Anyone Have Trouble With Prednisone Side Effects Even After Stopping?
Posted over a year ago
Last week I was diagnosed with Acute Bronchitis and was given Prednisone 5 x 50mg Prednisone to be taken once per day, as well as a Zpak. On day 3 of the Pred, I started having insomnia. On day 4, started getting terrible anxiety (which I am not ... more »
Last week I was diagnosed with Acute Bronchitis and was given Prednisone 5 x 50mg Prednisone to be taken once per day, as well as a Zpak. On day 3 of the Pred, I started having insomnia. On day 4, started getting terrible anxiety (which I am not historically known for). So, I stopped taking the Pred on day 4. It is now day 10 since starting the Pred, and day 6 since stopping, and I continue to have terrible anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, and crying fits. For the record, that's just not me. I have since seen a nurse 3 days ago, and a doctor yesterday, both of which have told me it can't be the Prednisone because I stopped it days ago, and didn't take very much. So either I have either developed a spontaneous anxiety condition, which just happens to have happened while taking Prednisone, or they don't know what they're talking about. Anyone else out there continue to have these kinds of effects even after stopping a short-term regime of Prednisone? Best wishes to all who are having trouble with this nightmare of a medication!
Amybo31 - Same effect for me! Even went to the ER. I was on 20mg 3 times a day for only 3 days. 1 day after taking the med, my heart was racing. I had extreme anxiety, to the point where I had my hubby come home from work!!!! They told me that it could take up to 4 days for the side effects to subside. Hang in there, I am trying to hang in there as well. Day #3 with no prednisone and I still feel anxious!
Momto2mandms - It can take a while to get the medication out of your system - it is not you steroids are powerful meds, even small doses; try taking it easy for a few days drink lots of fluids to fush the medicine from your system.
I am a nurse ad it has happened to many patients of mine and myself; i felel weird, out of touch, not myself,constant insomnia even when taking a small dose for a five day course for bronchitis.
just because the the prednisone is not at a peak level in your blood stream actively treating your bronchitis the remaints are still at the cellular level,I usually ask my doc for an inhaler (it too has side effects like racing heart beat, agitation and some dangerous ones but to me it sure outweighs the side effects of prednisone.
Good luck - you are not alone.
Laurababylon - I had the same exact problem except it was much more complicated, i only took a 7 day dose for the same thing and i had also experienced rapid heat rate, severe dizziness, days and days of insomnia, SEVERE anxiety (and much more)... it literally ruined my life for these past 2 MONTHS! It has been almost 8 weeks since ive been off of the prednisone and I finally feel back to normal but I am still having some issues with anxiety and I also now have TMJ (not severe) because in the duration of these past 8 weeks I have been constantly clenching my teeth and grinding them, probably from the severe anxiety i was experiencing.
I WANT TO MENTION, that i have spoken to SEVERAL doctors. I had to make 2 trips to the E.R from the side effects that i had and NO doctor seems to believe that Prednisone is the culprit! I thought I was loosing my mind untill I found this webiste and found similar stories. It has been hell for me and I hope your side effects dont continue or get worst like mine did. Just relax and try to keep yourself away from high stress situations and give your body time to adjust! Ive read that even after the drug is out of your body it may take time for your body to adjust back to normal, they say typically 6-8 weeks for short term use but every one is different. Don't believe the doctors, IT IS THE PREDNISONE. Your not going crazy, my best advice is just to be patient! Good luck!
Valerio - I am experiencing the same. Prednisone for 1 week (1 day 5 pills, 2 days 4 pills, 3 days 3 pills..........) after one week I was going crazy and decided to stop it. My blod pressure went up (note that I have had always great blood pressure), I have constant little headache, no strenght, anxiety and wake up without any apparent reason with heart beat racing. I had stopped getting it 2 days ago but I feel awful.
Reading these posts made me feel a little bit better because at least I know that this "unconfortable" situation it's caused by the medicine and it's not me going crazy. I really hope it won't take too long to get rid of it.
Hatepreditkills - This drug should be banned. My mother died from this drug. She lost six inches in height and had twelve compression fractures in her spine. All in a two week period. I was just given a 7 day regimen for severe wheezing and against my better judgement, I started taking it. Within 2days I was suffering with body aches and could hardly move. It felt like I had been beaten with a bat..I stopped cold turkey. When I stopped, the pain got even worse. I,m drinking lots of purified water. Have to get this garbage out of my system asap. I swear, I will never ever take it again. God help all of u who take this. Good luck.
Ebm - This drug is garbage. I was prescribed 40 mg for 2 weeks to rid me of the wheezing from bronchitis. While on it, I had INTENSE night sweats where I woke up soaking wet, in addition to severe leg cramps, eye pain, mood swings and headaches. It has been 10 days since I stopped (only told to take the same amount for 2 weeks and then stop) and a day after I stopped, my cough came back, I get really congested with a little sore throat at night and now over the past 4 days I have a TERRIBLE rash on my face. It started on my chin with just a little reddish tone to it. It is the worst when I get out of the shower. My face is on FIRE and it ITCHES like crazy. I put calamine lotion on it last night but that really dried out my face. Today it is less of the all over rash and more blotchy but still itches like crazy and looks bad. I am getting married in 28 days and this has been a complete nightmare. I hope and pray that this rash goes away fast, I don't want any more drugs to take. I hope that by exercising, eating right and drinking a TON of water will help. I was in tears this morning because on top of all this, I am congested again and gained 10 pounds. This drug is POISON.
Mechellec - My 9 year old was prescribed a tapered one week dose for severe hives from Cefzil. She was completely irritated and anxious on this drug. Her last pill was 8 days ago and she still feels "not herself". She gets hot out of the blue, she will sweat, she gets itchy and she can't fall asleep at night. She came home from school yesterday crying saying she could not focus at school (not a problem this one ever has). I have a hard time believing that this drug is not completely out of her body after all this time but I took her to doc yesterday who thinks the prednisone is still affecting her! Hate that you all had experiences with the after effects of this drug but it makes me feel a little better that maybe it is still the drug. Does anyone know how long until this drug is completely gone from your system?
Hooco01 - Prednisone is a disaster drug. I am an asmathic diagnosed with pneumonia. My dr. directed me to take a Z Pack combined with the following 50mg per day of prednisone for 5 days, 40 mg per day of prednisone for 4 days, 30mg per day for 3 days, 20mg per day for 2 days and 10mg for 1 day. I made it to the 1st day of the 30mg cycle and I am DONE. I refuse to take it anymore. My lungs are about 90% cleared up by I have gaind 12 lbs in 1 week. I am constantly hungry, I'm constipated, my urination is irregular and burns, sleep patterns are screwed up, I have no motivation and I am so bloated that I feel like I may explode. Other than that everything is fine. I need help. I am drinking water by the gallon today with hopes of flushing this poison out of my system.
Lostrisss - Hello everybody, I jsut read your messages and i am quite shocked. Tomorrow I will know if i will take the Prednison or not. I am kinda scared, mostly cuz of the anxiety you talk about, and gaining weight. Its really hard to decide wherther to choose it or refuse this kind of medicin, cuz I am diagnozed with endocrine orbitopathy, and i amin active phase now, so it may be halpful not to get it worse, but i am not sure if i want to go under this risk of developing side effects. The thing is I feel very anxious and irritable even now, so I cant imagine it worse. { sorry for my english iam not native speaker } I would be very grateful if anyone with same disease have any experiences positive or negative with Prednison. Wish all the best to all you
Snowman4090 - Well this is not my first dance of anxiety with Pred but the worst reaction I believe I have ever had to it. Arthritically, I am nearly pain free, but the bloating and weight gain and feeling of eupohoria has really hit. I am 69 yr. old Grandma with Christmas dinner to prepare but hardly anything else done. i coughed myself silly for months and months and have asthma and COPD and took even the big depo medrol shot and nothing touched it. Then, my pulmonrary doc upped the pred from 10 mlg for 1 week and then 5 mlg for a week to the 40 for 3, 30 for 3, 20 for 3 and then 1 for 3 and then stop. I am shaking in my shoes but my lungs are some better and had to take Levaquin too. In the donut hole with our prescriptions. What a mess! I do not wish this kind of christmas present on anyone. The doc wanted me to take yet another med to try and counteract the pred and he wanted me to take Ativan which is in the same family as Xanax which I already had on hand so just took it. I can not afford another rx now. Will finish this stuff and pray for no more of it ever!! I will have to weight to lose the bloat for about 6 weeks and so it goes. It works children even though it is hard to deal with. God Bless us all~
Kittyhello - I've been on prednisone for 5 weeks now, started with 100mg/day and now I m on 10mg. This is the second time this year. I have ITP, severe dros in platelet count nobody knows why, nyway, I spoke to my dr today and she told me that all described terrible side effects which I am eperiencing as wel can last a month up to six months....it's individual. Besides psyschological issues, the main issue after being long on this poison is damaged immune system, which means that you are prone to infections more than usual...
After my first experience of 5 weeks on the pred, I got to my old self pscohologically speaking almost right away. Even insomnia dissapeared after 2 days. But I was constantly sick, ears, bronchitis, every virus got me...
Kids are much stronger than we believe they are and I think she would be fine in a week or two.
all the best
Kittyhello - Dear Snowman,
I know exactly how you feel. If you find the time, please read my post Again on this toxic cure....And I am only 35. In the country where I live, doctors as a standard practice do not ever prescribe pred for anthin but autoimmune and maignous diseases. So I am kind of surprised that in US pred is give even for bronchitis. It's easy for doctros to just give it to their patitents, when none of them has ever experienced its terrible terrible side effects.
As for the sleeping, try t avoid xanax ann siimalr drug family because you get dependant. I use bromaepam for sleeping (and combine it with red wine, I must say), but bromazepam is a drug that has t be used for years to cause dependance.
If my platelet count continues to be OK as it is now I'll be off this toxin next week. I hope that side effects will go away soon enough. I hope...
Best to you
Melstein123 - I was bitten by a bug the other day and had an allergic reaction so I went to the ER and they prescribed me prednisone; 40mg a day for 4 days. I took my first dose at the hospital, and my second dose within the next 24 hour period. After my second dose, I experienced intense sweating in bed, horrible nervousness and anxiety, flushing, fast heart beat, dry mouth, light headedness, nausea, mood swings, confusion, and loss of appetite. I later read up on the side effects of prednisone, most of which were present, the loss of appetite being the only exception. I even had to stay home from work one day. Well, it wasn't hard for me to decide to stop taking it after that second dose. The 1st day off the prednisone, I still had most of these symptoms, but they didn't seem as intense. I decided to go to work and within the first 2 hours, I had a strange episode. My heart started beating out of control, my hands got really clammy, I was shaking and experiencing great confusion. I left work and was able to drive home (I live 5 minutes away) and I just lied down on my sofa and breathed deep until it went away. It's now been nearly 48 hours since my last dose (which was only my second, mind you) and I still feel off/not myself. My bug bite is also nearly completely healed, no thanks to the pred I'm sure. I will never take this horrid drug again as I've had one of the most hellish few days of my life.
Keebs31002 - I was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection last friday and they gave me an antibiotic and prednisone. I wish I would have found this website first. It was a tapering pak, 6 doses on the first day and go down from there. I took 4 doses on day one before I was crying and freaking out about my new job. The anxiety was insane! My heart pounds randomly which gets me all worked up. I have to take benadryll at night to sleep. I was put on Buspar and Xanax for the anxiety and sent to the ER so a counsoler could talk to me. I wake up in the middle of the night heart rapidly pounding and me having a panic attack for whatever reason. Last night was the first night since I took it that I slept all the way through. But the anxiety attacked me full force when I got to work. Its horrible, this is one of the worst experiences of my life and my doc says its just me that the prednisone is out of my system by now. I will never poison myself with this ever again. Its been 9 days since the last dose. When will this just go away!
Laurababylon - I understand how you feel! Don't let the doctors fool you, this drug can have LASTING side effects. the first 4 weeks after taking the drug was horrible but i still also felt the effects up to 8 weeks after this drug!! Several doctors also told me it was "just me" and kept giving me other medications My heart rate was at an excess of 200 bpm and i was given high blood pressure meds to control it but guess what, those started LOWERING my blood pressure to dangerous levels and tried to put me on zoloft which gave me HORRIBLE nausea so i stopped taking them both after finally finding out that nothing was wrong with me and it was only the prednisone. The only thing that helped was xanax for the sleeplessness. I took a similar dose as you because my trachea was inflamed and it took 4 weeks for the worst symptoms to go away but nearly 8-10 for the anxiety and sleeplessness to fully go away. The anxiety was terrible but it seemed to lessen more and more each week. I hope this provides some comfort for you! You will feel normal again! Hopefully sooner the later, everyone reacts differently!
Yc1000 - I am so glad I found this page. I developed severe hives and was put on pred 30mg for 5 days. Have experienced all kinds of side effects from racing heart beat to intense palm sweating.. Currently experiencing muscle ache on my shoulders check and arms. Yesterday night was my last dose. I really can't wait to flush the drug out of my system and get back to my life!
Ojosverdes - I ALSO WAS PUT ON THE PREDNISONE FOR BRONCHITIS WAS GIVEN THE FIRST DOSE BY SHOT AT THE HOSPITAL AND THEN THE OTHER ONES THE NEXT DAY BY PILL 6 OF THEM SPRED OUT 2 BEFORE BREAKFAST 1 AFTER LUNCH 1 AFTER DINNER AND 2 AT BED TIME DAY 2 1 BEFORE BREAKFAST 1 AFTER LUNCH AND 1 AFTER DINNER AND 2 AT BED TIME .. AND SO ON UNTIL DAY 6 WITCH I TOOK MY LAST PILL TODAY .AND ITS NOW 3:06 AM AND STILL CANT SLEEP AND IF I DO FALL ASLEEP I WAKE UP WITH PANNIC, HEART BEATING FAST AND SO SHAKEY MY FACE HAS A RED RASH ACROSS IT ON BOTH CHEEKS AND TO TOP THAT IM STILL COUGHING ... IM NOT SURE HOW LONG THIS IS GOING TO LAST .. I HOPE NOT LONG DONT NO HOW MUCH MORE I CAN TAKE... BUT JUST WANTED TO THANK EVERY ONE OUT THERE WHO LEFT COMMETS LIKE THESE SO THAT PEOPLE LIKE ME COULD READ THEM AND NOT FEEL ALONE AND SCARED....... THANK YOU ......
Keebs31002 - Im bipolar and the prednisone threw me into an episode. I am okay now, thank God, but It took almost 3 1/2 weeks. I am on a Beta blocker to keep my heart rate down, im on 30 mg of Buspar a day for the anxiety and Im on Paxil for the depression. You will get back to normal though. It just takes a while for the Prednisone to run its course.
Dak1 - I have astma which is under control most of the time. But the first week of January I developed an infection and bronchitis. I made a trip to the ER in the middle of the night having breathing difficulties. The ER Dr prescribed 3 20mg tablets of Prednisone a day for five days along with an antibiotic. I was back a week later and was prescribed the same 20mg as before. A few days after completing the dosage I began to have absolutely horrible panic or anxiety attacks. My heart beat has been irregular and has raced for hours at a time. The anxiety attacks seemed to lessen both in number and severity until today. They have returned! My Dr has prescribed Xanax which helps but I am afraid to rely too much on another drug as I understand that Xanax is highly addictive. In short it has been almost 4 weeks since taking this awful drug and problems persist. Mentally I don't feel to be the same person. I am worried all of the time. The anxiety attacks continue, my heart races and occassionally skips beats and I have high blood pressure that I have never had until now. I only hope that time will lesson the terrible affects of this horrible drug. Please think twice before taking Prednisone.
Kate1964 - I've experienced all of these symptoms as well taking the prednisone. In addition, I have apparently begun snoring so badly my boyfriend can't sleep and it's starting to wear on us. I started off at 8 pills a day and am down to 4. My doctor said to taper off 1 per week until done and that to stop cold turkey is extremely bad! ( I don't know how much longer I can handle being woken up 5 or 6 times per night - because of my snoring) Neither of us are getting any sleep...does anyone have some good advice?
Laurababylon - You may have read my story already but i felt the exact same way. It took 6 weeks for me to start to feel okay and nearly 10 to really feel back to normal! Hang in there though, it will go away eventually. I wouldn't worry to much about the xanax, people typically don't become addicted or dependent to it in short term use.
Laurababylon - How are the beta blockers for you? I was on Atenolol and it about 2-3 weeks into it i had to stop them because it started to lower my blood pressure to dangerous levels, which is also really scary if you've ever felt the symptoms. Im thinking this is when the side effects from the pred stopped effecting my heart rate, so since my heart rate was back to normal i had no use for it anymore.
Dak1 - I have been doing a little internet research about the anxiety and panic attacks that I have been suffering with since taking the Prednisone. Does anyone have any experience with taking the diet supplement Inositol? I can find only positive comments with only very mild occasional side effects. Anyone had first experience. I am currently afraid to take any kind of medication but I have to get relief somehow.
Dianeborders - Thank you for the info Laurababylon!! I guess I'll give it a good 10 weeks before I get really panicked about continuing anxiety and forgetfulness (as well as insomnia).
Clo7760 - I am looking for some help....I was on prednisone for a short taper 7 days (for my asthma) and that didn't help so then I was placed on a long taper. I was on it for about 14 days total. Now I am having racing heart and I am freaking out. I am actually going to have a nuclear stress test tomm. to check for pulmonary embolism and blocked arteries...now I am even more freaking out!!! I am hoping it was the meds but it just seems to be getting worse than better and the more I thik about it the more nervous I get....I am flipping out right now about the test worried I may have a heart attack at any moment or stroke! Please can anyone help me?? I need to see if anyone else has experienced the same symptoms...I have been off the pred since last thursday so almost 6 days...Thanks you!
Laurababylon - Hi Clo, did you read the other comments? They can answer your questions but first i want to say DONT PANIC lol even though im sure its hard to at the moment. Rapid heart beat is a very common side effect to this drug. I only took it for 7 days and i had a rapid heart rate for about 4-6 weeks. 10 days after stopping the drug I went to the E. R because it was at an excess of 200 bpm at times. I told them about taking prednisone and they told me it couldnt be a side effect and put me through a battery of tests. Im only 21....everything came back negative and they said it was just anxiety. I was freaking out at the time too. They gave me a drug called atenolol to control my heart rate and it worked but about 3 weeks into it i had to stop it because it started lowering my blood pressure. When i stopped my heart rate was finally back to normal without any drugs. In short don't worry this is a common side effect, your doctor can give you meds to control it untill the side effects wear off. Your side effects can typically take anywhere from 4-10 weeks to wear off. Dont be surprised if your doctor tells you that prednisone could not cause this. You can read my other posts and other peoples stories for more answers! Good Luck!
