HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

moon face

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 11/23/2008 2:57 AM (GMT 0)
Hello everyone, I have been on pred 60mg fo about 5 weeks for myosistis (musle inflamation) and my docotr is starting to wean me off 40mg now.  I have the dreadful moon face and honestly just got it two weeks ago.  I think that makes it worse that maybe I had almost escaped it.  Anyways, she is going to taper slowly within the next 2-2.5 months.  I did not know it would take this long to wean off.  Can the moonface get worse over the weaning process?  I sojnd so vain but I have actually lost about 15lbs while on prednisone.  Has this ever happened to anyone.  Prednisone never made me want to eat more than usual like my dr said it would.  Now with the moonface I have scared myself into not eating at all.  I just want off this horrbile pill that has given me mood swings, insomia, and I think some depression.  I love that i found this forum.  Also I am about to be put on Imuran an immunosuppresent drug after the pred.  Has anyone else taken this before?  Thank you for the information. 
Posted 11/23/2008 3:48 AM (GMT 0)
My moon face always seemed to get better at around 20mg. Hope this is the case for you.
Posted 11/23/2008 4:03 AM (GMT 0)
How long have you been on prednisone and have you heard of anyone losing some weight while on it.  I guess I do not want to start to think that my weight lose is associated with some other problem althoug it did start when I started the pred.  Did it give you any other bad side effects.  I have noticed that I get down like depressed and the insomnia is sometimes really bad. 
Posted 11/24/2008 1:27 AM (GMT 0)
My moon face also gets better around 20 mg. I know, it sucks. I also only need about 4-5 hours sleep when on larger doses. I'm not tired, so I just get up and get a lot done! (It also seems to give me "nesting"-type energy).
Posted 11/24/2008 4:56 AM (GMT 0)
Same here, my moon face finally started to go away around 20 mg. Hang in there, I know that was the
worst thing when I was on Pred. I did'nt mind the crazy energy though!! :-)
Posted 11/24/2008 2:40 PM (GMT 0)
I'm one of the unlucky ones, my moon face doesn't get better until I am off Pred. It usually takes as long as I was on it for my face to go back to normal...so 2-3 months after stopping it before it's gone. It sucks!
Posted 11/24/2008 2:45 PM (GMT 0)
     My moon face has finally gone away and I have been off the prednisone for three weeks.  While on prednisone, I also lose weight, not gain.  I gain the weight when off it.  Go figure.  Guess everyone is different.  I am on 6MP too.  Noticed I am losing my hair, which kinda worries me.  My hair is thin to begin with, so I can't afford to lose any.
Posted 11/24/2008 3:02 PM (GMT 0)
I also lost weight on pred and had a moon face.  For me, it didn't go away until I was off pred completely.  I was skinny with a moon face, quite a look :-) .  Anyway, don't lose hope, it does go away!  And once it starts to get better, it disappears quickly. 
Posted 11/24/2008 5:29 PM (GMT 0)
I started getting a moon face while I was on 60 mg. It dissapeared when I got down to 20 mg. Asside from the moon face though, I had a problem with my right leg going numb while I was on the high dose. It was so bad that I would trip myself because my foot would drag on the ground. Luckily I went down to 40 mg, and that immediatley helped, but my leg is still slightly numb. It may turn out to be my forever gift from Steroids. However Im down to 7.5 mgs, so we'll see if I get the sensation back once Im completley off.
Posted 11/24/2008 6:22 PM (GMT 0)
It's the fuzzy face that takes soooo long for me to get rid of after tapering off.
Posted 11/24/2008 6:23 PM (GMT 0)
I started pred last thursday, I hope I don't get moon face =( although I'm quite skinny, there won't be much difference, but pred makes me have acne and some sort of rash =)
Posted 11/24/2008 10:55 PM (GMT 0)
If I’m on high doses of prednisone for a long period of time the worse the symptoms are for me. As for the Cushing's syndrome (moon face) I get it the worst right after tapering as well. I have also had the hump on my back, insomnia, greatly increased apatite, and just about every other symptom you can get. Like other I will vouch for the fact that it dose go away over time. You just have to give your adrenal glands time to wake back up. Oh, you should take pictures of your self, so that you can some day (when your ready) you can look back at your self and laugh about the whole thing. That’s what I did, and they are still funny to look at. My wife likes to joke about it being sympathy weight while she was pregnant.
Posted 11/25/2008 1:03 AM (GMT 0)
I also get tons of acne when on prednisone and my appetite becomes huge when on higher dosages. My strength drops a massive amount in the gym, especially the legs. I also gain weight and get a pretty bad moon face; I barely look like the same person. Snappy mood, more facial hair, tired feelings, crackly dry joints. I've also noticed my balance seems to be a bit worse while on it. Such a horrible drug but it's my only option at this point. Self medicating at 50mg and still not normalized, in fact seems to be worse today. Im also on 275mg of Imuran and it doesn't seem to do anything that I can notice. I'll probably end up getting surgery because the drugs are destroying me, way too harsh.
Posted 12/28/2008 1:22 PM (GMT 0)
LOL...MOON FACE?...LOL I KNOW EXACTLY WHAT YOU ARE TALKING about...I ACTUALLY LOOK PRETTIER WHEN I HAVE THE MOON FACE...  :).... BUT YES PREDNISONE IS A TRICKY MEDICATION..INITIALLY IT MAKES ME FEEL WONDERFUL AND I AM EXCITED I AM ON IT CAUSE IT MAKES MY FLARE GO AWAY PLUS IT MAKES ME FEEL LESS ANXOIUS AND MORE CONFIDENT... THEN EVENTUALLY I CANT WAIT TO GET OFF IT... DEPRESSION, HEADACHES, MOONFACE...LOL...JOINT PAIN, INSOMNIA...WHICH IS THE WORST SIDE EFFECT FOR ME... FUNNY THING IS I HAVE SO MUCH ENERGY, ONE DAY I STARTED CLEANING THE CEILINGS OF MY BASEMENT APARTMENT AT 3 AM....I JUST LAUGH.. I TRY TO LAUGH AT THINGS LIKE THIS BECUASE I ALWAYS REMEMBER THIS WILL PASS AND I WILL GO BACK TO MY NORMAL LIFE... SO TRY TO ENJOY THE CRAZYNESS OF THIS MEDICATION, BECAUSE IT IS HELPING YOU AND SOON YOU WILL BE OFF IT  :)

