prednisone

how long have you been on or were on prednisone and at what dosage?  what side effects, if any, did you have?  do you feel prednisone is any more harmful to the body than methotrexate and why?  felt so much better on prednisone than on methotrexate.  thanks for answering.

Hi I would not stay on prednisone for a long time it has bad side
effects. Some people have weight gain, moon face, Also moody swings may accure.

Teddybearweiser,

What is considered long term use for prednisone?

Hi thanxu,
Steroids do have many benefits and certainly have their place when you are suffering a bad flare up but I agree with BadDay that long term they are not such a good idea. One more thing to consider with Prednisone is how it can affect you blood sugar. I have Type 11 diabetes and my sugar levels have been much harder to control since starting Prednislone over a year and a half ago. I am trying with my Doc's guidance to taper off atm. But even at 5mg my sugars are all over the place. Steroids can also induce Diabetes in people who don't have it when they start taking them. For some the diabetes disappears when they stop steroids but for others it never goes away. Good luck with your decision. Neenaa

Hi Again one thing to summarize Prednisone is what on specialist said to me when I was giving him a list of my medications his response " Ah Prednisone the Devils Drug "

and he's right it  is like making a deal with the devil he may give you that million dollars but  after you repay him with your health you will be well enough to spend it .  

I was on sanexon 6tabsX2mg 3 times a day a few years back along with methotrexate. Sanexon is similar to prednisone (a steroid) and I had to settle with the steroids because I had adverse reactions for NSAIDs.

I was getting addicted to sanexon and I couldn't just lift my hand up or squeeze my fingers if I didn't take my pills. I knew this was bad but I couldn't help it. After years I needed it more and I was taking them more than prescribed to kill my pains. There was a time my husband used to hide my pills and keep them counted just to be sure I was not taking over doses. Then he took me to a clinic close by where we lived in Florida back then and my condition was well studied by a surgeon there and suggested a stem cell therapy for pain in the elbows and knees. I didn't like it at first as I had to stop my steroid intake during this treatment but with my husbands insistment I agreed with it.
It was terrible during the first weeks as I had to live without the steroids which my body had got so used to but somehow coped up with it at the thought of a pain free and a pill free life.
After about three months since the treatments started my pains were reduced amazingly and I could actually walk about without the sanexon which was my best friend few months back. However I keep the left over steroids safely, thinking of using if my pains come back again but it has been more tahn a year after stem cell treatment and I am still hanging on with a pain free life. I need to thank my husband for being there with me right through out and I am living an actual life becaue of his commitment.

Nice to know that you have a very supportive husband and that you are getting better now. I also had stem cell treatment in my left knee and hips as I couldn't take the pain that time and I never wanted to depend on pain relievers. My treatment took 2 months and a half and I started to feel the improvements around the fourth month. It has been more than a year now and my knee and hips are working fine now, just like the old days... My insurance company did not cover it because it was a per-existing condition, which I had since I was a teen. With all the pain, discomfort, and depressions that I had, I was willing to pay for the treatment out of my pocket. I just really wanted to get rid of it.

I'm soooo glad I found this forum...was at a ask a dr site went back on google and saw the answers I was looking for. So joined. I have severe psoriatic arthritis with severe nerve damage,degenative bone disease,fibromyalgia,damaged hip...ptsd with severe anxiety stress disorder plus ocd. I have been on methotrxate for 4 yrs now. Was put on prednisone a yr ago for inflammation from fibro. Started noticing my cheek bones swelling like a second bag under my eyes...then read about moon face here. Off prednrisone now..new rheumatist and he about had a coronary when he saw prednisone. now know what moon face is, had gastric bypass in 2009 and had kept my weight off but now my stomach is bigger, put on 20lbs and the back of my neck was swollen but been burning as is the cheeks...glad to know why now...thank you!

Prednisone flipped the switch on my severe onset of RA. I kid you not- after 3 months of suffering 12 hour each day off the charts pain cycles, extreme swelling and not being able to even sit up unassisted- I changed doctors and he increased my prednisone to 40 mgs. per day and told me to  continue with 20 mgs. MTX 1 x per week. I am small- 4' 10" and at the time RA had eaten me up so I only weighed 90 lbs.

I went to his office in the afternoon dressed in stretchy pants, baggy shirt and slippers that were the only thing I could get my Shrek feet into. My husband half carried me in. I took the 40 mgs. when I got home.

The next morning (!) when I awoke in the recliner chair that had become my bed since all joints would freeze up if I laid down in the bed, in wonderment I saw that I was able to move without every joint screaming. I was able to stand up and hobble to the bathroom unassisted! From that day forward I got better & better until I went back to work full time 1 month later!

I continued this dosage for a few months and then it was a long slow taper to get off- like 1 1/2 years.

The health I enjoyed had its drawbacks- sporting mustache & pork chops, weight gain, moon face....but those things (except the weight gain) were gone by the time I was down to like 15 mgs.

Once I got to 10 mgs the taper took really long and I could only drop 1/2 to 1 mg every 4 to 8 weeks or I noticed pain. It got to a point where I wanted off the prednisone so bad that I decided to shoulder through and accept a little more pain than I wanted to. Thing was I really wanted to exercise to get some of that weight off...it was a good thing I had gotten so wasted away before I started on it because I had to go to bed at night just so I would stop putting food in my face. But I had muscle wasting from the prednisone and when I would try to go for a walk the whole time all I wanted to do was sit down on the curb and cry. I pushed through that too and was able to include some low impact and light weight training into my life. I felt a lot better once I started to get some exercise.

It would take a lot to get me back on prednisone- but if I was in the same shape as when on it originally...I would take it in a heartbeat.

teddybearweiser said...
Hi I would not stay on prednisone for a long time it has bad side
effects. Some people have weight gain, moon face, Also moody swings may accure.

I agree with this powerful statement in its simplest form!

I gained a lot of knowledge and experience with RA sgrojens (sp) through watching and assisting my Mom when she went through all of this. Prednisone definitely has a negative effect on the heart. Probably why they say that most RA sufferers pass from heart disease. My Mom included. I noticed that with prednisone I kept getting up earlier and earlier to take the daily dose because I was in so much pain. Well after finding out that the prednisone while making you seemingly pain free as much as that is possible with RA, depletes your natural levels of synovial fluid. This is the problem! Not enough synovial fluid lubricating the joints. I was diagnosed in 2003 and of course given prednisone I weaned myself off a year and a half later through diet. Recently due to a job I was at, I had to start taking it again. I only took 5mg in the first go around in 2003. I am taking 10 now but my situation has changed again and I am currently going through the weaning process again. Wish me luck!