Clo7760 - Thank you Laura....this does help a bit but until I have that lovely test tomm...I'm still in a bit of a panic....I hope it is the preds and not something else. It does help to see other people in the same boat as me just dont' understand why it is getting worse and not better after being off it for a few days. My heart didn't beat like this while I was on it...just a few rapid heart times but now it seems almost constant.
Laurababylon - lol i think someone could have told me i won the lotto and i would have been panicked when i was having my side effects, i was a basket case to say the least. Mine didn't really start till after i stopped taking them either, from what i have gathered it can take time for your body specifically adrenal gland to "adjust" after stopping the pred. So don't be shocked if things get a bit worst in the next few days but just know that it will get better if it is just side effects. It may take time, everyone's body reacts differently. Ive also read this is a very unpredictable drug, we know it reduces inflammation but there is much more to learn about in regards to this drug and how it effects other parts of our body.
Clo7760 - wow thank you again....the more you write the better I feel lol....That does help a bit and my husband says I need to stop taking my blood pressure with his pressure cuff...he says that is making it worse and I think he is right! Thanks again and hopefully everything will go well tomm and it's just the pred....I appreciate it so much that you have written to me!!
Clo!
Keebs31002 - I've been on Toperol for about 2 weeks. I am doing fine on it. Of course, my dad is also on it and so is my brother. So maybe the Prednisone just brought to surface an underlying problem. I only take half a pill though because he didn't want it to lower my blood pressure. Of course I take that and 20 mg of Buspar at night and my bp drops to an avg of 93/49 ish. But it goes away after a little while.
Earthsister10 - I am glad I am not the only one feeling crazy and thinking it's got to be Prednisone! My first experience with Prednisone was 10 years ago and I was left with acne scars and a social anxiety disorder. My anxiety was so debilitating that I could barely approach the check out to pay for items without spiraling into a mini-panic attack. It took me 8 years to wean off the anti-anxiety medication and now I find myself on another rollercoaster ride as I am on another dose of Prednisone to treat a rare autoimmune disorder. Apparently, I forgot just how bad things got. At least the first time, I went into remission. This time I am having no such luck, Although before Xmas I had a sudden affirmation of faith...that I am now beginning to realize was probably a prednisone induced delusion along with the other symptoms which included insomnia and heart palpitations ( I thought of the movie Alien....because I literally felt something was going to burst out of my chest cavity!) Well, the prednisone is being tapered and the faith is gone! I have started a new job and feel I can barely cope because I am so anxious and just plain dumb! I cannot focus or think straight The thought of going back on psychotropic medication to function normally breaks my heart, but I fear I have no option. The chronic disease is causing enough strain and horrible symptoms let alone dealing with the side effects of the 'treatment'. Oh I am so NOT enjoying life at the moment. I am eccentric to begin with and this drug has just made me 'ugly, dumb and crazy'!! Do your research...I don't think its worth it. The negatives far out weigh the positives!!
Narobi - My mother was prescribed Prednisone to treat her pulmonary fibrosis. About five days in she started getting confused, thinking her medical doctor didn't know about the prescriptions her other doctors were giving her. The next day she began thinking that her social security number was on her checks and that every time she wrote a check, she was giving away her SS#. Now she is totally out of it. She is extremely happy one minute, confused the next, suspicious of strangers, thinks that long ago deceased relatives are still alive. The doctor says she needs the Prednisone to help with her lungs as they are on the verge of failure. We don't know what to do...
Earthsister10 - Do any of you also have trouble concentrating and organizing your thoughts? I am just so 'scattered' which also ties in with a vicious cycle of insomnia and anxiety.
Dak1 - It has been 8 weeks since stopping this awful drug and still no relief. Anxiety actually seems to be getting worse and I haven' slept through a night for 8 weeks. Still occassional severe panic attacks. The only thing that has improved is my racing heartbeats because I am now taking a beta blocker.
Bama42 - At the end of February, I suddenly came down with a HORRIBLE allergic rash after taking amoxicillin. The dermatologist prescribed prednisone to take orally and another steroid ointment to apply after baths. I started with 40mg prednisone per day for 7 days, 20mgs per day for 7 days, and then 10mgs per day for 2 weeks. Aside from some acne breakouts on my back, the medicine completely cleared up my rash an I felt great.
It's now a little over two weeks since I took the last dosage and I'm experiencing EXTREME fatigue and tiredness. I can barely keep my eyes open. I already suffer from depression and anxiety that is under control, but now I'm feeling anxious and spacey most of the time. My hormones are also screwed up. I had two periods in one month and my breasts are contantly sore. Acne breakouts are popping up on my face. I called my dermatologist and he said that these symptoms are consistant with prednisone withdrawal and they should subside gradually. While I'm glad to hear it's the prednisone and something isn't horribly wrong with me, I still want these symptoms to go away NOW!
Rosiet - I had been coughing for 5 weeks and under the supervision of a doctor, but none of the drugs worked (antibiotics, antihistamines). Finally I went and saw a pulmonary specialist ahd he prescribed cough medicine and prednisone 20 mg daily for 4 weeks and 10 mg for 1 week. He warned me of the side effects and especaily the intense hunger and weight gain. After 1 day on the meds, my coughing stopped. I had a lots of energy and all body pains disapperead. It was like a miracle drug for me. To counteract the intense hunger, I ate primarily brown rice with any beans (lentils) with meat or eggs. Breakfast was a high fiber cereal with almond milk/slightly green banana or multi-grain bread with almond butter and a banana (slightly green). Lunch was a green salad with beans, avocados, tomatoes, cucumbers, chicken or meat or fish or eggs. It kept me full between meals. During this 5 week period, I lost my craving for sweets: pastries, candies, etc. and managed to lose weight. Its been a week since I've stopped taking the drug and I feel exhausted every day whether I had 6 or 10 hours of sleep. So if anyone knows what you can do to regain your normal energy, please let me know.
Nancybr1 - Rosiet, I read your post and it sounds so similar to my experience. I had a cough that got worse due tosome damage to my lung from radiation treatments for breast cancer. The doc send treatment was prednisone but just wanted to do as little as possible- put me on 10 mg 2xday for 14 days. A few hours after taking my 1st dose I felt almost euphoric- like my mood had been elevated. I felt a sense of energy and motivation that I hadn't had in a long time (i've been dealing with depression from all the hormone side effects from the cancer treatment). I also noticed over the next 2 days that I had no more back or body pains and the cough got better. i lost my cravings for chocolate (which were intense) and instead started craving vegetable smoothies and almond milk with a spoonful of cinnamin. The craving for this was very intense. That was a good thing because i thought that now I could overcome my chocolate cravings. But about 3-4 days after being on it I noticed some insomnia kick in and now I was pretty anxious and felt almost manic in my energy level. I also started to get pretty aggrevated with my kids. i cut back to 1/2 the dose for the next week and told my doctor. (He was ok with that ) Now it's been 2 days since my last dose and I feel depressed again and very emotional. The chocolate cravings are back and I have a chest cold. I don't know how much good it did me but it sure was a wild and unusual ride for the past 2 weeks. What could cause these types of food cravings I wonder?
Nancybr1 - Rosiet, I read your post and it sounds so similar to my experience. I had a cough that got worse due tosome damage to my lung from radiation treatments for breast cancer. The doc send treatment was prednisone but just wanted to do as little as possible- put me on 10 mg 2xday for 14 days. A few hours after taking my 1st dose I felt almost euphoric- like my mood had been elevated. I felt a sense of energy and motivation that I hadn't had in a long time (i've been dealing with depression from all the hormone side effects from the cancer treatment). I also noticed over the next 2 days that I had no more back or body pains and the cough got better. i lost my cravings for chocolate (which were intense) and instead started craving vegetable smoothies and almond milk with a spoonful of cinnamin. The craving for this was very intense. That was a good thing because i thought that now I could overcome my chocolate cravings. But about 3-4 days after being on it I noticed some insomnia kick in and now I was pretty anxious and felt almost manic in my energy level. I also started to get pretty aggrevated with my kids. i cut back to 1/2 the dose for the next week and told my doctor. (He was ok with that ) Now it's been 2 days since my last dose and I feel depressed again and very emotional. The chocolate cravings are back and I have a chest cold. I don't know how much good it did me but it sure was a wild and unusual ride for the past 2 weeks. What could cause these types of food cravings I wonder?
Junebug68 - I had a minor reaction to peanuts and in the ER they gave me pred, benadryl, and a stomach med combo IV drug, Immediately I felt icy-hot feeling in my chest which the nurse said was normal. I left with a script for 50mg Prednisone to be taken 1xdaily for five days. The following day I took the medication as prescribed and became extremely confused, icy hotness in my chest, a strange sensation in my head like I was under water, racing heart, sweats, anxiety. The following day I went to my MD and reported the symptoms and she told me to break the 50 in 1/2 and tale 25mg tow times a day and then gave me a script for 10mg and told me to take one 4 times per day. Arriving home I did as directed and took 25mg. Within hours the symptoms came in waves, hitting me over and over. A family member took me to the ER and they told me to stop taking it. I never took the 10mg tablets. I am still very sick and it is 4 days later. I have missed work and my college classes. The confusion is profound and unlike me. The anxiety is mounting and comes in crashing waves along with all the other symptoms at the same time. I have children and no one to be with me. I get afraid I am going to die and pace around even though I am dizzy and unsteady on my feet. The allergic reaction to the peanut was not severe enough to be going through this. The medications have made me far, far worse than why I went to the ER to begin with.
Nancybr1 - Wow Junebug68! I'm so sorry you had such a bad reaction to it. I would think you will start to feel better as it gets out of your system and adreal glands are back to normal again. After my last dose it took me a few days of "withdrawal like" symptoms but it did get better.
Cloak291 - Hi All - I cant tell you how much my experience is similar to everyone else's. I was given a 10 day course of Prednisone on Jan 31st 2012 (20 mg). I really should have looked up the side effects but for some reason I trusted the doctor. On day 8, i started developing anxiety which landed me up in the ER on Feb 12th. My anxiety and insomnia were so bad that I didnt sleep for 5 days. Then started Ativan for sleep. on March 19th, I started seeing a psychiatrist and he switched me to Klonopin which has helped stabilize me. I have NO history of anxiety or panic before. It has been 6.5 weeks off the Presnisone and I am better but there is still anxiety. Also, I have a constant warm face and flushing/sweating.
Has anyone else experienced this ? How long do these symptoms last? I read somewhere between 6 weeks and 6 months... Can someone please comment? I would really appreciate it!
Nancybr1 - Hi Cloak291!
I am not quite sure about how long your side effects will last. I would like to comment about some things I have thought about regarding prednisone. When I take prednisone it makes me feel like I used to when I drank a lot of coffee or diet pop with caffine. I had to give it up (the caffine consumption) first, because I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and second, I would get so wired on it that it was negatively affecting my life. When I took the prednisone a few weeks ago, I felt those same feelings again. From what I have read I know that prednisone suppresses the function of your adrenal glands thereby reducing the levels of hormones secreted by the adrenal glands including cortisol and other hormones. Caffine also recks havoc on our hormones and adrenal glands. The caffine will cause your adrenals to go into the "fight or flight mode" which is what gives us that boost when we drink it. But then several hours later you can experience a crash. You feel like crap until you get more. It also can affect your estrogen and other hormones. I think like caffine, prednisone can affect our hormones in ways we don't realize. I think it can cause imbalances that we may not be aware of, which may be the symptoms you are experiencing. I know that when I was going through a very stressful time and was drinking lots of coffee and eating dark chocolate I had unexplainable flushing that would last for an hour or 2 at a time. I believe it may have been related to how my glands and hormones were affected by the caffine. So similarly, maybe your hormones are still trying to balance themselves out from the prednisone. Also, did you consume any caffine while taking the prednisone? I read somewhere that that was not a good thing to do because of the affect on the adrenals.
Nancy :)
Auto - Is there sombody out here that have got there sleep back after went short time like me 9 days on prednisone 40 mg taper down to 10 mg and stop.
I got insomnia 2 1/2 year a go. . before prednisone i never had problem to sleep.
I have heard that its smart to tray 2,5 mg prednisone for short time.
Have sombody tried that?
Please help.
Cloak291 - What symptoms did you have while you were on Prednisone? Did you get anxiety? Did you get on Klonopin. I use a small dose of Klonopin and Melatonin to get some sleep. I never had problems with sleep before Prednisone. Can you elaborate on your story?
Cloak291 - What symptoms did you have while you were on Prednisone? Did you get anxiety? Did you get on Klonopin. I use a small dose of Klonopin and Melatonin to get some sleep. I never had problems with sleep before Prednisone. Can you elaborate on your story?
Hopeful3 - Okay- I have been watching these posts for some time and decided to chime in. I took prednisone for 3 days. My last dose was on 2/19/12. That evening I began major anxiety symptoms. I had been absolutely normal up till that laat dose. I took it for bronchitis. It's been a long road. The first week I couln't even go to work. I slept about 11 hours that whole week. I went to see a psychiatrist out of sheer panic. My most irritating symptoms of anxiety are breathlessness, nausea at times, and the inability to fall asleep without startling. I too take .25 clonazapam and drink sleepytime tea just before bed. This Sunday will be the 10th week. Some days are good days and some days are not. I tried to take Lexapro a few weeks ago but could not tolerate the nausea. I really don't have any extra weight to lose. I lost about 10 lbs. in those first few weeks. I am still considering starting a different antidepressant but I really would rather that my body fixed itself. I am thankful for chats like these. I would love to see our stories end happily.
Cloak291 - Hi Hopeful3 - I too am thankful for chats like these. I have never had problems with anxiety and now am saddled with this... It will be 10 weeks for me on Monday off Prednisone (Feb 12th 2012). I also take 0.25mg of Klonopin + melatonin to help me sleep at night.
Are you any better after 10 weeks? What is your psychiatrist saying? Mine seems hopeful that my anxiety will go away at some point.
Cynthiajean - Cynthiajean - Hello you pred takers - I have had some problems too. Not the anxiety you speak of but feeling shaky and off balance - my partner says I look drunk walking down the street - at 9.30 in the morning! I have taken 30mg of pred since 9th January 2012 and every time they try to lower it I get headaches. From what you all say I am not really looking forward to being off it - the withdrawal symptoms sound rotten. I also take 4 x 500mg Metformin every day. I am 75 years old and feeling rather fed up!! Does anyone else have this shaky unbalanced feeling? Thanks for your reply.
Hopeful3 - Hi Cloak291-I have only seen the psychiatrist once. She doesn't say one way or the other. Seems like a wait and see kind of situation. I even feel very down at this point- like life just will not be the same. Hence the idea of an antidepressant to rebalance things. I'm just really afraid to use any other meds.
Auto - Here is some artikkel found about sleeping problem and insomnia prednisone.
Maybe we need prednison 2,5 mg to adjust adrenal funktsion?
Corticosteroid treatment is frequently associated with psychiatric disturbances. These adverse effects are unusual with low dose of corticosteroid. We describe a patient who rapidly developed a steroid-induced psychosis with very low dose of prednisolone. A 48-year-old woman of Sheehan's syndrome was admitted to hospital with insomnia, euphoric moods and visual hallucinations. She had taken prednisolone (10 mg in the morning and 5 mg at night) for 6 days before admission. These symptoms appeared after first dose of prednisolone. A diagnosis of acute psychosis was made. After improvement of acute psychosis with discontinuation, re-administration of prednisolone at a dose of 2.5 mg per day gave rise to agitation and insomnia. She recovered completely by gradual dosage increase of short-acting corticosteroid after the discontinuation of prednisolone.
Tell me if sombody trying this and it help.
Auto - Here is another artikkel I found:
I can relate. I never sleep as good as I do on Prednisone. I have no idea why, but i take it right before bedtime and usually sleep like a rock.
Dogs and Cats - I was on prednisone for 6 days in August 2011. I have not been able to sleep AT ALL without various sleeping medications ever since.
Cloak291 - Ewohlust.
What were your symptoms while on the Prednisone? Anxiety? What meds were you
On? What sleeping medications do you take? Thanks in advance!
Dogs and Cats - Cloak291- I had no anxiety while on the prednisone. The insomnia and anxiety and insomnia started four days after I completed it. Lately I've been on 30 mg flurazepam
Cloak291 - Ewolust - Thanks for the reply. That is a Benzo. Are'nt you afraid of getting addicted? How long have you been on it? What other drugs have you tried? What have the doctors said about the insomnia?
Has the anxiety gone away? Thank you so much for your replies.
Dogs and Cats - Cloak291 - I really didn't have much choice because I hadn't slept at all in almost a month, and very little for another month while on non-benzos. I've been on it for about six months and I am about to start a taper at 5% per week. The doctors have been no help. All say that prednisone can't cause long-term insomnia, but I've seen quite a number of cases on the net of people developing long-term insomnia directly on the heels of insomnia.
Dogs and Cats - Cloak291 - Yes, all three, as well as Lunesta and yoga.
Have you gotten insomnia after taking prednisone? If so, how long has it been going on?
Cloak291 - I stopped Prednisone on feb 12th. Have been on either Ativan or Klonopin since.
I am starting to taper my Klonopin now. Any tips for me ? Thanks!
Dogs and Cats - I wish I knew. I haven't found anyone to help. I tried going off several times but probably tried too big of a taper. I just hope I can drop the meds this time and be successful. I've seen a number of posts from people who still have severe insomnia years after taking prednisone. Mine has been horrible. I don't sleep one bit without the drugs. I never had any troubles sleeping before that in my life.
Tammycfm15 - Wow finally found other people that have the same problems. I've tried and tried to tell the drs that prednisone does not have the correct effect on me but no one ever believes mr. Ever since I took back in 2009 I had to start taken Xanax due to anxiety which I never had problems with. I'm going to look more into this.
Tammysea - I stopped taking low-dose Prednisone (5mg once daily) for an RA flare. I stopped 3 days ago and I feel awful. Dizziness, fogginess, and irritability for no good reason. Is the "recovery" time the same for lower doses? i've taken it in the past for flares and never experienced this before after stopping. This is horrible. I could just cry.
Caudet - Here is another reaction. My daughter was stung by a bee, went to the clinic which gave her a shot of adrenalin and prednisone. Then gave her a prescription for prednisone. She didn't start it till 7am the next morning. Buy the time she got to work at 8:30, her body was starting to twitch. She immedialtely drove home and called a friend, then called me (in another state). She was having involuntary muscle twitching which she couldn't control. By the time her friend arrived, she was all curled up but still able to speak. She ended up at the ER on Benadryl drip for hours. She went home later that day. Had a fever, rash and more twitching. They told her to continue the bendryl when the symptoms reappear. how long is this gong to go on, is there going to be lasting repercussions? Should she still be worried? Should I be worried?
Jayneb - Jayne - I have just finished last Monday 5 weeks of Prednisone have been asthmatic for most of my 41 years. I have been on many courses of Prednisone over the duration, but this time I have been very anxious, depressed, have put on weight, aching joints and a RED ITCHY SWOLLEN FACE which my doctor believes it is from taking Prednisone. Even though I have not taken the medicine for a week, all these symptoms are still going on. It can take approximately a month before everything gets back to normal.... I have also been losing lots of head hair which again after speaking to an Asthma Nurse she confirmed that this can happen too. But, the plus point is that I can breathe !!!!!
Hopeful3 - Dear cloak291- how are things progressing for you? We seem to be on about the same schedule. Curious if the anxiety has subsided at all.
Cloak291 - Hi Hopeful3 - I have come down to 0.09mg of the Klonopin (water titration) and am generally better but the anxiety is still there. I am not yet normal. Its almost been 4 months. I am sleeping better though (alternating passionflower and benadryl at night.
How much sleep are you getting? Are you on the Klonopin?
Basically, after going to natural doctors, I have been diagnosed with Adrenal Fatigue after the Prednisone... I am drinking Tulsi (holy Basil) tea which is an adaptogen to balance out my cortisol.
Please write back and keep in touch as well. I would be happy to share my email address as well. I am in contact with two other people going through what I am going through as well.
Hopeful3 - Thanks for responding Cloak291. I am not on anything. My sleep is better but not what it was before this mess. I am also experiencing some depression now, maybe due to the length of this whole ordeal. I got some of the Tulsi tea this week and have started that and am also taking some adrenal supplements through Standard Process. I would love to email with you all. Let me know how to get that information to you.
Cloak291 - Hopeful3 - Use Cloak291@yahoo.com - Will look for your email...
Use the Tulsi WITHOUT caffeine! What adrenal supplements are you on? Please share!
Mariav - MariaV- My doctor prescribed 60mg/day of Prednisone for 7 days with no tapering. He said tapering is not necessary if you are taking a dosage for less than 2 weeks. That goes against everything I've read online about taking Prednisone. Anyway, in that short time my face gained a very noticeable amount of weight, my stomach was more bloated and got the hump on the back of my neck. All around my neck was sore to the touch and my throat felt swollen, but not with any pain. Nonetheless, I survived the 7 days and have been off the meds for about 6 weeks. For the last 4 weeks, I have a very strange feeling in the back of my head...everyday. It's a lightheadedness that sometimes feels like I'm on a rollercoaster. I notice it the most when I'm driving in the car. It is a very scary feeling and I'm also experiencing anxiety due to that. In the last week or so, I'm noticing my hands are twitching, they feel shaky and weak. I went to see the doc because I had to pull over the other day because I thought I was going to pass out. He said there's no way it can be the prednisone and he also didn't believe I could have had all the puffiness with such a short course. I mentioned that i had a couple of mini panic attacks while driving and he asked a round of questions and then decided that I needed an anti depressant and prescribed lexapro. I decided that he was wrong at his diagnosis and decided not to take the meds. I saw a pain management doc a week before that and mentioned my lightheadedness to her and she ordered to have my cortisol level taken. Makes sense to me that it could be low since I wasn't weaned off of the pred. I'm still waiting for the results. I'm hoping that is my issue because it is very unsettling not to know what this is all from and I've never had this in my life until now. I'm pretty convinced that it's a result of the prednisone but just don't know what to do about it. I do know that I won't go back to that doctor. Sounds like many other docs out there are dismissing the prednisone as well from what I'm reading. It really angers me.
Panky124 - I just came off a 5 day course of Prednisone and I feel great! In fact, after taking the drug I felt back to normal for the first time in years. After 24hours my Eczema and rashes cleared up completely. I'm noticing a bit of brain fog and malaise now I am off the drug but I'm thinking that has more to do with my adrenals not kicking in enough yet to produce my own natural steroid.
Snowey71 - I got a prescription for a 5 day 60mg dose of this drug with no taper. While taking it I felt great. 2 days after I stopped I had the worst headache of my life and felt sick. Now a week after stopping I'm still having a racing heart and when I try to workout I am dizzy and naseous afterwords like my blood sugar dropped. I went to the doctor and they checked my heart and sugars and said everything is normal. I will never take this drug again.
Shaun_nz - I am an Outward Bound Instructor and normal have had no rash in the past. I had a rash that developed over my face so my doctor gave me 30mg for 5 days of prednisone, It then did not become better so he gave me 60mg a day for 12 days plus 3 other drugs. I finished the steroid 4 days ago now and now am showing signs of what most people have said here. First thing was red dots that started to appear over my face and then body (pimple like) I had trouble sleeping while on the pills but now its worse, I don't feel like my normal self and feel spaced,dizzy, Over the night my heart has been racing and I feel short of breath with a sore throat, I also have red dots on my tongue, I feel bloated and have gained a few KG over the week. My muscle ach, esp around my neck, I have to A&E for a follow up today but its at 4pm hong Kong time, Should I go in earlier? What should I do next? are you able to work normally very fast or dose it take time ? Hope you can help
Cloak291 - Hopeful3 - You didnt email... How is your sleep? What exactly is happening. I awake early every morning and cant go back to sleep... have to take melatonin to knock me out again...
Monya - So glad I found this site on the internet. I thought I'm either going to die or going mad.
My dr prescribed Pulmison (which is the South African version of Predilone). 200 mg 2x a day for a week for severe sinusitis together with antibiotics.
No tappering of method. While using it I was a bit like a duracell bunny, couldn't sleep or relax and swollen. My eyes, my hands, my face, my neck, my tummy and feet. Terrible to look at myself in the mirror.
Tuesday morning I took my last dose. Tuesday evening I woke-up with no feelings all over my body. I could not get out of bed. My tongue and throat was swollen and I felt something terrible is going to happen to me. Pain on my chest, needles and pins in my hands no feeling in the rest of my body.
My mum took me to the hospital emergency room, where they die EKG, put me ozone therapy, ativan (2x) to make me relax and to breath normal. They say it was a panic attatck due to stress at work. DR said it can't be the cortisone.
Went back home slept all day long. Feel so out of touch with myself and body. Last night terrible headaches, flashing lights almost like a migraine.
This morning no feeling in my hands, hart racing and pain in the chest, Took another ativan, will fall asleep soon.
What can I do to get this out of my system???
Jaim1208 - I had an anaphylaxis reaction 3 days ago and have been on pred each day. It's only 50mg but I was also given large amounts of fluid and potassium IV. Ive gained 7kg in 3 days am puffy and feel like I have gas trapped in my abdominal area everywhere! Very sore.. Left hospital today (day 3) and doc gave me tapering off advice, but i just want to stop it straight away!!! Don't really have any other symptoms other then wanting to wee all the time and not being able to open my Bowles..
Any advice please????
Cloak291 - Do not stop... taper it off. I am not a doctor. Please ask your doctor for tapering advice. I have had an anxiety disorder since Feb. It is getting better but VERY slowly.. I was only on 20mg for 12 days and then stopped w/ no taper.
Wish-believer - Thank god thank GOD I found this thread you have no idea how this has relieved me. I was experiencing an illness which I believe was mono for a month (I think the blood tests were inaccurate because I had every symptom in the book) and my doctor gave me this steroid to give me a "boost". I was on Prednisone for three days at 40mg a day, it was supposed to be for a week but the minute I took it I started to feel horrible. I have a history of anxiety that I was controlling with a natural remedy and had not had a single problem for WEEKS because of it. But disregarding that my doctor still prescribed me Prednisone and life turned into hell. Insomnia, late period, depression, anxiety, mood swings, weakness, fatigue, sore muscles, tearfullness, you name it, I probably have it. And it's been about SIX WEEKS since I've been off this stuff. Hang in there everyone! You're in my thoughts!
Cloak291 - Ticked - Thanks for your thoughtful post. It has been almost 6 months for me and I am almost 80% better but still cant take any stress at all. I get dizzy, confused, flushing and I also have sleep problems (wake up early). I agree with you that this is some sort of adrenal fatigue etc. I am on a heavy dose of vitamins and minerals plus an adaptogen (Holy Basil).
Do you think going back on a low dose of Prednisone would solve the issue? I just hope that I recover someday...
Ticked - Hi Cloak,
According to my doctor, the solution to the crisis I had would have been to add prednisone back. But then comes the issue of getting off it and that can be a huge ordeal. The real problem is the fatigued adrenal and what to do about it. I know eating right, exercising and stress reduction is the key to recovery, but easier said than done. I have been charting my symptoms and as of two weeks ago, I thought I was finally better. Then my gastroenterologist's office called and said I was long overdue for my colonoscopy and could they book it. My family is riddled with colon cancer and my Dad's cancer returned a year ago, just when I was due for my test. I had put it off while caring for him, obviously, but once I got home I just couldn't face it. But since my doctor was good enough to call I had it done. Well, now I am back to square one...depression, anxiety, nausea, dizziness, flushing, and basically feeling like heck. You would think that after having gotten the procedure over with and getting two thumbs up, I would be elated. Apparently my adrenals have other plans. I will eventually head back to my regular doctor again about the whole ordeal and get his opinion on any additional things I can try to speed things along, but while I am crashed I can't even think about picking up the phone to call. Since stress has been my main stumbling block, and we all have it and always will, what I have started to do is a practice called Mindfulness Meditation. It's scientifically studied meditation, not the hocus pocus from the sixties, and even though I was skeptical at first, I am impressed with its results. I am using it as just another tool to help reduce the stress and take the pressure off my adrenals. You can Google Mindfulness Meditation and the Dr. researching it...Jon Kabat-Zinn. There is a lot on it and even YouTube sessions you can follow. A lot of what you practice is also covered in stress reduction seminars put on by health organizations. You will recover Cloak! You already are on the way. Just hang in there!!