NOW REGARDING IMURON... MY ADVICE TAKE BLOOD WORK BEFORE TAKING MEDS, TWO WEEKS AFTER, AND TWO WEEKS AFTER THIS.  I WAS FINE FOR FIRST TWO WEEKS, THIRD WEEK VERY BAD ACID OR HEART BURN WHICH DID NOT LET ME SLEEP, THEN FOURTH WEEK PAIN IN MY LEFT SIDE OF ADOMIN,AND THROWING UP...  CALLED DOC AND HE TOOK ME OFF MEDS IMMEDICATLY....BLOOD WORK THAT WEEK AND FOUND MY LIVER WAS INFLAMMED DUE TO MEDICATION.... PLEASE FOSTER GOOD RELATIONSHIP WITH DOCTOR, VOICE YOUR CONCERNS, FEEL COMFORTABLE CALLING HIM IF YOU HAVE ANY SYMPOMS, TRUST YOUR SELF... YOU KNOW WHEN SOMETHING IS NOT RIGHT, AND TAKE LOTS OF BLOOD WORK.... GOOD LUCK  :) 

  -------------------------------------

29 YEARS OLD
UC SINCE 19
6 PILLS OF ASACOL DAILY (SORRY DONT KNOW MGS)
FOLIC ACID
FISH OIL DAILY
FLARE UP ONCE A YEAR DURING AUGUST, LASTS about TWO MONTHS WHICH I NEED TO TAKE PREDNISONE, HAIR FALLS OUT AROUND WINTER  LOL ( PRESENTLY IN THAT STAGE).
HAVE A WONDERFUL BOYFRIEND FOR THREE YEARS WHO IS VERY SUPPORTIVE
PLANNING ON GETTING PREGNANT :)

Posted 12/28/2008 1:39 PM (GMT 0)
Aw...prednisone...those wonderful little white pills. Grrr.

: ) I was on 40mg for a year and a half, and now down to 20mg...my moon face is not as full (haahhahha...get it?...full moon?) Yeah...I despise my appearance right now. Anyway, I did have a horrible hump back, which is not quite as big, and I gained a load of weight. I see the biggest change in the weight reduction and swelling once below 15mg or 10mg. However, each person is different. I'm looking forward to never taking this medicine again (as we're having surgery), because I have had serious issues due to prednisone.

I just can't wait to get my appearance back!!! No more moon face...no more hump on my back...no more staph infections that my body can't fight on it's own...the surgery cannot come quick enough!

I have moderate/servere pancolitis with no remission as of yet...and that includes a pregnancy and stress from career and school. : ) Oh, but I do take paxil b/c the prednisone likes to cause a bit of negativity. : )

I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend!!!

: ) Robin
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply