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Can I be on Prednisone and still go to the beach?

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 5/23/2010 7:22 PM (GMT 0)
 

I have a vacatin coming up and am on 40 mg of prednisone.  I am taking my family and some friends to the beach for a week.  Is it o.k. to be out in the sun if your on prednisone?  I was just diagnosed and just got out of the hospital yesterday.  I'm not sure yet what I can and can't do but I really want to go. Is it safe or what could happen?

Posted 5/23/2010 7:55 PM (GMT 0)
We are not medical doctors, but I have noticed a sun sensitivity, but I also have the lupus like syndrome from some of the meds, so it could be that. I would take the precautions about using the highest of SPF's/covers, hydration concerns (because crohns can dehydrated you alot), and know that you will probably need to rest more often then you usually do. Just take it easy, make sure you have someone with you while you explore what you can do, and just see how you feel, because crohns is so very individual.
Posted 5/23/2010 9:34 PM (GMT 0)
I am sure you will be ok with going on holiday but as mmmnavy said as well you can have a sensitivity the sun, take plenty of precautions with you, use high factor sun screen and maybe try and find a shady part of the beach too. I went to South Africa when I was on high doses of preds and it was between 25 deg C and 30 deg C, and I was absolutely fine, drink lots so you dont get dehydrated as well.
Hope you have a good holiday and plenty of rest! :)
Posted 5/23/2010 10:52 PM (GMT 0)
I have a darker complexion and always tanned, never burned....until I went in the sun on prednisone. It was the only time I have ever been sunburned. I would definately be generous with the sunscreen if you decide to go.
Posted 5/24/2010 12:38 AM (GMT 0)
For me, the prednisone makes me extremely hot and sweaty. Being out in the sun might exaggerate that more. Be sure to hydrate! I've been having to drink lots of water to keep up with how much I'm sweating, and I don't go out in the sun regularly.

Just listen to your body. If you start to feel bad, seek some cover and a/c.
Posted 5/24/2010 9:29 PM (GMT 0)
When I used to be on high amounts of predinsone, I would still go out -- but would make sure that I was hydrated. I went to a baseball game one time when it was 100+ degrees F, and didn't eat or drink anything before it or during it. Not a good idea -- completely passed out. Thus, just be careful to make sure you are hydrated.
Posted 5/24/2010 11:30 PM (GMT 0)

Sure you can go to the beach on prednisone, just be careful, as everyone has already suggested.

Some meds don't do well with sun exposure, sometimes they put a warning on the pill bottle, sometimes there is no room for it.

One I am aware of is Phenergen.  It makes you tan/burn MUCH faster, so you have to be careful, and wear lots of sunscreen.
You can look up all your meds, and ask your pharmacist too.

Phenergen;

increased sensitivity to the sun or ultraviolet light
Keep out of the sun, or wear protective clothing outdoors and use a sunscreen. Do not use sun lamps or sun tanning beds or booths...

Posted 5/25/2010 12:51 AM (GMT 0)
i live in southern california and am a surfer. niether crohn's or prednisone could stop me from being a beach bum. i was on a med to treat the severe acne prednisone gave me. that made me tan super fast as it made me sun sensitive. it was the dead of winter and i had the deepest, darkest tan of my life. i looked like i had just spent a few weeks in hawaii or something.
Posted 5/25/2010 4:02 AM (GMT 0)
good topic , and timly for summer... just today a international report from a study of more than 400 sun block products says they actually INCREASE skin cancer.. seems the vitamin A and other ingrediants actually increase sun damage. thus corresponding to the increase in skin cancers and the increased use of sunscreens.. duh... pretty wild huh? what will science do to us next?
Posted 5/25/2010 4:37 AM (GMT 0)
i know. we dont get sunscreen until the 20th century and then melanoma's sky rocket. how odd that maybe the sun tan lotion can be causing the cancers??? dont tell that to your doctor though.

we have gone for so long and gotten along just great without certain things, like sunscreen in this example, and then things really explode around the 1940s with chemistry. we have made our lives easier, but ironically what we made to make our lives more leisurely has also slowly been killing us...
Posted 5/25/2010 5:35 AM (GMT 0)
I've been on 60mg for the last 6 months. We had our first really hot sunny day this weekend and in a matter of minutes, my face and my shoulders and neck were burnt. I've been out since then and I notice I sweat a ton and start to not feel well. I do drink many bottles of water.

My advice is to wear sunscreen, maybe a hat and keep hydrated.

Posted 5/25/2010 7:05 AM (GMT 0)
Randynoguts tell me it's not true. My sister died of skin cancer and I've started producing some as well. So what are we supposed to use now? What a world, sell us stuff for 50 years and then someone decides to do a study?
Posted 5/25/2010 10:06 AM (GMT 0)
it was on all our news stations here in WA.. us pale folks up here in rain town use probably more to keep our pasty white color than anywhere else. and i dont think its been around that long with all this crap in it.. i mean i can remember only coppertone from when i was a kid and that made you tan faster to get that coppery tone! now its all full of chemicals and man made crap. spreading toxins on you skin. as a side note my wifes grandpa was a farmer his whole life in the idaho dessert. he wore long sleves and hats the entire time cause his momma told him to 'keep yer neck and arms covered" well he had 3 incidences of skin cancer on his ears and nose all 10+ years AFTER he started using crap in the 80's
Posted 8/2/2017 4:09 PM (GMT 0)

When I take prednisone, it makes me very hot and sweaty! I try my best to stay out of the sun and the Heat because it makes my face really red and it hurts my stomach. If it's summer time and I have to take it, I have to stay inside with the AC on high! My skin also gets red from it too, it can't be from being out in the sun, because I only go out to the car and into where I need to go, so it could be that it's red from me being so hot.. it's really embarrassing how red I get and how much I sweat when I'm out in public! I also drink tons of water while I'm on this medication! I also have noticed a funny taste in my mouth when eating certain foods. I don't enjoy take this medication, I'm glad I don't have to take it often!
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