Saintkilledher - this nasty drug caused me so much grief you have no idea...insomnia,acne,dry mouth,really bad moods and depression and night sweats
Saintkilledher - this nasty drug caused me so much grief you have no idea,insomnia,acne,puffy face,dry mouth,night sweats..and when i went of it headaches,depression,anxiety
Shaun_nz - If you do get put on this drug make sure you ask your doctor about the affects once you finish your dose, My doctor did not explain all the risk as he told me one week on 60mg a day was a small dose but from what I herd from other doctors thats a big amount, I did not get tapper off from it either which caused huge problems. I still have acne from the large dose that I had but its has slowley become better now being over a month, I have to take 30mg a day when I have a bad reaction when im working in the bush, wish every one best of luck and hope you get better soon
Saintkilledher - A week later after stopping my depression is worse my skin is still all spoty and with acne,also this nasty drug can stop you from absorbing nutrients...and im a celiac so thats a double wamy...I should be thankfull my hair didnt fall out like some experience,I feel like killing the doctor that put me on this
Zanderman - Zanderman-Cloak-Ticked-hopeful 3 weeks ago I was prescribed prednisone for a rash. I took 20 mg in the morning and 20 mg at night the first day. That night I could not sleep at all. In the morning I called the doctor to see if I could stop taking it. He said I should take 10mg that day and again the next to help taper. I took 10mg that second day and began experiencing anxiety shortly after. I did not take the next pill on the third day. The next few days I had waves of anxiety, dizziness, sweats ect. and insomnia. Each day it got slightly better. On the third day I got in to see my doctor who said he would prescribe me something if I did not improve. The next day or two I improved to my normal self and was able to sleep normally. This continued for a couple of weeks then these symptoms returned along with tension headaches. Its been about 3 weeks since I have been off. I am hesitant to take more meds to deal with these symptoms. Its been hard to focus at work and get sleep at night What have any of you done to help deal with these issues? Diet, work out, natural supplements, meds, meditation? I would like to get in contact with people who are going through or have gone through something similar. I hope we can all recover and get on with life. I can be contacted at zanderface@gmail.com
Saintkilledher - 2 weeks later and my skin is only starting to slighty improve...am so worried that i might get stomach cancer like alot of people end up getting from this poisonous drug
what has helped me is urine therapy it has calmed me down made me sleep better and is clearing my skin..i will never take man made drugs ever again...nature is best
Daril - I am so happy i found this website. I was prescribed prednisone for enlarged tonsils . I had to take 40 milligrams for 5 days, but discontinued at day 4 . After I was off the prednisone I began getting massive anxiety, heartburn symptoms, like chest pain, stomach pain, and now I have excessive saliva in the back of my throat. I don't know if its because I have an enlarged tonsil and this is what is causing the excessive saliva problem. My main problem right now is that I have bad back pain, and feel really weak.
Has anyone had these symptoms? I was told I have acid re-flux, but i don't know if it really is acid re-flux or just the prednisone withdraw? I have been to the clinic a lot and no one seemed to have an actual answer.
Does anyone know how long it will take for this crap to be out of my system? And will the muscle and back pain eventually stop?
Someone please answer.
(I know its the medicines that made me have all of these because before I was perfectly fine)
Bbaby - im glad i found this forum.i was starting to think i was loosing my mind.everything i have read is what im going thru as well.i have been on steroids before in the past and never had a reaction like this. mine started 4 weeks ago, i was having some allergy issues so i went to my doctor and he gave me a shot.i was ok for a week and then BAM!!!I woke up feeling shaky and started throwing up,then ended up with loose bowels ..suffered three days of this and it caused me to be dehydrated ,i ended up at a urgent care for IV (on a saturday).They gave me something for throwing up and i went home.By monday i was so sick i could barely walk,so i called my dr and went in to see him.He said i have a yeast infection in my mouth and that was causing my vomiting and so on...so he gave me new meds . i went home and dealt with everything that week, then bam it started again..this time i was shaky..little balance ,feeling very weak...a week and half after my dr visit i ended up in the ER..they tested me for everything they could think of ..according to the test im healthy.So the following week i ended up back at my drs.This time he said he thinks i had a bacteria infection in my gut .now its been a total of 4 weeks sense the shot and i still cant eat much ,i have lost a total of 18 lbs ..and every one looks at me like i a nut case cause no way a steroid shot would do this to a person.I beg to differ.I too cant sleep, i have to take a pill for that..and when i wake in the morning im shaky and my heart is racing.during the day i stay home cause im afraid i will fall and hurt my self cause my balance is a big issue.I have muscle twitches in my legs.So from what i could find on the internet is the shot caused an imbalance in my gut flora that caused the yeast in my mouth and the stomach issues.now im medicating to get my flora back in shape and the steroids out of my system.I will NEVER take this drug again.It has stressed me out to no end and my family as well. Hope this passes soon.
Terriw - Its been a week since I quit taking prednisone and my feet and hands and side of face and head feel hot and I developed constant ringing in one ear. Ive been on this stuff 4 times in 3 months. Now they say its not from prednisone. I'm scheduled for mei oof brain Tuesday. I didn't any of this til 2nd time taking this does anyone have this problem. I'm freaking out!
Be - I had a 2year nightmare that still effects me somewhat now. I would like to say that when you take steroids, you are replacing your bodies' adrenaline. Your body stops producing it. That is why when you discontinue use you must taper off the steroids.
Your body has no adrenaline of its own being made and you must taper off to force your body to make its own adrenaline again. Since all people are different and doses are different the taper off effects are also different. I had very high doses of steroid, it literally made me go off the deep end! I had a physical and mental breakdown. The physical part caused me to come very close to death. Blood pressure through the roof, then plummeting to very dangerous levels. My heart rate was the same extremely high and they couldn't get it to go down. Couldn't breathe. It was absolute hell. Pneumonia was the reason I was given the Prednisone.
The mental breakdown took almost 2 years to go away. I was locked up in mental wards of hospitals, 4times in 6 months. It was horrific. My wonderful family came to my aid and found out about research going on dealing with these exact problems. My
Daughter tracked down the specialist who conducted the research (which was completed) He had retired to Florida but was able to reccommend another Dr. To me
Who specialized in steroid psychosis. I had to drive 1 1/2 hours to see him. I am finally pretty much bak to normal except for my immune system. I'm not sure that will ever return to normal,your guess is as good as mine.
Cloak291 - Hi Be - I have been having a 8 month nightmare so far. Could you tell me a little bit more about how you treated yourself? What doctor did you go to? Are you sure its adrenaline and not cortisol? How many mg of Prednisone were you on?
I was only on 20 mg for 12 days and had terrible anxiety and panic attacks... The panic attacks have gone away but I still have situational anxiety with flushing and early awakenings... I never had any of these problems before the Prednisone. I was prescribed Prednisone due to an ear infection...
Many thanks in advance!
Linmccx - Geez, I am so thankful to have found this site. I am going insane with this prednisone.
Started taking it last Wednesday , 20mg 3 times daily for a skin condition. What took me to the doctor was really high blood pressure causing heart arrhythmia and the nurse practitioner decided to treat the high blood pressure with 10mg lisinopril and also give me an antibiotic and the prednisone. I am 58 years old and had finally gotten over night sweats till now, have been up 3 nights straight drenched, can't sleep at all, my mind is all over the place, anxiety off the charts, and feel like there is a band around the bottom of my skull. Called the doctors today, and they say to stop both of the drugs, no tapering off mentioned. After reading the posts here, I am so very discouraged that this is going to drag on and on. I have never ever had a reaction to any drug in the past. Now I must take to college finals in the next 2 days and do not know how I will maintain a clear thought to finish them. HOW can the medical community let this happen, why isn't there more warnings going on? I read the inserts when I picked up the meds at the pharmacy and thankfully read the side effects myself or would not have even known to expect the prednisone side effects. I am extremely mad about this issue. Is this something an attorney would take note of?
Best of health to all who are suffering, I am going to follow this post to see how well everyone is doing....thanks for listening
Be - Hi Cloak,
I wrote a reply to your last message. It was difficult to do and took a long time. So far it hasn't shown up here. I will check again later. I am not a good person to be asking these questions. I was semi comatose when I was in the first hospital (where most of the bad stuff happened to me, overdose etc.) I think my bags of steroid were 35 mg.
I had more than 1 a day. So a guess would be 70-110 mg. It has left me with memory problems as well. My doctor is out of Advocate Christ Hospital in a Chicago suburb.
If you could go that far I would be willing to tell you who he is,but I don't know where you live. I was taking Melatonin for sleep, occasionally I needed more to calm down. I was told to use Antihistamine, which really knocked me out. I will try to remember other meds, I will let you know what they were. I may have some bottles around still.
