PredniSONE and to no avail

I am so glad I found this sight! For all Prednisone users out there...I was prescribed Prednisone for an upper respiratory infection (I had for 9 months). I was prescribed a 21-day 'taper down' course five (5) times; in actuality not all that much...if I had only known what this drug would do to my body! Besides the insatiable hunger and weight gain (5 - 7 lbs. weight gain per course of the drug), the swollen face/neck, muscle aches, double-vision, sleeplessness - I have been through the worst three (3) years of my life since taking this 'drug'! Three years ago, I had the worst knee pain (in both knees). The orthopedists said tendinitis, bursitis, IT band syndrome...finally a new ortho. ordered an MRI and found out I had Stage II Avascular Necrosis (AVN) in both knees. This is a condition where the blood flow has STOPPED reaching a certain area of the body. It is a side effect of this so-called 'wonder drug' (Prednisone). I had the surgery that is used for AVN (Core Bone Decompression) - it did NOT work! They tried other surgical procedures to no avail. A big issue was that AVN in the knee is very rare. AVN commonly strikes in the hip. There was little or no medical documentation on how to treat AVN in the knee(s). A year later, I ended up having total knee replacements in both knees. Last summer (Summer '06) I broke a bone in my pinky finger by barely hitting a wall in frustration over all this. My bones are extremely brittle from this drug. I am sitting writing this after having dental (oral) surgery because I have lost four (4) teeth as a result of this drug! I need over $7,000 in dental work (implants/bone grafting) that insurance does not cover as a side effect from this drug. I realize that some people out there must take this drug...If you have taken this drug, and have pain in your hips and/or knees, please ask your doctor for an MRI (AVN can not be seen in X-ray until end stage - when the joint collapses from lack of blood flow) and see your dentist regularly. I am only 34 years old and if I can reach just one person regarding the side effects of Prednisone, I will sleep better tonight!

Hello;
After 13 year's of having I.T.P. I was so sick of the many mental and phyical side effect's of prednisone I let the
Doctor remove my spleen.Since that didn't work I even tryed
chemo therapy again to no avail.Every doctor seem's to think prednisone is a great medication.They don't dare tell you of the adverse side effects.I halucinate from it and, have woke
up on a bus I dont even remember getting on.This poisonus
medication has cost me more than I can go into here.People
put on this stuff should be warned and watched,just in case.

Hi Everyone:
Thanks for all of your entries. I am comforted knowing that I am not alone in my side effects. I have been taking 20 mg of Prednisone for a very severe poison ivy inflammation. I put off taking it for two weeks, trying every other remedy I could find, but to no avail. The first few days of taking it I noticed immediately relief from the itching, BUT I also was not sleeping and I felt a euphoria. I was invincible. Then, I crashed. I have been hostile, weepy, anxious, unable to sleep more than four hours, and almost unbearable to live with. I cannot believe how powerful this drug is.

I have four days left, I will cut the dose down and start weaning off it since it makes sense to cut down slowly. Wow, I feel so badly for people who have to take this on a long term basis. Do you have any alternatives that you know of? I help people with chronic pain and would love to know what else works.

Thanks everyone!

Hi,
I'm taking prednisone along with hydroxychloro for mild lupus and it helped ease my pains. I'm on other meds but since taking prednisone I noticed some side effects that I didn't have before.

After reading the comments on this site, I have a sense of relief to know that I haven't lost my mind. Prednisone does have side effects. Although I am on a low dosage, I have gained weight (I had lost 20 pounds prior to prednisone and have gained back 10 pounds); have an increased appetite especially for sweets and treats; have difficulty sleeping through the night--I sleep about 3 hours, get up, then try to get back to sleep to no avail. My abdomen is bloated, my face is slowly becoming rounder.

Prednisone has helped me to feel better but I'm looking forward to getting off of this medication.