Need help with side effects of prednisone

Hi LME,
Welcome to Healing Well. Prednisone is known as the evil drug because of the side effects.
Once your off pred it takes awhile to get out of your system. Thats why I don't let the doctors
put me on pred. because of the side effects.

I have a love/hate relationship with prednisone. It can make us feel so much better quickly, but the side effects, both short and long term can be horrible. As far as the insomnia, ask for a sleeping pill. Your doctor should have no issues Rxing something. Once the dose gets lower, you won't need it. But your body can't heal if it can't sleep. Also, for the anxiety/jitters ask for a mild tranquilizer. Once again, your doctor shouldn't give you any grief about this. And once again, when you get lower, you won't need it. The bloating/moon face not much you can do except live with it. You need to ask for and demand relief from your doctor. If you just mention the side effects in passing, the doctor won't really take it seriously. But there really are things that can be done to at least make you a little more comfortable, but you need to ask forcfully!

Also, no matter how long you are on prednisone, please increase your calciumn intake. It can eat away at your bones and you don't want to take that chance. I had my first compression fracture at 30 and will have osteoporosis for the rest of my life because of prednisone. No one told me to take calcium.

I too had a love hate with prednisone, it was the only thing that worked and worked fast, but the side effects are awful.
The moods swins were the worse, I was also ver low on thyroid meds due to too many bm's so my emotions were wacked. And I still have trouble sleeping, but I was on pred., on and off for over 7 years.

I can't tellyou how many times I left the house to go run errands and had to turn right around and go back home, I was so impatient, and high strung, I didn't need to be in public lololol.

The weight gain didn't help either, I blew up to almost 200 #'s I am 130 now, But if my Crohns was causing pain then 200 #'s was worth it, I was very fluffy on pred.

Hi My glucose has gone up some so thinking that might contribute to the ups and downs it is taking me some time but now I am working my way off it I have been on it since Jan. So oh happy day when I do get off it .I read the forums a lot here to help me with the hyper end and I used to get up 3 or 4 in the morning thank goodness that has stopped. Hope you do well and welcome to HW we need all the Cder's we can get it helps so very much. lol gail

I just wanted to thank everyone for their responses. Being on prednisone and getting diagnosed with Crohn's last month has been really hard, so I truly appreciate the help. I also did some reading and I think some of my side effects on the prednisone were worsened because I'm also taking a birth control pill, which apparently decreases the excretion of prednisone leading to elevations of the medication in the blood. Prior to starting prednisone, I asked my doctor about being on birth control and he never mentioned any interactions with prednisone, even though it's one of the primary interactions. I guess I just have to ride it out until I've completed tapering off of the med, because it seems like a bad idea to abruptly stop my birth control. I'm so weak that I can hardly walk a block and I go through periods of my hands uncontrollably shaking, but I'm hopeful that it will get better soon. It did really help to decrease my sodium intake. I can't tell if decreasing my carbohydrate intake is helping yet, but I think it will, because my glucose levels are very elevated right now (I had to go to the ER on Monday and they checked the levels). Thanks again for all of the support and advice. I really appreciate it.

My shaking and weakness has been a side effect of the prednisone, not a result of tapering. Prednisone has a lot of systemic effects on the body, including making it very difficult to break down glucose, which can lead to diabetic levels of glucose (mine are at 170 right now, which apparently is normal for someone on prednisone). Nevertheless, it's weird that her doctor tapered her from 40 to 20. That's a pretty drastic dose reduction. I went from 40 to 30, which I have to stay on for a week until I go down to 20. The tapering should occur very slowly in order for her adrenal cortex to return to normal functioning (prednisone mimics a hormone in the body called cortisol, which is released from the adrenal cortex). Anyway, I'm not an M.D. (although I am a Ph.D. who studies the effects of cortisol), but I think she should get off of the prednisone by tapering slowly, although I have no idea how prednisone is involved in emphysema. Also, make sure she decreases her sodium intake, as well as her carb/sugar intake. I had very painful swelling in my face and body, because prednisone leads to water retention (which could also affect her blood pressure), but once I cut down on sodium that went away. She should definitely get her sodium, glucose, and thryroid functioning checked. Also, prednisone leads to inhibition of proinflammatory cytokines, which are hormones of the immune system that are critically involved in antiviral responses; therefore, she's more susceptible to infection right now. So, looking for a secondary infection could be useful, as well. Also, is she on estrogen replacement? Estrogen inhibits the excretion of prednisone, which leads to elevated circulating levels and, therefore, more side effects. I'm on birth control and wasn't told about this. I actually knew it from my research, but stupidly forgot and now I'm suffering the consequences. Hope this helps. I'm super shaky and weak on prednisone right now, but it's definitely a side effect of the med.

Hi I have emphysema am on pred. for CD and I cut back very slowly a half of a 5 mg. tab a week.My GI said I must cut back slowly .I am doing good on that cut back doseage .Hope your Mom feels better soon. lol gail

having today joined the forum have been pleased to read about side effects of prednisolone...I am 78 years of age sufer from osteoarthritis, also diverticulitis....I was referred to a respiratory consultant...she has been thoroough with tests.......I have had airborne allergies all my life, and managed to live with it fairly well, but last few years different story. having been referred to a Respiratory consultant...only found borderline asthma...but breathing issues very difficult at times....CT scan revealed small nodule plus inflammation on the lung, so prednisolone for 3 month trial...first month 30mg/day started 20th Dec/13 final two months on 20mg/day....26th Dec.husband called paramedics as had severe reaction to something, swollen mouth, redface, red rash all over etc....obviously some allergic reaction to something, thought not to be the prednisolone as 6 days after starting....antihistimines cleared that..probably cleaning fluids I had used as most have perfume in..discarded the lot...ok...then a few days later real hyper active brain, everything wanted to do twice as fast etc....and a couple of times since seen doc...but they insist all reactions I have had are due to allergies.....i don't see the consultant again until 11th March...but am convinced some of these reactions are due to the prednisolone...I know it is important to give as good a picture on CT scan as possible,, but doctors seem reluctant to even consider the fact it may be prednisolone contributing to my reactions...every day my moods seem to be stressful etc.....not my way as usually so well composed etc..what can a girl do? GP's absolutely deny it is the prednisolone..do I have to wait until mid March to get answers and be told I can stop taking them...don't want to stop taking the meds of my own volition. Allcomments will be greatly appreciated....