Prednisone and moon face

Hi Tammy:

I've been on prednisone for 6 yrs now. I have to say in the beginning I didn't have a moon face, and that was at a dose of 20mg daily. My first 4 years on the pred left me w/o a moon face. The past 2 years my moon face has appeared. The higher the dose and the length of time really does make a difference.

I've been attempting to cut my pred use down, since I've been doing that I've noticed my moon face isn't as bad as it was last summer. I have other side effects that have left permanent damage to me. I've got cataracts, huge deep purple stretch marks on my breasts, underarms and top of my thighs as well as my stomach. I've got a huge buffalo hump on the back of my neck, I've also got more facial hair than I ever had. These are all side effects that will probably never leave me.

I know it's the pits to take pred, and I truly hope that you don't get a moon face. Good luck to you and it's nice to meet you.

Take care,
Barbara

thanks so much for the feedback. I am not a terribly vain person, but, up until I have been ill, I always prided myself on being extremely active and fit and taking good care of myself. It's not the end of the world, I know, and if it will go away, that is good news for me.

Thanks for your input - I really appreciate it!

Tammy

hi guys, now i'm not sure if it happens to everyone but i have been on prednisone for about 12 years now, and when i was at my lowest dose 5mg every other day, my moonface completely went away, right now its back cuz they had me on 60 mg of pred for a month and now i am tapering 10 mg every week, but for me most of the side effects go away when the dose of the prednisone is low, my doc said that i would never get down to 5 mg every other day like before, but 5 mg every day will not make a difference physiologically and she said that the side effects will go away again, except for the stretch marks, unfortunately those never go away, they kinda fade a little but they never disappear completely My hubby says that he doesnt notice the moonface either but like sue said, i think they are fibbing a little, but my strong belief is as long as he and i still like the way i look, i really dont care what other people think.

Hi Tammy. I also have a round face and if I smell prednisone I get moon face. If I'm on more than 15mg I get the buffalo hump like Barb describes. What is moon face? Kind of like a round face with the areas between your jaw line and your cheek bones (jowls) puffed out like a croaking toads. My moon face disappears quickly once I can no longer sniff the prednisone. I'm having a bad flare right now and when I complained to my rheumy that I hate prednisone, all he said was, "Everyone does." The "too bad" was implied.

Thanks for explaining what it was. I am on Pred. now 60mg for 2 days 40 for 2 and 20 for 2. My drs do not want me on it all the time due to family history with it. I take it when the flairs are bad. I keep some at home. Thanks for the info . I did notice lots of red in the mask aria since on it and sugar leval elivated for 90's to 130's over night, and not sleeping.

Hello here,

I had a moon face and put on weight when I was on 70-80mg sometimes more per day as a newbie to them.  Sounds very dramatic, but it was back in the days when prednisolone was the only thing that worked for SLE in relation to bringing the inflammation down and helping me totally.  I'm talking over 30 years ago.

As I dropped down the dosage over the months, the moon face disappeared as did the body weight gain.  I have never since then had either of these things happen, and I have taken steroids every day since I was first put on them after diagnosis.  I maintain a level and then when I am so unwell as to need to increase them I do so.  I always have done since being diagnosed over 30 years ago as I said.  

Take care.

goldenwings 

Post Edited (goldenwings) : 6/5/2007 5:18:00 PM (GMT-6)

i think pretty much everyone dislikes prednisone, but its the best thing that helps (atleast for me) but i do hate hate hate predinose, even though i dont really have a choice on taking it, but we do what we gotta do. and i dont think its really fair to compare what we have to cancer patients, that's like comparing apples to oranges, two totally different things (in my opinion). I use to work in an oncologist (cancer doc) office as a medical assistant before my transplant, and they use to do the chemo treatments right in the office, and just like us, some had it easier than others, but they hated it too. i am now down from 60mg to 40 mg but no physical changes yet, (not really surprised) but hopefully by the end of the year i'll lose the weight and most of the moon face.

I got it from alpha interferon treatment for liver disease and its been permanent. I thought that with steroids it comes and goes. But when I take pred, my face often looks skinnier because the swelling in my parotid glands goes down and in my salivary glands.

lovexlife,

Your face will go back to normal, but I know it's slower than you want it to. I've been tapering from 60 mg. for some time and my weight dropped 20 pounds, and I've been stuck there for a year. BUT, people are continuously telling me that I look like I've lost weight. Even those close to me. I don't see it, but they do.

I can't believe how cruel people can be, esp if they know that you're having to take medication for a medical condition. Stand high and know that you'll soon be back to normal. Your actions can teach others, esp the cruel heartless ones that there is a better way to treat people.

It will go away, and you'll get your pretty face back again. Join us here whenever you need to talk. This is a good place to come and hang out for a while, giving and getting support. Sounds like you could use a gentle ear.

((((Hugs))))

Pat

P.S Maybe one of the Moderators will start a new thread for you, or you can do it yourself.

Tammy - I had "moon face" after having been administered high IV doses of Prednisone for about a week, and then tapered down (w/ pills) at home for 6 mos. It saved my life and I am so thankful for it. As I decreased the dosage, my face gradually slimmed down again. My husband had to be on high doses of Prednisone for a period of time and he never did develop the "moon face". I was always curious as to why. Anyway, although there are some neg. side effects of this med. - it can save lives, and did save my life ! Good health to you.

My Mom was on it for a very long time with her Rhuematoid Arthritis (high doses too) and she never got a moon face and she actually lost weight too.

Hugs

hi there...ive joined to post about the whole prednisone moon face thing from a personal perspective.

im now 39 and was on prednisone for about 2 years - my dosage varied dependent on need but averaged out at around 15mg a day. now that wouldnt be seen as excessive.....

i never really thought i looked any different 6 months, a year, even 18 months after starting the drug. my weight stayed under control due to excercise and strict dieting. so i though all was well, and that i wasnt succumbing to the 'moon face'.

but just as you cant see changes in a close relative or friends appearance when you see them on a daily basis - only when you look at old/new photos - this works in the same sinister way.

fortunately i was able to wean myself completely off pred last summer. now the bad bit. i took a snap of myself in december to test out a new cameraphone i had...and found an old photo from a year earlier, in exactly the same type of shot - when i was in the middle of my 'moderate' pred dosage. i was shocked. the differences...oh i nearly cried...i hadnt noticed the horrible fat deposits around my eyes that almost reduced them to slit when i smiled, the swelling and bloating of my chin, the loss of jawline definition, and a whole yellowing of my skin i have a naturally long face, but even this took on a different look.

it looks like ive had plastic surgery in my new pic, it looks so much like a facelift with my features back to normal, the fat out of my face and skin tone losing the jaundiced look. not saying im anything special to look at, but 10x better without the pred-effects, and hopefully the pics clearly highlight the physical changes that this drug induced.

so just to advise people that you may not notice whats happening to you - maybe your friends or family wont as they see you on a daily basis - but be careful....you can see for yourself what i mean - with the pred photo 1st then my recent pred-free one.

after 18 months on average of 15mg day of pred


4 months after stopping pred entirely



at least the ending is happy, and i hope everyone concerned about possible effects can see from my ghastly photo the sort of changes that it can cause to you - and that it goes away then dose is removed. :smile: