HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

How long is "long term" prednisone use? Plus, Eye problems...

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 1/9/2013 11:55 PM (GMT 0)
I have been going between flaring and remission since 2001. I am currently out of remission and in the middle of a flare. I have never had problems with my eyes because of UC until now and was wondering if it was related. Of course, at the moment, I have no health insurance but am on asacol (about to run out) and prednisone. I have been on and off the steroid for the last decade. When should i start worrying about this stuff damaging my eyes for the long term?

I feel like I am in a tight spot, I don't want to take it but its the only thing that is at my disposal that helps with the pain of the cramps at the moment. What exactly is considered long term use? 2 months? 2 years? Should I be worried? Also, my eyes have been extremely dry and strained and I keep waking up in the morning looking like I have pink eye, computer use has become difficult and I am having flashes and floaters and other visual anomalies. I have watched these horrible red veins come from the outside of my eyes and form around the cornea and my eyes just look plain terrible. I have been to multiple opthamologists for rear of retinal detachment or worse and I was just told I that have blepharitis and dry eyes. Could this be from the inflammation in my colon? When I manage to get some semblance of medical coverage, what alternatives do I have to taking prednisone if any? Thanks in advance UC'ers.
Posted 1/10/2013 12:22 AM (GMT 0)
A hundred different people will give you a hundred different answers on this one. I would point out that in my mind, long term kind of refers to constant use, not intermittant. Dosage levels also play an important role. Obviously the longer you are on a higher dose the worse it is. I would say that you should never be on prednisone no longer that 2-3 months at a time and not more than 2 times per year but even that is a lot of prednisone use. I recently had a thread talking about long term low dose prednisone use where you only start out at 10mgs per day and then taper to 5 or 2.5 forever.
Posted 1/10/2013 3:10 AM (GMT 0)
It sounds like you have or are developing uveitis. It is common with prednisone use. You need to go see someone, with or without insurance. I am sure if you go to a clinic, they will be able to treat you.

I think too long on pred is over 6 months but it is sometimes considered dependency if you've been on it for shorter periods. I was on it for a year and it was very hard to taper off. I thought I would never be able to stop but with the addition of 6mp, I've been doing extremely well.

ibdcrohns.about.com/od/cdbeyondbasics/a/uveitis.htm
Posted 1/10/2013 5:27 AM (GMT 0)
5th month for me on the pred. Also noticed that eyesight got worse. I would agree with seeing an optometrist which is what I am doing soon.
Posted 1/10/2013 1:33 PM (GMT 0)
My story- I took prednisone on and off for 18 months 15 years ago- (highest dose 30 mg) Last year I took prednisone on and off for the entire year (highest dose 40mg). It caused osteopenia and I have cataracts. I am in my 40's and had no problems with vision until last year. No one in my family has ever had cataracts.

Carlie
Posted 1/22/2013 6:09 AM (GMT 0)
Carlie that makes me sad to hear. Thankfully the procedure for cataract removal is a straightfoward one if I remember correctly. Im worried about cataracts and glaucoma. Im sick of being on this drug! Get to that opt Madcat! Better yet a Optamologist or Retinal specialist.
Posted 1/22/2013 9:26 AM (GMT 0)
Can someone tell me about the eye problems associated with UC? I have had some weird eye stuff no one has been able to diagnose.
Posted 1/22/2013 9:41 AM (GMT 0)
Im right there with you Teddtlove! I now have a horrible underlying fear about my sight. I read about, and was told by my current ophthalmalogist, about the connection between the eyes and problems in the digestive tract and how they can often coincide with one another. my eye problems started first when I thought I was in "remission" in october and have just gotten progressively worse along with my UC.

What type of problems have you had? Maybe we can compare notes. For me, it stated with feeling like I noticed my floaters overnight, to extreme light sensitivity, flashes (light and dark) and ocular aura with and without the migrane. Horrible veins that have been expanding for the last months from all angles in my eyes and redness and inflammation.

Needless to say Im freaked out and my anxiety has gotten out of control too so Ive been at a loss. I get barely any sleep because of the prednisone and spend every night laying in bed till the sun comes up then for some reason I manage to sleep till 12 in the afternoon which i hate because there is work to be done!

I had all of these symptoms when I went to a new ophthalmalogist because my longtime one didnt care to delve deeper than diagnosing me with pink eye and was told I had dry eye and blepharitis. These have never been problems for me before which is why I am worried. I have been doing all the required treatments and see no improvement. If this is truly related to UC then I need to get rid of it fast. My question is why, after living with this on and of remission for over ten years, has it started to affect my eyes now? Sorry for the rant. I repeatedly find myself typing my heart out on this forum, it is my release.

Post Edited (soldieroftafari) : 1/22/2013 2:44:08 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 1/22/2013 10:26 AM (GMT 0)
I have had two different things happen. One they did say could be cause by my UC. My vision. One eye went darker than the other eye. It was called optic neuritis. It is inflammation of the optic nerve. The most recent problem I am having they keep saying must be a side effect of a med. it happens every once in a while for few days and few weeks and then it won't happen for a month or so. I see what I call strobe light vision. If I move my hand in front of my face it has like a trail behind it. Like it would if it were under a strobe light. I also have very dry eyes and have to use allergy and tear eye drops every day.
Posted 1/22/2013 11:28 AM (GMT 0)
Update. My optometrist says im good to go. :)
Posted 1/22/2013 2:17 PM (GMT 0)
Long term prednisone use is beyond 4 months of continuous use.

Sue
Posted 1/22/2013 3:09 PM (GMT 0)
Try to stay calm. If you're concerned, see an eye doctor. I was on pred for a year and I went to the eye doctor recently and he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. I wouldn't wait on getting checked out though, if you're having vision changes, you need to see your doctor.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply