Prednisone

[msgirl1]

I would like to know who all out there has had weird side effect to prednisone?
I was on 40mg for 10 days is July and it made me hurt and made my knees numb for months. I had a nerve study and EMG of both legs and back and I was fine. MRI I have four deg/bulging disc in cervical and one in lumbar. All of this was in October.
I got put back on prednisone two weeks ago. 20mg for six days ( I was having leg pain but when I got on it within 3 hours of taking the prednisone it was like I had the flu and it did that everytime I took it) My doctor keep telling me to take it. Well I started twitching all over. It is like it is on a timer. It moves from one arm to the other, one leg etc. goes to my back. I only notice it when I am sitting still, driving or lying down.
I would have noticed all of this if I had this going on before prednisone.
The reason I was taking Prednisone was because I had superfical blood clots in both arms from two days of CAT scans with contrast. The doctors thought the dye caused the irritation in my veins and most likely my leg pain.
Thank you so very much!

[JoanLo]

When will this nightmare end??!!!!  Started on 80mg prednisone the end of January.  My mental changes did not start until 2 weeks into.  Like some of the others on this topic have related the same.  Went to bed one night, woke in the morning and felt as if i was someone else.  Anxiety and depression had set in and has stayed with me during the few months since I started. My kidney had me go from 80mg to 60mg when the side effects started.  I then spent almost a month in the hospital for a high sugar count so now I have diabetes (thank you, prednisone), a few days or so in the psych unit and then I went back for dehydration.  From there I went to a rehab because I could not walk without assistance.  Recently started walking without help but I still feel unsteady.  Anyway I don't remember when i went to 40mg to 30mg.  Maybe I went from 60mg to 30mg is the last I remember.  I don't really much about my hospital stay, I was kind of out of it.  Had a cat scan done I was told and still do not remember to this day.  Apparently it was in March because that was the month I was in the hospital.  I had an MRI done the end of March and both the CT scan and MRI showed no abnormaties of my brain...but it sure feels like it to me.  My kindey took me down to 25mg a couple weeks ago when I asked him if I could go lower and 7 days later down to 20mg and in 2 more days will drop down to 15mg.  I know I do feel some changes since tapering but the mental changes not.  When will I start to see some changes in my anxiety and depression, lack of concentration, confusion and memory loss which only gives me more anxiety when I can't remember something.  Feel like I'm in a fog all day.  Can someone  please reply as to how your side effects were during, when tapering and when you were finished.  I know everyone is different but I just need to hear something positive after prednisone.

[LenghtyPredUser]

Hi. I was on 40mg of Pred. for several weeks, (it was supposed to be 40mg for 6 months) but my heart was constantly beating extremely fast, and I felt like I would explode. I could only sleep about 2 hrs. per night, then would be wide awake and exhausted. After a couple of weeks of that, I took myself down to 30mg./day, which didn't help, then went down to 20mg/day, which helped with the sleep, but then had quite bad palpitations-several every minute. I looked online and found someone said that Prednisone depletes your magnesium levels, so I started taking Magnesium supplements, AT THE SAME TIME THAT I BROUGHT MYSELF DOWN TO 20mg/day. My palpitations stopped after about 3 days. I have taken Prednisone for 6 months now, not including the Pred. bursts I took after my 3 bouts of pneumonia last, Oct., Nov., and Jan. I have been off about 2 weeks, but have started coughing a bit again, and today heard a rale in my OTHER lung (I think-kind of hard to tell). All my joints have been aching for the past couple of weeks, and from reading the other comments, I see that is a side effects. Now all I pray is that they figure out what my problem is. I did gain about 15 lbs.
Knowing how dangerous Prednisone is, before I took each dose I prayed to the Lord that He would cause the Pred. to help me and not harm me. I'm thanking Him that it did help.
I'm also now a big believer in CAREFUL use of supplements.

[ill13632]

I still wheeze when I exhale on 30mg day of prednisone now.  is it necessary to keep my asthma level the same?
I was also taking 4 tablets of ephedrine/day, dulera, symbicort, albuterol
I think it may damage the liver so you really have to be careful and my other doctor was only putting me on 10mg/day

[ill13632]

I was on prednisone months ago at 30mg/day and then tapered down to 10mg on week 3 but it didn't raise my FEV1 scores for my asthma.
now I'm taking it for 30mg for one day because I've been getting wheezing that doesn't go away and don't know if it's safe.  the doctor who prescribed it was nasty to me and making all these weird accusations

[searchingforhealth007]

I first want to say being put on a high dose of prednisone to start it is bad for you and can hurt you. you must start this drug slowly (low doses and increase, then taper off of it slowly). Do right by yourself and find out why this is needed, many many medical sites on-line to look up on the subject. My initial diagnosis is vasculitis, systemic inflammatory response, high crp and liver damage ... all auto immune.

