I hate prednisone, hate it! hate it! hate it!

[fino462]

I hate prednisone. I am prescribed 30 mg/ day for symptoms of an autoimmune disorder. The only symptom it seems to relieve is the fatigue, but nothing else. The side effects are horrible: moon face, high blood pressure, profuse sweating, irratibility, inability to deal with stress, and that is not including the side effects I get to look forward to in the next 10-15 years. I hate it so much that I have started weaning myself off of it with out my Dr's guidance. I just can't take it anymore! The imuran was working really well but they had to suspend it for a while because of adverse effects. I really liked how the imuran made me feel, but now I am suppose to be back up on the prednisone, and my blood pressure is THROUGH THE ROOF! Is there anything other than this horrible drug I can take?

[Jennifer R, RPh]

I would advise against weaning yourself off of the prednisone without your doctor's guidance. I would suggest you contact your provider and make an appointment to discuss your plan of action together. I am not sure what side effects you experienced with the Imuran. However it would be worth your while to discuss your next course of action with your prescriber and possibly go back on that medication. The pros far outweigh the cons when it comes to maintaining for medication regimen with autoimmune disorders.

Jennifer R RPh www.drugstore.com

[RamblingSeminarian]

I can understand how you feel fino....I'm 27 and have an autoimmune disease which I have to take prednisone for as well....it's a love/hate relationship....my doses are considerably higher than 30mg right now....but I know that the weaning needs to be very very carefully monitored by a doc...when they try to wean me down, I get terrible joint pain...and stopping suddenly can cause an adrenal crisis, which is really not good.