I finally don't need them. I do have episodes at times that I can't go to sleep or I wake too early but that is not very often and they don't last very long. I also never had a problem until my overdose. I would like to share a website with you and to tell you all that what some of us have is called Steroid Psychosis. If you know that you can find much information. I have also researched this from another angle, Steroid Abuse. I know we haven't abused it, body builders and athletes do that, but you can get interesting info and insight from it. I know not all of us overdosed on prednisone either.
The website is: Voices.yahoo.com/steroid-psychosis-prednisone-5327595.html
God Bless.
Be - Hi Cloak,
I wrote a reply to your last message. It was difficult to do and took a long time. So far it hasn't shown up here. I will check again later. I am not a good person to be asking these questions. I was semi comatose when I was in the first hospital (where most of the bad stuff happened to me, overdose etc.) I think my bags of steroid were 35 mg.
I had more than 1 a day. So a guess would be 70-110 mg. It has left me with memory problems as well. My doctor is out of Advocate Christ Hospital in a Chicago suburb.
If you could go that far I would be willing to tell you who he is,but I don't know where you live. I was taking Melatonin for sleep, occasionally I needed more to calm down. I was told to use Antihistamine, which really knocked me out. I will try to remember other meds, I will let you know what they were. I may have some bottles around still.
I finally don't need them. I do have episodes at times that I can't go to sleep or I wake too early but that is not very often and they don't last very long. I also never had a problem until my overdose. I would like to share a website with you and to tell you all that what some of us have is called Steroid Psychosis. If you know that you can find much information. I have also researched this from another angle, Steroid Abuse. I know we haven't abused it, body builders and athletes do that, but you can get interesting info and insight from it. I know not all of us overdosed on prednisone either.
The website is: Voices.yahoo.com/steroid-psychosis-prednisone-5327595.html
God Bless.
Cloak291 - Be - This was VERY helpful. Let me know what other supplements you were taking as this can really help me. Many thanks !!!! I hope I come out of this...
Ticked - Ugh!!! I think this about sums it all up. Thank you for sending me in this direction Be.
[link removed]
Cloak291 - Hey Ticked - I am 7 months out and getting better but like you, VERY slowly. No doc seems to know what I have. Just GAD... I have 3 symptoms, situational anxiety during certain work meetings etc (cannot take a lot of stress - feel confusion), early awakenings after 5-6 hours of sleep and flushing on my face in the mornings and during certain anxious moments. Meditation and lying down take away the flushing. I am drinking Tulsi tea and having Tulsi supplements to help me through certain days. I am careful not to take it every day... I am having the Gaia Sleep Thru at night. Seems to help a little. Hopefully, this is something that will take time to sort out. I am hoping that by Christmas I will be better? Wish me luck!
Be - Cloak, find out what natural suppliments might work for you. I subscribe to a website
That is near where I live. The Doctor has been on the Doctor Oz show, he is on YouTube too. He has written several books. His name is Dr. Mercola, his sight is Mercola.com, he has a very extensive collection of articles. He teaches EFT. Emotional Freedom Technique it is supposed to help with anxiety disorders I think. I will get back to you and let you know for sure. I think the technique is on Mercola.com
And YouTube.
Ticked and Cloak, I found that my attacks came in waves, I could feel them coming.
It IS a slow recovery time, DO NOT TAKE ANYMORE STEROIDS. Just hang tough!
The good times will last longer and longer and the bad times will get to be fewer. Be thankful for what you have-that you are not worse than you are. You could be literally
Living a nightmare. I was, it was so bad I can't even share it. I had my own reality, I
Was paranoid, I sometimes became violent. I thought I had died and come back, maybe I did, I'm not sure. Back on task, like I said, be thankful that you weren't as bad as I was, or permanently in that condition. Fight this in a hopeful way. Especially watch what you say, only talk about your gains, give no attention to your losses. I hope you are blessed with better health soo. Hang in.
Be - Cloak, find out what natural suppliments might work for you. I subscribe to a website
That is near where I live. The Doctor has been on the Doctor Oz show, he is on YouTube too. He has written several books. His name is Dr. Mercola, his sight is Mercola.com, he has a very extensive collection of articles. He teaches EFT. Emotional Freedom Technique it is supposed to help with anxiety disorders I think. I will get back to you and let you know for sure. I think the technique is on Mercola.com
And YouTube.
Ticked and Cloak, I found that my attacks came in waves, I could feel them coming.
It IS a slow recovery time, DO NOT TAKE ANYMORE STEROIDS. Just hang tough!
The good times will last longer and longer and the bad times will get to be fewer. Be thankful for what you have-that you are not worse than you are. You could be literally
Living a nightmare. I was, it was so bad I can't even share it. I had my own reality, I
Was paranoid, I sometimes became violent. I thought I had died and come back, maybe I did, I'm not sure. Back on task, like I said, be thankful that you weren't as bad as I was, or permanently in that condition. Fight this in a hopeful way. Especially watch what you say, only talk about your gains, give no attention to your losses. I hope you are blessed with better health soo. Hang in.
Ticked - The article that really summed things up for me was written by Dr. Richard Hall. This site won't let me post his site but if you Google him and steroids I'm sure you will find the study. It speaks to the psychosis, who gets it, at what doses and durations of steroid use, and the washout times. Interestingly, he indicates if you are treated right away with a class of drugs known as phenothiazines, the duration of the symptoms are greatly reduced. However, having been slam dunked by a drug that has done wonders for me before, there is no way in heck I will take anything else. Anyway, for those of us toughing it out, spontaneous remittance occurs between two weeks and 7 months for most. Looks like I'm headed for the long end of the recovery scale. And Cloak, I too get the flushes. Mine are like a cold sweats coming on. Some days I can't tell what is happening on its own and what is precipitated by the anxiety. Either way, this whole thing is getting old fast. If it was just effecting me it would be easier to endure, but on my meltdown days, my whole family is affected. That, I find the hardest to handle. And Be, you are an inspiration! What an ordeal you went through! So glad to hear you doing well now.
Be - Ticked and Cloak, Thank you for that info, I will check it out, I don't do meds though. Sounds like some info I could use. I would like to say that there is a couple of things I do that I can share. Magnesium is very important for anxiety, first, cell salts or tissue salts, One company I use is NuAge. There's others but since I don't personally use them, I'll stick with what I know. Check out their Kali Phos and their Mag Phos I cut the doses in 1/2 and take 1/2 of each. They are minerals. Long ago a friend gave me a cassette tape, it was about the importance of minerals and how we are greatly lacking in today's world. It explained that if you are a veterinarian and you lose an animal most of the farmers need to know what killed the animal for protection of the others. When an autopsy is done it is usually one or another mineral deficiencies. In people we have fancy names for illness' that often are brought on by mineral deficiencies. No one ever tells us that. Minerals are extremely important to our health.
Then there is Epsom Salts which is magnisium. You can soak in it for relaxation, your skin will absorb some of it. Magnisium is a nerve soother, it is VERY good for anxiety
Disorders. Epsom Salts can also help detox Steroids out of your system when you do soaks. Next is your diet. Almonds and green foods are high in magnisium. There's
Others too but you can research those. Greens such as spinach,collards,cilantro,some lettuces (arugula, romaine) are high in Magnisium. They taste wonderful when mixed with vinegarettes. I especially like a sweet and sour one. The flavor of the greens grows on you. Collards should be lightly sautéed or steamed before eating, they are coarse textured. I hope this is useful info. God Bless.
Be - Ticked and Cloak, Thank you for that info, I will check it out, I don't do meds though. Sounds like some info I could use. I would like to say that there is a couple of things I do that I can share. Magnesium is very important for anxiety, first, cell salts or tissue salts, One company I use is NuAge. There's others but since I don't personally use them, I'll stick with what I know. Check out their Kali Phos and their Mag Phos I cut the doses in 1/2 and take 1/2 of each. They are minerals. Long ago a friend gave me a cassette tape, it was about the importance of minerals and how we are greatly lacking in today's world. It explained that if you are a veterinarian and you lose an animal most of the farmers need to know what killed the animal for protection of the others. When an autopsy is done it is usually one or another mineral deficiencies. In people we have fancy names for illness' that often are brought on by mineral deficiencies. No one ever tells us that. Minerals are extremely important to our health.
Then there is Epsom Salts which is magnisium. You can soak in it for relaxation, your skin will absorb some of it. Magnisium is a nerve soother, it is VERY good for anxiety
Disorders. Epsom Salts can also help detox Steroids out of your system when you do soaks. Next is your diet. Almonds and green foods are high in magnisium. There's
Others too but you can research those. Greens such as spinach,collards,cilantro,some lettuces (arugula, romaine) are high in Magnisium. They taste wonderful when mixed with vinegarettes. I especially like a sweet and sour one. The flavor of the greens grows on you. Collards should be lightly sautéed or steamed before eating, they are coarse textured. I hope this is useful info. God Bless.
Be - Sorry everything comes out double, I haven't figured out why. If there was a way to delete one I would.
Scarletpolyglot - Hello, all. I am 27 years old and was diagnosed with allergy-induced asthma a year ago. After seeing a doctor, I began using an inhaler called Seretide, which almost entirely eliminated my nightly asthma attacks but also gave me chronic tachycardia (heart rate often around 150 for no reason) and made me gain 10 kg over the course of 9 months. So, I stopped using the Seretide and decided I'd just manage my asthma with a regular Ventoline (salbutamol) inhaler when necessary. This has proven a mediocre management method at best (I never sleep all the way through the night) but endurable. Until last Friday, that is, when I caught a bad case of bronchitis that became a living hell due to my underlying asthma. Couldn't breathe, doctor prescribed antibiotics and... prednisolone (yes, I've finally gotten to the point - thanks for bearing with me so far). I'm supposed to take 60 mg per day (3 pills) for a period of 4 days. Today is my second day, and the only side effect I've experienced is a hot, red (flushed) face, which prompted me to take a look online. This website has sent a chill up my spine. Is it your common consensus that I should stop using prednisolone right away? Do you think I'm at risk of experiencing withdrawal symptoms after such short (two-day) exposure? I'm quite worried... Thanks, sincerely, for your help.
Ticked - Dear Scarlet. Remember, you have come to a site sought out by people who have had trouble. Thousands of others take the drug with remarkable and at times, life saving affects. Asthma is not something to be trifled with. When you cease to breath, you cease to live. Both my sons have severe asthma, and both have been saved numerous times with Prednisone. And you are right to point out that managing asthma with ventolin is mediocre. In fact, it is downright deadly as it does nothing for the inflammation. My cousin tried this approach and we buried her at age 29. There are numerous inhaled products on the market now and you just have to find one that works for you. My sons have used Pulmicort for over 20 years with fantastic results. You and your doctor need to talk and set things right. If you are in distress now, I would chance the Prednisone. Like I said, the alternative to not breathing is not good. Hang in there! Let us know how you do!!!
Mamcc - Hi - yes yet another sufferer. I went to the doctor with allergic contact dermatisis & he prescribed prednisone. Dosage being 2 tablet of 20g per day until the symtoms go then half a tablet per day until all there are no more tablets left . I started taking the 2 tablets for 3 days & by day 4 the dermatitis was better then I went to 1 tab per day for 3 days then back to 2 tabs per day for 2 days then 1 tab per day for 1 day then half a tablet per day for 2 days then stopped as I had a really bad anxiety attack so I got really scared & stopped taking them meaning I didn't taper off them propery ( going by other comments ). 4 days after I stopped taking them I had another anxiety attack but a bit different from the first, I was up in a high rise building and I looked out of a large window down from the top floor and I started to think weird thoughts ( wanting to jump out of the window) which in turn made my heart rate become really fast and so on hence anxiety attack has anyone had these thoughts on prednisone ? I went back to the docter & I am getting tested for hormone levels, he said I might be going through menapause I know prednisone really play with your hormones & I am at the age of menapause so it could have triggered my hormones to get really screwed up.
Mamcc - Oh also the docter put me on an anti - anxiety tab, half in the morning half at night he said it is non addictive so I am seeing how i go on it & like alot of other comments i have NEVER had anxiety before & I am not depressed but having these unnatural thoughts are really scary but I do feel a little better finding this site.
Drgem - I really am glad I found this site.I was put on this drug for a sinus infection. I wish I only would have just dealt with the pain from the sinuses. I now feel like I am not going crazy trying to figure out what is wrong with me...I actually thought I was going into early menopause because of the sleep issue (waking up at night with racing heart/sweat). I have gone through intense amounts of benadrly and zanax trying to find some relief. It has been a little over a month and I am sick and tired of being sick and tired. I now have anxiety about going to the dr's. Thanks so much for all the info in your posts! Finding some comfort in that.
Terriw - well been over a month now and im still having all this crap that i mentioned a month ago, they did mri of brain and it came out normal. im scared to death that something is wrong with me. i havent seen anyone else have thesymptoms that ive had........
Ticked - Even though the posts on this site have come from all demographics, I find the Prednisone, menopause connection interesting. If you look up the symptoms of menopause, and the issues with Prednisone, a high percentage of them are identical. I had been transitioning through meno with very few issues until my 5 day course with Prednisone. Now I have every nasty symptom in the book for both conditions...including the ringing in the ears Terriw, with very little relief in sight. The anxiety is the worst, and of course, it in itself triggers a whole cascade of horrid physical symptoms. My doctor says the adrenals and all our hormones are interconnected, and what sets one thing out of balance, sets everything out of whack. I have had extensive blood workups since my ordeal began, and everything comes back normal except that I am in menopause. If the Prednisone threw me into a more severe transition, I suppose I could be miserable for years to come as some women are with meno. Time will tell, but right now I only function by taking benzo medications. I'm almost 6 months out from my Prednisone experience, and if it wasn't for Rivotril, I would be coming out of my skin.
Terriw - ticked, what all symptoms do u have?? theyre tryin to tell me it isnt from prednisone, first they said it sounded like acoustic neuroma. the mri came ou fine, now theyre sayi trigemintal neuralgia and my face dont evehurt. cann u tell me what symptoms you have and is ur ear ringing constant in one ear as wel??
Shaun_nz - Terriw, They did the same for me trying to not blame it on the prednisone, I could not sleep at night, did not feel my self at all, It was a very scary experience. The worst thing was the doctor never warned me about the side affects from the Steroids, he told me 12 days at 60mg was only a short dose and there was nothing to worry about. I never want to take this drug again. 5 months later I feel normal again, Just eating good food lots f exercise, If you do get put on this drug make sure you stay active I put on 10kgs because i was not working at stayed at home, Another bad side affect. Lets just hope next spring in Hong Kong it wont happen to me again and I have another bad allergy reaction. Good luck to all out there. If you want to talk, or have any question in more detail of what happen and how i got through please email me shaun.rolston@hotmail.co.nz Happy to help as much as i can. I know how scary it can be being on this drug. Stay healthy people
Onedayatatime - I am so thankful I stumbled across this forum! I felt like I was going crazy and now reading everyone's stories and seeing that I'm not the only one, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. I was put on Prednisone for 5 days because of an allergic reaction. The last day I was on it is when the side effects started...pounding heart, anxiety, shortness of breath, dizziness, exhaustion. It was terrible! I ended up taking myself to the emergency room because I didn't like what was going on. I had never had anxiety and I am pretty healthy so this was scary for me. The doctor in the ER told me I needed anxiety medicine and sent me on my way. A few days later I felt no relief and got into a great doctor's office who really has listened to my every word and really tried to help me. I've had the whole work-up of tests done...EKG, echocardiogram, Holter Monitor, blood work. Everything came back normal and the monitor really told us alot about how much my heart had been racing. My doctor decided it was a good idea to go on a low dose of a beta-blocker to keep my heart rate regulated. I just started it and am hoping it helps. I told her how I found this page and felt like my story had been written by others. She told me to write in and tell my story, just incase I can help someone feel less crazy, as the previous stories helped me feel less crazy. :) It has been a month since I've taken the Prednisone. I feel my energy levels coming back and I would say my heart only pounds half the time instead of the 24/7 before. There is hope to getting better! I am a runner and really enjoy exercise so I am really looking forward to getting back to those activities. If there is anyone listening, I would just recommend finding a doctor that really listens to you. And remember you are NOT going crazy...Prednisone's side effects are nasty and there is hope to feeling better. You are not alone. Good luck to everyone and thanks for sharing your stories. They truely helped me!!!
Mamcc - Well went back to the doctor for my blood results , all came back normal, but he said that the prednisones could have triggered an imbalance in my brain!!!
I am still on anti-anxiety tabs but very low dose, but I am scared to go off these as I am afraid that the anxiety will come back !!!
Cilla30 - Cilla-has anyone had a numbness feeling on one side of their face after taking this medicine? My doctor keeps saying its from the steroids. My cortisol levels were high but are normal now but I still have this numbness on one side of face and at times feels like someone is touching the top of my head in one spot.
Terriw - I have those symptoms cilla30. Ive been off for cpl months now and still have it plus rapid heart rate when I just stand up which makes my hand get hot with ear as we'll if I stay standing too long. Anything else u have?
Cilla30 - Terriw yes I have had the anxiety, rapid heartbeat, loss of appetite, sweaty palms and feet, severe depression didn't want to leave home. All of that lasted about a month. Now I have the numbness on left side of face and sometimes runs down my left arm and feels like something poking to top of the back of my head. It Really scars me. My face feels swollen on left side but doesn't appear swollen. I have no idea how long this will last but doctor told me if it still persist in one week he will do further testing. My guess is an MRI which I am terrified of. I hate needles. What symptoms do u have? You can email me at Cilladawn@gmail.com and thanks for replying!
Emmar17 - eI have been on prednisone for all in all 4 months (auto-immune eye disease). During tapering I got severe fatique, moodswings, anxiety and soreness all over my body. Not everyday, but several times a week. Then, when finally completely of the drug I was tired but okay for 2 weeks, then started aching all over my body, like fever, but with normal temp. Worst in the mornings and afternoons, sometimes moving around helps. Sometimes when I wake up during the night or early morning I feel like just lifting an arm is exhausting. Stress and alcohol makes it worse. Today after working out for an hour I had to go straight to bed afterwards. I felt okay during the workout though. It's been 6 weeks since I took the last pill, and I am wondering when all this goes away. It has gotten slightly better thought.
Thankyou for your posts, it helps reading them...
Ticked - Ummm...getting back to reality and the topic at hand...Emmar, how long it takes for people to stabilize seems to be very individual. It depends on the drug dosage, the length of time you were on it, and a lot of other variables including overall health and the amount of stress you are under. Studies indicate it can take anywhere from 6 weeks to 7 months. Judging from some of the posts here, it can take even longer. The good news is it sounds like you are getting better and we all recover eventually. Hang in there!
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