I am now tapering off prednisone as it made me so weak that I have had to use a walker (I'm in my 30's!), I never had this problem before prednisone. Also, I had heart palpitations, shakes (or "twitches" as one person on this forum calls them), brain fog and severe shortness of breath 9on oxygen and inhaler!), and more (all started with prednisone and are going away as I taper off of it). I gained over 40 lbs over the course of 6 months on prednisone (not an over eater, but became very sedentary with weakness and shortness of breath) and the weight made the weakness worse!

I had just a terrible experience, plus my sed rate and my crp never got under control on the prednisone either. I was on 40 mg and now down to 15 tapering off.

Per the university of Maryland website, I am now taking tumeric and bromelain and getting stronger while my inflammation decreases and I taper off the prednisone. I also upped my water intake as I didn't drink enough, good idea to do no matter what, but to help liver function. By the way, I am eating and drinking foods and items without food dyes, no artificial sweetener and I am making sure fruits and veggies have no pesticide or mold (peel everything and wash everything well). This helps the liver so it does not have to work so hard. I cut back on meat to help my liver from working do hard too.

I hope my info helps someone out there, I'm not using the walker anymore (still weak (mostly from being sedentary) but not as weak as when on high doses of prednisone) and my breathing is becoming stable, my heart palpitations are gone.

Good bye prednisone! I'm praying the tumeric and bromelain do the job, so far (2 weeks in, so good).

[Ezem08]

I have been on prednisone since I was 13, and I am now almost 20. I have developed a stomach disorder that doctors can't figure out. I also get severe pains in my legs after I take it. Is this normal? I have been on a liquid diet for a year and I'm beginning to think that the prednisone is the reason my stomach can't digest food. Has anyone had these problems?

[Ezem08]

I have been on prednisone since I was 13, and I am now almost 20. I have developed a stomach disorder that doctors can't figure out. I also get severe pains in my legs after I take it. Is this normal? I have been on a liquid diet for a year and I'm beginning to think that the prednisone is the reason my stomach can't digest food. Has anyone had these problems?

[jasonjenkins]

I was in hospital having IV steroids methyleprednislone for 5 days. I was then on max dose 60mg a day for 8 weeks. I never gained but lost weight and never felt any side effects at all. I think that the drug saved my life as I had a "auto-immune ilnesses". I am now 2 years later still around albeit with slight problems due to spinal cord nerve damage caused by the "auto-immune ilnesses". I am 100 percent positive without the drug I would be paralysed as it prevented my immune system from causing further damage to my spine.

[Shanghai SD]

Hi All

Before my diagnosis I was also going to be put on prednisone.

I was positive however that some kind of infection was behing my illness.

When I read more I realised that prednisone knocks out the immune system and this is what is suppose to be necessary when treating "auto-immune ilnesses".

However, if it is an infection that is causing your illness then prednisone (steroid treatment) will likely cause an increase or worsening of symptoms.

Luckily for me I was diagnosed with Lyme disease and did not try the prednisone.

Shangs

[msgirl1]

My doctor who put me on it thinks that I am still having an allergic reaction from the contrast dye from the Cat scan. (I got blood clots in both arms from two days of testing) He thinks the dye irritated my arms and legs. (where I have the twitching) I think the twitching is caused by the prednisone and so does my allergist and neurologist. Esp. since last time I was on it it made my knees numb for literally six months. I think it threw my electrolytes (spelling) off because I feel better after drinking a poweraid. The twitches are a lot less after drinking one and plus stress does a wonder to a person too! (prednisone always stresses me out!)
Prednisone has made me weak, it has made me feel like I was in another world, numb, twitch, muscle pain, heart race. I have never gained weight on it but it does make me very hungry.
Ironically my weird side effects to prednisone started after I got of off Effexor and Buspar and I wonder if the Effexor was suppressing the pain etc since it acts like Cymbalta and helps with nerve pain.

[AMO]

Steroids can and do save lives eveyr day. I thinnk most people when handed the script do not realize how powerful a drug it is.
I was treated with the solumedrol also... i.v. 1 gram day x 5 for three months then 1 gram x one day for six months.
I was one of luck people tolorated the sides pretty well.... no psychosis but had to take sleep aide and then  pain to the touch anywhere on my body for just a few days. I was very strict about watching my diet.

It can cause both physicall and mental side effects.
A person should NEVER stop taking it without doctor suppervion.... tappering off can take a very long time (lowering just a few mg a time) if you have been on it for awhile. YOur own body neeed the time adjusting making own hormones again.

It can also cause imbalance with your electrolites.... this could be thhe reason for twitches? Palpatations?
WHen potasium and sodium levelsss are off it can be dangerous.
MAybe a blood drw to keep an eye on things?
I would have CBC and liver panel third day in to be certain all was ok.

I know people whooo are  on it for months to years.
I agree any side effects need to be discussed with your doctor, possibly a slower tapper?

Always remeer, you have the right to call your doctor with any concern you may have and have your questions asked.
Also a good sorce of info for you medicine questions is your pharmists.

I am sorry you have been through this, and do hope you are well soon.

[sueballa]

Hi i am new to this forum.I am on prednisone now weaning down to 30mg was on 40mg. Although 4 weeks ago was in hospital having IV steroids methyleprednislone 5 days.I have CNS lupus, sjogrens a raynauds.I have been put on fosomax to stop the ostoparosis along with immunesuppresants to stop the illness getting any worse,i have not got any releif from the symptoms as yet so feel the prednisone is not working.Now due to other symptoms i have passing water often and also palpatations and numbness in my heel and leg had to have a diabetics test due results tomorrow i feel the prednisone is adding to my illness not cureing it.I hate the weight problems you also get from this drug.But we go along with what the nuerologist tells us is best.I am unsure what to do from now on about tapering myself off them is it best or worse to?hope some of you get some releif from this drug and come off them slowely as once on it's hard to come straight off them my body is hurting so bad just dropping 10mg.I am also floating all the time and legs so weak.
bye for now sue x

[Annie62]

Normally prednisone only causes muscle weakness, deterioration of bones/osteoporosis, etc., after long-term use, not short-term use of a few hours or a day (or even a couple weeks)  That can be looked up in the PDR.  So if you experienced pain, numbness/paresthesias or (in my case) muscle weakness immediately/soon after taking it, something else is going on atypical with you and the drug.  It is a harsh drug, though, and obviously everyone responds differently to it.  Some people tolerate it well and it is a powerful anti-inflammatory and very effective at that.

I expected the opposite to happen in my case.  When the pulmonologist put me on it for the asthma I was expectant/hopeful that it was also going to help with my as yet undiagnosed neurologic/autoimmune problem.  Instead my symtpoms immediately became worse on it, which I can't explain.  I don't believe for a minute it was a coincidence, that I was "due" to have an exacerbation anyway.

[tommyroe]

Prednisone is a nasty drug.  Since it's an anti-inflammatory, it will cause all kinds of pains in your joints (knees, elbows, hands), especially at that dose.  Usually I was prescribed 5-10 mg's a day when I took it, not 40...40 is a very high dose...even 20 is very high.  

Prednisone also weakens your immune system, which is why people normally only take very small doses for a week or so.  High doses can cause the symptoms your having because of the joints going out of whack and your immune system being suppressed.

[Annie62]

msgirl,

I was put on 40 mg of prednisone for 14 days a couple years ago for severe asthma and I became so sick I thought I was going to die on this drug.  Within 24 hours I started having trouble breathing (shallow, slowed down breathing), could not breathe when lying down (orthopnea), felt extremely faint, slow heartbeat but with palpitations, weak in general, tingling and heaviness in left arm and leg, etc.--basically an exacerbation of all the stuff i normally have to some degree, but the prednisone made it much worse.  I could barely walk I was so faint and weak.  I'm worried about having to go back on this drug because I just underwent a work-up at Mayo last week for autoimmune autonomic neuropathy and I just read that prednisone is what is used to treat this.

The drug did different things to me than it did to you--I didn't have any twitching or numbness (only tingling), and it didn't cause me any pain per se.  I've seen other people say they had worsening of their neuro symptoms when put on prednisone-don't remember if they had MS or what (someone posted about that on the patient/doctor forum), but the doctor seemed to think it was only a coincidence and not from the prednisone.  I know it was no coincidence in my case.  It took me another two weeks after I stopped the drug to return to the status quo. It is a horrible drug, although I have heard people say they feel wonderful on it, which I can't imagine.