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Prednisone...What are YOUR side effects??? Ladies-question in here for you!

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Posted 3/26/2008 7:32 PM (GMT 0)

FOR THE WOMEN:  I have in the past which was on the first time in 2005 get this, some facial hair (WOMEN) did you get this too?  Did you use Nair for the face?  Is there anything else you used that was a little less strong???  Granted, I am Italian and need something but I did have to use it a couple times in the row before the Nair took.  HMM?  ANY TIPS ON THAT ONE???

EVERYONE ELSE:

Very weak legs

Legs that swell up from knees down and look like the something the elephant man left you.

VERY SHAKEY HANDS

Back Aches

If anyone else experienced these too...Please let me know how you coped. 

Thanks all. 

Hope you are having a good day.  Hang in there!

T

Posted 3/26/2008 8:43 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Tammy!

I have just about every side effect.

Weight gain 15 pounds (was 20 pounds but I lost 5 of them) - got some nice purple strech marks to show for it too. -now I put on jojoba oil every day, I think it is helping.

Yes, I have horrible swelling in my legs and feet, I am so uncomfortable, my feet and calves are sausages!

unusual increase in hair growth - the hair on my calves has stopped growing pretty much and I have a fu man chu mustache - I use Sally Hansen facial wax. I also got a couple of black prickly chin hairs and my hair around the edges of my hair line started growing more, I am wolf woman.

mental fogginess - I forget words sometimes, like my 84 year old Grandmother.
flushing of face or cheeks
increased sweating (at the begining)
abdominal or stomach pain or burning (now on prilosec it helps)
acne (use Vishy from CVS, has been pretty good)
changes in vision
eye pain (dryness)
filling or rounding out of the face - Major Moonface, moon-neck, moon-back, moon-torso
menstrual problems - on it for 7 months, got my first 'real' period on it 2 weeks ago. Had two other periods, for like a day each.
muscle cramps or pain - inner thigh, calf cramp, shin cramps, arch cramps, toe cramps - I was low on potassium, better now though.
muscle weakness
redness of eyes - very dry
tearing of eyes
trouble in sleeping - this is new just in the past couple of days, I am tapering pred.
unusual bruising
unusual tiredness or weakness
weight gain (rapid) - the 20 pounds happened on month #4 of pred in about a month.
hair loss - I was losing more of it but now that I am tapering, I think I am losing less?

there is a book called Coping with Prednisone, I highly recommend it. You can find it on amazon.com

When I got the fugly purple stretch marks, I cried, cancelled plans to go out and spent the night in bed. That for me was just the last straw and I let out all my emotions, I needed to.

I try to tell myself this is all temporary (the stretch marks will fade..........) life could be worse, blah, blah, blah.

I am going to go to therapy very soon. I just need to let it all out and have someone help me deal w/my feelings I also have a kidney disease that is getting me down.

On the flip side, this to me is better than 25+ bm's a day w/all the cramps, D, B, M and being a zombie. I try to do everything I did before even if I am grumpy I will go out and end up having a good time. I try to be very conscientious about it. There are good days and bad days. My husband is amazed that I still treat him better than most of his friends wives who do not have any illnesses and are not pumped up on drugs. He is good to me too = )
Posted 3/26/2008 8:53 PM (GMT 0)
Also, Prednisone has raised my sugars so now I am Pre-Diabetic (means I am not yet diabetic but need to watch my sugars, was completely fine before pred)- YAY!

So in addition to a low salt diet, I am also not allowed to eat refined carbs and sugars (bread, cereal, chips......all the fun stuff).
Posted 3/26/2008 9:29 PM (GMT 0)
Hi. I was off and on Pred (mostly on) for nearly a year, then they switched me to Entocort because it "doesn't cause those steroid side effects." Right. I was on it for a couple of years. My side effects:

  • moon face
  • weight gain
  • thinning hair on my head and legs, increased hair on my face and arms
  • complete inability to sleep more than four hours a night
  • terrible irritability
  • horrendous leg and back cramps that would awaken me when I did manage to sleep
  • bright red bruises when anything even touched my arms. There were times when people I work with thought I had been beaten.
  • stretch marks on my back, of all places
  • vision problems

And then there were the really bad side effects:

  • elevated blood sugars
  • severe osteoporosis resulting in a stress fracture of both bones in my lower leg. Yes, I was taking calcium and Fosamax.
  • avascular necrosis of both shoulders

And of course, I still don't know what might show up in the future, even though I've been off the poison for two years.

 

Posted 3/26/2008 9:59 PM (GMT 0)
It has been many, many years since I was put on prednisone. Back then, in the 1960's I am not sure they were as forthcoming about side effects. But it was a last measure for me. At 16 I had lost 30 lbs in three weeks and needed 6 blood transfusions and was in the hospital for a month.
They put me on cortisone, then prednisone.

Now I am 62 years old.

I had the moon face, the swelling, the hair growth, swollen joints and a HORRENDOUS appetite.
I was tapered down but remained on a low dose for years.

Long run. I got and kept stretch marks on my face and breast. In other words, I had crow's feet long before my friends.
Now, I have strange lumps on my wrists and ankles. Nothing bad...no pain, just strange shape. I think they came from years of taking prednisone. I expected bone density problems but embarked on a walking regiment and so far no problems there.
But I have not taken prednisone at all in 30 years but I still think the long term side effects are there....mostly unpleasant physical attributes but no sickness and that's a good thing.
Posted 3/26/2008 10:00 PM (GMT 0)
moon face
slight feeling of weight gain
thinning hair on my head and
Weaker knees, uncomfortable to stand for even short periods of time

slightly elevated blood sugars (hope it was just temporary)

I don't know how I coped. I was just so happy to have normal "going" patterns, not wake up at night every hour to go, and happy to be on the road to recovery.
The hardest part was the Moonface bec. it was external. Good thing I had lost a TON of weight before the dx...so the moonface was less recognizable by others. It covered my jutting cheekbones...
Posted 3/26/2008 11:01 PM (GMT 0)
I've never been on pred but I can comment on the facial hair. I was on and off steroid enemas for about a year and even though it took longer for the side effects to build it, it still did around the 6 month mark. I use a product that I got at CVS and basically it's realllly fine sandpaper on a small rubber emery type board. It works great for my "mustache" :) And the hair stays away longer then using chemicals plus it comes in finer.
Posted 3/27/2008 12:29 AM (GMT 0)
I am back on Pred for the first time in 2 years as of today, hopefully just a short cycle, I was having a really bad flare, they are starting me at 40MG per day,

I've never suffered any sideeffects from it previously (at higher dosage) other than hunger and back-acne which I am more than willing to deal with.

This is the worst flare I've had since my original hospitalization in May 2005. 

 

Posted 3/27/2008 2:43 AM (GMT 0)
Oh man, I was just missing the "ups" of Pred (endless energy, no hangovers, eat what I want) but now I remember the downs (many still with me):

35 lbs weight gain (that I really didn't need)
weird facial hair
back hair for the 1st time ever- ack! not much, but I can feel it.
stomach stretch marks
RAGE ROID
insomnia
crazy sweating
Posted 3/27/2008 2:44 AM (GMT 0)
This is the first time I've been on it, and this is day 7 of 40 mg... tomorrow I taper to 30 mg. I can't sleep well, my back is KILLING me (it hurt before, but this is sooo much worse), i look sunburnt, my face is swelling, I'm an emotional mess. And i'm not even sure it's working! I guess it is becuz it's cut my frequency and need down, but the same mess still comes out! lol.

Ugh, I'm not looking forward to more side effects, but I'm afraid they're a coming...

*sigh*
Posted 3/27/2008 3:10 AM (GMT 0)
Wow, I'm glad I haven't had to use prednisone (I convinced my GI to just let me start on Asacol, which was a good thing b/c it definitely worked up until now). Anyway, I have enough facial hair as it is! How was the Sally Hansen facial fax? Red, what was the product called?
Posted 3/27/2008 5:36 PM (GMT 0)
the Sally Hansen facial wax, is great, I now use it for my eyebrows too. It's very ez and you don't need to apply the paper to it. Just put a bit on and then wait a minute and pull it off.

JJC - you got strechmarks on your face??? I got some on my stomach and the side of my chest, big and purple.
Posted 3/27/2008 7:42 PM (GMT 0)
ComedyDork - umm I honestly don't know! I threw the box away LOL But the board is pink and the fine sandpaper stuff is purple and it comes with 4 or 5 refill sandpaper strips.
Posted 3/28/2008 1:37 AM (GMT 0)
Yes I have weak legs from the knees down. They feel like rubber or like you just finished a long hike when youv'e done nothing. Also I have had horrible leg cramps my feet curl up and inward very painful. Also the hand shakes, insomnia, foggy feeling . short term memory issues, anxiety and emotional rollercoster feelings, and now I've develped diabetes. I guess if it was a possible side effect I've got it. The Gi Is now putting me on Imuran so that when I taper off the Pred by June that med will have taken it's place. Prednisone has helped me but at a price I'm not sure I wanted to pay.
Posted 3/28/2008 2:50 AM (GMT 0)
I  had the mustache - I used to go to the salon and have it waxed every few weeks.  It stayed away longer than with the at home waxing kits.  After I stopped the pred I no longer had the mustache.

Posted 3/28/2008 5:57 PM (GMT 0)
I was tweezer happy on Prednisone.  OUCH.

I had a big ol hairy chain and lip, Moonface, swollen knee joints, Panic Attacks, Acne, shaky hands, insomnia, metal mouth, leg and knee cramps in the middle of the night.

Accck.  It was awful.  Thank goodness for prozac and sleeping pills.

Michele

Posted 3/28/2008 6:15 PM (GMT 0)
i totally had a moustache. i am not v. hairy and never had to wax it before so it was pretty horrifying. ironically, the hair on my head fell out in clumps at the same time! prednisone really thinned it out.
Posted 3/28/2008 10:41 PM (GMT 0)
I had shaky hands, hot flashes, night sweats, no sleep, achy lower back and swollen ankles. I had to go on it for inflammatory arthritis due to UC. The only thing I miss is the energy...it was like having liquid crack. I felt so wired...
Posted 4/1/2008 1:49 PM (GMT 0)
Disco or anyone else who knows . . .

When I have a flare up, I start on 40 mg of prednisone.  Does anyone have an opinion if I should take all 40 in the morning or 20 in the morning and 20 at night?  What works best.  How quickly can I cut back to 20?  K

Posted 4/1/2008 2:17 PM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't recommend Nair on your face - particularly if you have sensitive skin. Go with the waxing. Better yet... go to a salon and have it done professionally.
Posted 4/1/2008 2:42 PM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't take any of the pred at night, sleeping can be tough enough on the pred, I'd take it all in the early morning.............
Posted 4/1/2008 4:40 PM (GMT 0)

another (unmentioned?) prednisone side effect= cuts & viruses that won't heal. What about exhaustion after you stop taking it? It's been 6 weeks and I'm so tired all of the time. (Of course, I cut my taper abruptly, so maybe I messed up my system?)

My doc suggested benadryl for the insomnia. Good luck!

Posted 9/14/2009 2:20 PM (GMT 0)
I take Prednisone for Crohn's. The side effects I have are insomnia and swelling. I also have osteoporosis and have two rods in place from severe scoliosis. Which is bad because the Prednisone causes bone loss too. I take Fosamax now to help with that. After a week long hospital stay for Crohn's, the high dose of steriods caused me to have mania. I now take Zypreza for it.
Posted 9/14/2009 4:25 PM (GMT 0)
side effects from pred You name them i get them then have more pills for side effects lol
Posted 9/14/2009 5:35 PM (GMT 0)

Beth75 said...

filling or rounding out of the face - Major Moonface, moon-neck, moon-back, moon-torso

Out of all the side effects, this one bothers me the most. For the longest of time, I couldnt figure out why I looked like I had a double chin. I have a skinny body build but yea I attribute it to Pred as well and no matter how much running I do, I cant seem to get my face chiseled.

I have definite weakness in my legs but I just run and deal with it. I think my legs feel weaker when I take a few days off from running. So far I havent had any joint pain but Im sure it'll come soon enough. I have difficulty sleeping more than 6hrs and I get irritated/mad pretty easy (roid rage likely).

Just the other day I also noticed Im going bald and baldness doesnt run in my family on both sides so yea Prednisone is definitely stealing the hair from my head and putting it on my arms and back along with massive acne.

I look forward to the day I no longer have to be dependant on Prednisone. It'll be nice to get it all out of my system and see my body change back hopefully.
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