PredniSONE and vitamins

I have Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA), was diagnosed in Feb. 2008. Have been ill for several years and finally it came to a head in Feb. I had a blood transfusion and then in the hospital 6 days later with a hgb of 4.0. I was so toxic and my blood so screwed up I nearly died. I was given another transfusion then (total of 5 pints of packed red blood cells) and started on Prednisone. For 3 days given liquid Pred injections, starting at 1000mg, tapering down to 250mg., then on the pill form at 100mg. Sweat poured off of me dosing down. I was off work for 2 months. I am still tapering but am now at 1mg. DR. added another drug, Danazol, after getting to about 10mg because my blood started going crazy again. My side affects with Prednisone have been, Euphoria, no depression, LOTS of hyper brain activity, thoughts running a 100 miles an hour but body at slow speed.Visual problems and a feeling of being highly drugged. 2 to 3 hours of sleep each night, compulsive behaviors and a lot of pacing back and forth. Couldn't hold my concentration because my mind wandered so much. Extreme Tremors in my back, hands and head. Wanted to talk constantly, if no one was around I talked to my Chihuahua or the TV. My cheeks puffed up and became hard and had a fat pocket puffed up on left side of my neck. My dog thought I was crazy, she was tired of the lights being on at 3 or 4 in the morning. Legs looked skinny but didn't gain weight until I got to about 60mg. Gained 25 lbs total. Tapering caused bad spasms in my calves, feet and hands. Thigh muscles would get extremely weak each time I went down a dose. At 50mg I started getting sleepy and could hardly stay awake. Went back to work at 35mg and couldn't remember how to sign on to my computer. Some memory problems since I was in the hospital, couldn't remember how to spell words I knew as a young girl. Started having hip pain about 3 months into the Pred, that hasn't stopped. At 10mg feet, knees, shoulders hurt deep in the sockets, muscles below my neck knot up, may take a while to totally get off this. Read on a couple of blogs where people cut a 1mg tab into 4 pieces to taper off the Pred. because of side effects. Had thrush in the beginning and break outs of shingles. I hope to God I never have to get back on this drug again, it is so HARD on the body but it did do what it was given for, to repress my immune systems. My next step is Spleen surgery, hope this is a cure for me, am sick and tired of being sick and tired. Wouldn't advise anyone to take Pred unless it's a life or death situation. It's prescribed too liberally and people have multiple problems, worse than I have experienced. I've probably forgotten some things, but there's enough I've mentioned to give you an Idea it's not good, but if Pred is all you have then you do what you gotta do!! My puffy cheeks have went down though, now my hair has become curly but at least I have hair and my chihuahua stills loves me!!!

My mother was put on Prednisone 3 weeks ago because of severe muscle pain (15 mg at first and increased to 60 mg). After she starting taking it she began to have weakness in her muscles/joints and was unable to walk by the end of the week. She also had severe water retention and could not catch her breath. Most of all she was very weak all the time and could not seem to sleep at all. She wound up in the hospital and was classified with a type of Congestive Heart Failure due to the excessive dosage given by a pain doctor. She had to be admitted to a Rehabilitation Center where they have now cut her down to 10 mg a day and she is trying to take Physical Therapy to walk again. She is fighting with depression and overwhelming feelings of anxiety. She still cannot sleep and wonders if she will ever by back to normal again. Just a month ago she was living a normal life and because of the pain, was given this medication. I wonder if the benefits outweigh the horrible side effects she has experienced. After reading some of the responses above I see others are having similar side effects.
Any encouragement from someone with a positive long term outcome would be beneficial at this time to her. She feels very helpless in her situation.

I was diagnosed with Crohn's disease in July. I had my colonoscopy/endoscopy the day before 4th of July. Got sick with what I thought was the flu on June 26th. That's when I first landed in the hospital (dehydrated & sick). After the diagnosis I was first put on Entocort and Pentasa (Pentasa is supposed to be a remission drug - keep you from having flare-ups). Entocort didn't work so they switched me to Prednisone. I've been on Prednisone for about 6 months now. Going from 20 mg to 40 mg and then I'm finally weaned down to 5 mg. I get to go completely off of it Jan. 13th. Scared of what other side effects might occur from coming off the drug. While on it I've had emotional problems, acne(never had a problem with it before), moon face, gained 30 pounds, joint pain (I was in therapy for as long as insurance covered. - I recommend water therapy, it helps for some people as it did me), trouble sleeping (haven't slept a full night since I got sick), certain days I'm really really thirsty, I've had sort of what I'd call restless leg (I had this before I was on this medicine but it has gotten significantly worse - mostly at night or when lying down), and dry skin.I have to say though that the WORST side effect is the FOG. It's horrible. I enjoy learning and using my brain and when I'm on this I can't think, I mix up words, and it feels like my brain is covered in cobwebs.I had to drop a calc 2 class and that got me off the track I'd set with my academics. My inflammation rate is down where it's supposed to be as of the last blood test a couple weeks ago. So I guess the Prednisone and Remicade are doing what they are supposed to - but I still don't feel as if the pain (not associated with Prednisone - caused by the disease) has gone completely away even if the inflammation has gone down. And Prednisone's effects are just horrible. Some nights I feel depressed and just want to cry and cry. The past months have been trying because of several hospital stays, switching to many different doctors (gastrointernologists, nephrologist, urologist (kidney stones), primary doctor - and they think maybe I should see a rheumatologist), and Pentasa (it began shutting my kidneys down). I just hope that when I come off the Prednisone the side effects will fade (hopefully quickly but lets be realistic - ill just be happy if they go away sometime in the next few months) and I won't flare up again. Anyone know the best way to get rid of the weight? I'm already drinking lots of water and I go walking and do exercises everyday.

QUESTION: When tapering Prednisone does anyone have a place(s) on their stomach that are sunken in and feels dry compared to the skin around it?

Anyways, I hope that everyone overcomes their difficulties, whatever they might be or concern. It's hard to have a life when you are constantly fighting your own body to stay healthy.There are plenty of situations in life that are already hard enough to deal with without medical issues of your own. Best of luck to all!

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 was on prednisone for 3 days. Took my first pill in the evening and another the next day. Took another that night. I was up all night discussing thing with my wife. I WAS WIRED. I crashed the next day, almost quit my job (I was heavily under stress at work). I went home, STILL WIRED, and shuttled my kids around all day. I started to think about my experiences as a kid. I was under severe stress. That night, I collapsed on my laundry room floor. I hallucinated all night. My wife and children were extremely frightened. They called the paramedics. I went to the emergency room. I litterly thought I had died. At the emergency room, I was disruptive and they admitted me. I spent 4 nights in a psychiatric ward, sedated with drugs but unable to differentiated my flashbacks from the past from the prednisone. It has taken nearly a week, to finally come to grips with the fact that I am not crazy. It was this drug and some stress (albeit, more than usual) that sent me into a life-changing experience. BE VERY CAREFUL if you are taking Prednisone, can't sleep, and are under stress. Your life may change forever. Mine did.

Thanks for the tip about carbs and sugar! I'll eliminate and see whether the IBS improves.
Nutrition: I do take ginger and fish oil complex, which have helped with pain levels and indigestion, but no herbs or vitamins help my complexion. They think it is auto-immune related.

I was prescribed this stuff for 10 days from memory. 40gm first 5 days then 20mg next 5 days. Took for 6 - 7 days and then stopped. This stuff had many of the side effects as already listed and was not curing the thing it was prescribed for which was a cough that just would not go away. I stopped taking it as I was feeling terrible on it. It left me feeling depressed and really messed me up unable to think clearly - diarreaha........ I think it completey mucked up my hormone system. It has taken me 3 -4 mths to start feeling okay again. I have been taking lots of vitamins - even took hormone replacement for a couple of months to try and help me. This stuff is crape and I would never never ever ever take it again.