HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Hands and wrist hurting...

Support Forums
>
Crohn's Disease
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 12/30/2017 7:24 AM (GMT 0)
I was pregnant and had a bad flare so was put on 40mg of prednisone and did great on it. Went into labor 2 months early but baby was good due to the steroids I took. But now he is 3 months and I'm down to 5 mg a day but for the past month I've been experiencing hand and wrist pain along with elbow and ankle pain. It doesn't hurt constantly just hurts when I bend fingers or use my wrist. Walking just feels as my ankles feel stiff not extreme pain. I looked up prednisone side affects and did mention joint pain. Has anyone experienced this before??. Is this due to the prednisone and if so will it go away once I'm off?? I went on prednisone at 4 months pregnant so total time 40mg a day for about 4 months and then started tapering down. I've been on prednisone before but never for this long or so many mgs. Thanks for any advice or comment.
Posted 12/30/2017 8:45 AM (GMT 0)
Hi and congratulations on your new addition! Glad to hear LO’s doing well.

Are you currently flaring? I developed a horrific peripheral arthritis (big joints) during my worst flare so far which was brought on by intolerance to Metronidazole. My arthritis started in my ankles and then included knees, elbows, wrists and to some degree my hips. It got so bad I couldn’t walk but I changed GIs and the new one acted immediatelly to control my flare and I started to improve quickly. I have to stress that all of this was brought on by the flare.

No experience with steroids, sorry.

Have you discussed it with your GI?
Posted 12/30/2017 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
Summer, congrats on the new baby boy! Yes, it is very common to get some joint pain when tapering off of prednisone. Hopefully this will not hang around much longer. What other meds are you on now to help keep things under control?

Take care.
Posted 12/30/2017 7:55 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for replying. No I am not flaring at the moment. I got it under control during my pregnancy but once I delivered I flared again but now it's under control and I'm doing fine tapering off. I'm also on sulfasalazine 500 mg a tablet and taking those 3 tablets 3 times a day. No I have not mentioned it to my GI Because I was thinking it was just a side affect just like the face ballooning up but now I'm wondering if it's something more. I do have an appt in a couple weeks but he did schedule me a bone density test. I need to go back to work for financial reaSons but I'm a bartender/ waitress and worried it's going to affect doing my job. I'm still able to do things with my hands and wrist just with slight pain. Waking up I. The morning is where I feel my ankles the most.

New mommy, so is your peripheral arthritis better or gone now that you're not under a flare?
Posted 12/30/2017 8:29 PM (GMT 0)
The medication you're on is a 5-ASA, which is not very effective for Crohn's. Your joint pain could be an effect of Crohn's as opposed to the steroid. I think you need to talk to your GI. You may need to have some more effective meds.
Posted 12/31/2017 12:12 AM (GMT 0)
As mentioned, this is definitely a very common side effect of Prednisone tapering. Being on Prednisone causes your natural cortisol production to be suppressed. It can take a few months or sometimes more for things to return to normal. Hopefully your joint pain will ease in the coming weeks. Since you shouldn't take pain meds like advil or alleve, you can try Tylenol and see if that takes the edge off.
Posted 12/31/2017 1:14 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you which now thinking about it the joint pain started when I began tampering off. So hopefully once I'm done with prednisone the pain will reduce and I'll go back to normal. Funny thing My face did not balloon up during pregnancy but shortly after I delivered I ballooned up. It's still puffy but has reduced some as I get lower with the prednisone
Posted 12/31/2017 8:55 AM (GMT 0)
Summer yes it’s gone now, thank god! I’ll know for next time to immediatelly get in touch with my GI if it starts again. My LO was only 10 months at the time and not being able to look after her hit me hard. Thank goodness for my amazing OH.

Fingers crossed yours is “just” related to the tapering off. smile
Posted 12/31/2017 9:00 AM (GMT 0)
I've had joint pains/ body aches of all different types. Some appeared to be related to various medications and some related to the inflammation. It took a while to figure out which was which and I still am not entirely sure at times. Best thing you can do is alert your GI to this and ask about a referral to a rheumatologist. They can hep you sort out which it is from. also, just giving it some time until you are off of the prednisone. But make sure you stay on top of follow ups and confirm that you are in remission.
Posted 12/31/2017 1:12 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you so much for the replies. Having a 3 month old and a 5 yr old to take care of with crohns is hard enough and now joint pain really had be worried and stressed. But now I have some hope that it'll resolve once I'm completely off prednisone. And will definitely bring this to my GI.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply