I have a 16 inch rod put into my leg which I did and it ended up to be one of the worst decisions that I have ever made. After experiencing all of the prednisone side effects for almost seven years including depression, severe fatigue, weight gain, moon face, thin skin, cataract surgery on both eyes, hump on my back, mood swings, etc., the pain and suffering that were caused by that operation brought me to seriously consider suicide. I was also diagnosed with chemical neuropathy in both of my legs also which makes my legs so weak that I have to crawl up any steps and have trouble just standing. I actually have an appointment for this evening to have an x-ray done to see what is wrong with my knees and did not realize that this also is yet another side effect. I never make it through the night without waking up in pain and getting a pain pill and then getting up in the morning is almost unbearable with that "burning" pain. I am now on Cymbalta for depression, Xanax for anxiety, Percocet for pain, and of course 20 mg of Prednisone. I was told that I would have to remain on Prednisone for the rest of my life because of the lung scarring and COPD. After reading all of your comments, I have decided that I would rather put up with any breathing problems (and I don't even know how slight they may be at this point) than to remain on the Prednisone. I have tried weaning off several times but get so fatigued that I can't move and that's dropping one mg every week. I'm affected by the decrease but it gets out of hand when I get to 14 mg and I get so frustrated and depressed at not being able to do anything that I just go back up to the 20 mg/day. If you have been able to wean off of it, would you please let me know how you did it and what you had to go through? I'm 65 years old now but I have two wonderful granddaughters (ages 4 and 6) who I can't do any normal "Grammy" things with anymore at this point and I have to change this condition for them and for me. Obviously, the doctors don't recognize the severity of the drug because they just keep prescribing it and out of a regular doctor, an oncologist, an orthopedic surgeon and a neurologist, they can't seem to get together to come up with a solution. I have to say that I haven't considered suicide lately but I do wish that I would just die and be out of this pain. My family and definitely my granddaughters and wanting to see them grow up are the only things that keep me going. There are probably things that I'm forgetting but I'm sure that one of you have covered it in our posting. Although my family is so supportive, no one and I really mean not one of them, realizes knows what we all go through because of this drug. How could they know that something that is supposed to help you could cause these problems? My life is a living hell, all because a pulmonary doctor prescribed prednisone seven years ago and I trusted him to only do what was right without informing me of what was to come. I more than sympathasize with all of you. I sincerely appreciate the time that you took to post to this site and so thankful to know now that this knee pain is not something new that I have but another side effect of the prednisone. I wouldn't have known that if it wasn't for this site because I'd be willing to bet that after I would have had this x-ray done, one of my doctors would have just prescribed another medication to take. Please feel free to contact me directly with any comments or especially any help that you can give me. I know that all of you are going through the same thing so if I can do anything for you, even just listen and understand, please contact me also. Sometimes that's the only thing that people can do is to listen and someone who is in the same situation can always understand. I'm here for anyone who needs a hug for the day.

I HAVE BEEN ON PREDNISONE FOR 10 YRS. I AM ON 5 MG FOR 4 YRS. I AM HAVING SEVERE PAIN IN RIGHT HIP. I CAN'T LAY ON RIGHT SIDE AT ALL. WHEN I WALK OR BEND ITS FINE. BUT TO LAY ON BACK OR SIT OR RIGHT SIDE I HAVE SEVERE PAIN. I SAW THE DR TODAY HE SAID THE TOP OF THE FEMUR IS SOMETIMES EFFECTED BY PREDNISONE. LIKE BLEEDING OR OSTEOARTHRITIS. HE GAVE ME NAPORSIN. DOESN'T WORK STILL HAVE SEVERE PAIN. I HAVE POLYMYOSITIS. THE PAIN IS SO BAD IT HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE OVER 6 MONTHS. GOING FOR XRAYS. I AM A NURSE AND CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT HE IS TALKING ABOUT.

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.

I was diagnosed with Chrohn's in February. I am 25 years old. I was put on prednisone and asacol to control my systems. I was on 40mg then down to 20mg and finally last Friday 5/22 after weening off I was off the drug completely. I also had EN (a complication of Chrohn's) with severe pain, swelling and bruising in the feet and legs. In fact that was the only reason I went to the doctor, I was just dealing with everything for years. With Prednisone I experienced a slight moon face but also a huge bloated, pregnant like belly, it's awful. I have to hide it with baggy shirts. I also gained about 20 lbs, I have abdomen pain, hair on my upper lip, my ear clogs and clicks, insomnia, insane amount of energy. Oddly though people have been saying they are moody, the good thing the drug did was put me in an excellent mood all the time and took away my acne.

