prednisone & colitis

Hi!I have a prednisone treatment since 4 months(100 mg a day to 0 mg a day) I'm actually taking 25 mg a day and noticed a moon face symptom since about a month . Is there anything i can do or take to counterbalance that situation?I should finish that prednisone treatment in 5 weeks....How long it takes to recover a normal face after that treatment????Thanks...

[Ratnakar Kini, MD]

Hi jm4331,
Patients on long term steroids are to be weaned off from the drug. The side effects like moon face disappear over a couple of weeks after you stop the drug.
================================================================
The information provided is for patients’ education only and is not a medical advice. Always consult your personal physician for complete evaluation of your health problem.

- Ratnakar Kini M.D.

[Isabelle1963]

I can only speak from knowledge of watching my Boyfriend go through this, and the answer that i've seen is only when you wean off of prednisone does your face begin to deflate.  His face used to "moon" and got bigger according to his dosage and as he weaned off of it [recommendation by doctor], then his face followed suit.  So it just depends on fast you are recommended to wean.  Sorry hope it helps

Isabelle

[reflect8ion]

Wow! And I thought I was on a high dose (up to 40mgs, mostly 25 mgs, for 3 months).
You need to be very careful. Prednisone has far worse side effects than the temporary moon face. Basically, it accelerates the aging process of the body, especially the connective tissue (tissue and bones). I felt like I aged one year for every month I was on the medicine.

It's kind of too late though to worry about the side effects now. You still need to be careful when weaning off the medicine. There could be serious side effects if you reduce your dosage too quickly. The body becomes dependent on Prednisone and is unable to synthesize its own cortisol. It takes awhile for the body to adjust. During this period, the bleeding might come back a bit. Your doctor should be able to tell you whether or not you need to be concerned.