Prednisone pains.. how long do they last?? OMG...

Hi everyone

These pains I'm getting from the Pred are getting worse and worse.. Everything hurts, and I'm starting to get a bit concerned. My hands hurt so bad that if I bump them even slightly, my joints absolutely KILL me and my now both my hips are hurting (it was only my right hip at first).. It is so hard to get going after being still for a while... I'm hoping the Prednisone hasn't caused something to go wrong with me... I've never hurt this bad... ever... Plus, my feet are always REALLY cold.. feels like 2 blocks of ice at the end of my legs... I'm happy to be off the pred, but to be honest, I felt better when I was on it... UGH...

Could this really something that is caused by Prednisone withdrawl and will go away eventually or at least get a bit better?

OMG... 3 years out?? Wow... I've only been off it a month... UGH... At least that's the only withdrawal I seem to be experiencing... But WOWIE.. it has definately slowed me down.. I haven't even gotten on my horse, and if I'm not getting on my horse, you KNOW it's bad... lol... In addition to the sore joints, I get these sharp shooting pains in the knuckles of my hands... I don't know how long I can deal with this without getting something for pain...

I thought I was one of the lucky ones, when I first got on Pred, it was a couple of months before I started gaining weight and got the moonface and hunchback... Then when I first got off it 7 months later, I had that right sided pain and that's pretty much gone now thanks to Pentasa, but now this joint pain.. it's unbelievable... It really is bad enough to where it makes you think that something is really wrong with you...

     Every time I get off the prednisone I suffer from Plantar Facsitis...think that is how it is spelled...anyway, the heal of my right foot hurts like the devil.  I am back on prednisone, tapered to 5 mgm and it hasn't hurt since I went back on the prednisone...really weird.

Thanks for the tip Imac Girl....

I'm going to my doctor tomorrow.. My GP not my GI, and I'm going to run this all by her and see what she says. I'll mention the Omega 3 and see if she feels that would help.. I was thinking of trying glucosamine too, anything to help with this joint pain..

Kevman.. I was on Prednisone for almost 8 months, and my average dose was 50mg.. I wasn't able to start tapering until I had my remicade infusion which put me in remission overnight.. but unfortunately I developed neurological side effects from it and can't get anymore infusions of either Remicade OR Humira.. bummer! But, that one infusion has kept me in remission so far, as far as my U/C goes and I had it back on October 22nd... Hopefully you won't have to be on Prednisone very long and can avoid some of the horrific joint pain that I'm experiencing...

Christine, I also had plantar facsitis too, but it was back when I was a bartender and on my feet all day. It has gone away but for me the pain was more in the arch of my foot and I had developed a little cyst where the main pain was.. I remember the foot doctor giving me a shot of cortisone in the arch of my foot and I almost jumped through the ceiling!!! Foot shots are VERRRRY painful! LOL..

Well, let's hope after THIS little setback, I can finally get some of my normal life back :)

Susiebuddy, I had a somewhat similar experience about 9 months ago. I had been on prednisone for 4 months (not as long as you). I had 3 remicade infusions to put me into remission because the prednisone was not helping and I was going to the bathroom about 20 times a day, mostly blood, and during the middle of the night. about 4 weeks after coming off the prednisone and 8 weeks off the remicade, I started having excruciating joint pain. It stared by waking me up at night. I felt like I had 10 pound weights in my shoulders and literally could not roll over in bed. I had to sit up and then try to lay down on my side. I also had pain in my ankles, feet, knees, wrists, fingers. This went on for several weeks and started carrying over into my days, particularly mornings and early evenings. I would go to bed at 8:00 because I literally could barely walk. I never had a lot of swelling. I did experience the feeling of electric shocks in my hands once. Well I am talking to much. To sum it up, I went to a rhuemetologist (sp) and had many test done and never got a diagnosis. The doctor was a jerk. He never gave me anything for the pain, just told me to take extra strength tylenol. I had even gone to urgent care before I saw him and got vicodin but it did nothing at all for the pain. Anyway, I am wondering if it could be some response to having been on both the remicade and prednisone, both of which you have had recently. I felt like my immune system went crazy and was attaching my joints. I hope you find some answers and relief.

49/F

When I tried Asocol and then Pentasa I had horible joint pain. My GI thinks I am alergic to mesalamine's (both are in that family). Before stopping the medication, I could barely walk, and woke up one Am and could not reach my face, beauase my shoulders were so siezed up.. Could it be the pentasa that is causing you the joint pain?

I am tappering off of Predinisone now as well and have started having leg pain. I have been on the stuff for 10 months - As I tapper down my hips, upper legs and feet have been sore. My hands too but to a lesser degree. Nothing like how bad the Pentasa made me feel...

Hi Susiebuddy,

I, too, have been off prednisone for 4 weeks now and am still experiencing excruciating joint pain. My fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, knees, and feet all are greatly affected. I am on lots of Lortab every day just to be able to sit up and try to shuffle around the house.

I am having j-pouch surgery next week at Mayo in Phoenix, and they will put me back on 60 mg of prednisone as a precautionary measure. Hopefully they will taper me off very quickly. I just got rid of the moon face and buffalo hump and dread going through that again!

The surgeon would not do the j-pouch surgery in 2 steps due to the severe damage the prednisone had caused on my organs. It would be impossible for any sutures to be done on my insides so it is taking 3 surgeries to get through this difficult time. I will have been off the prednisone 4 1/2 weeks when I have my next surgery (next week) and hope that some of the awful effects of this drug will be gone from my insides.

I am sorry you are suffering so much. Yes, it is a very difficult road to get off this drug. Be encouraged that you are not alone... this too shall pass. Hang in there!