My Question: When do these side effects go away, I have been off for a week. Primarily the bloated stomach and weight gain. I know it takes a while, but how long???

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.

I began prednisone May 20th for hives from a reaction to an antibiotic. After taking it for a few days I started having ringing in the ears, shortness of breath, tightness in the chest and sweating, dry mouth, puffy face and just a strange feeling like my blood pressure is up. I took it for 7 days out of the nine because the nurse told me to stop it after I called in about how I have been feeling. Today is the first day of not taking it but I see hardly no improvements. My husband tells me to drink a lot to flush this medication out of my system. Today I am experiencing some chest discomfort with slight aching. I feel the same as all of you. I wished I knew of this drug beforehand, and I hope to never see this drug again. I just hope it didn't cause much damage. I will be praying for all of you. No one knows any more what can happen after taking such medication. If you are on this call your Dr. to be taken off. This is not good, I have no idea why this is still on the market. Hope you all recover from your symptoms after taking this drug!

STARTED TAKING PREDNISONE ON SAT. 3 PILLS A DAY FOR COUGH, SWEAT ALL DAY AND NIGHT. WILL THIS EVER GO AWAY.

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 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 suffer from gout... this was the first time I took Prednisone, and, in terms of foot swelling / pain , it worked well.

However... 20-30 minutes after taking 20mg of prednisone, I experienced eye problems. I began seeing "floaters." I experienced significant eye "pressure?" for 24 hours. 48 hours later the pain went away. It's difficult to explain. I'm not a doctor. My eyes felt "big." "Intra-ocular eye pressure" might be the correct term.

I don't know how to explain it... it really messed with my eyes. Neither my doctor nor my pharmacist could confirm this as a side effect.

Has anyone experienced this? Thank you.

I had ankle surgery in March 2009. After several weeks of pain and inflammation, my doctor prescribed a Prednisone dose-pak to "settle everything down." Yesterday, day 1, I took 2 pills before breakfast, 1 after lunch, and 1 after supper. About 4 - 4 1/2 hours after taking my supper dose, I developed SEVERE abdominal pain (akin to labor pains) and diarrhea that lasted for several hours. The pain abated during the night and today I have had very sore abdominal muscles and a little bit of an upset stomach. I never took the bedtime dose

I don't care how much pain I have had in my ankle...nothing compares to the pain I experienced last night. I will never take this medicine again. According to all the information I have read about side effects, nothing indicated I would experience pain like this.

I am hopeful that now the stomach/abdominal pain "settles down."

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 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.

OMG...I can't stand it anymore!! My legs are killing me!!...I am almost weaned off of it...tomorrow I take one 10 mg pill....and then the next day, I take 5 mg....and I'm done. Thank God!! I pray that I have no bad side effects from weaning off of it. I worry that I won't be able to breath again. Then what??...I will not take prednisone ever again!!...I think I would rather die then live on this horrible drug....If only I knew what it was before I started taking it.

I had a kidney transplant feb08. I was put on prednisone as a rejection med. So far, i have gained 50 lbs, my hair has fallen out, had mood swings when first put on it. Haven't noticed them lately, have little bumps under my skin, not acne, have started noticing slight breathing problems, when trying to walk to lose the weight. Yesterday I was diagnosed with cataract. Eye doctor said that it is another side effect of the med. I am under the impression that, I am on this for rest of my life. Whats next?

Hi everyone, I have just read all thirty pages of posts to try to find some answers to my crazy reaction to prednisone. My thoughts are with you all since I have had an usually severe reaction to prednisone. I was on prednisone for 1 week in October 2008 at 60 mg/day for a sinus surgery. I am still having the following side effects at full force:

Axiety to the point I can't socialize
mood swings
hot/sweating even in freezing weather
whole body shakes
severe migraines
tooth sensitivity
muscle pains
extreme thirst (I drink almost 2 gallons/day)
hungry all the time
moon face
water retention around waist
acne
hair loss
rapid heart rate
dizziness
nightmares
night sweats
high blood pressure
high hear rate

I'm not exaggerating, my parent's can contend to that. I do have a history of having sever reactions to medication and I've had all the gland and blood tests which all check out. I never had a single one of these before the prednisone - I was a healthy 22 year old.

I was wondering if any could tell me when this hell will end - my job and well-being depends on it!

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?