Prednisone info?

[jorbsid]

Went to the neuro yesterday because of some new symptoms.  He ordered a new set of MRI's (brain, cervical and thoracic) to see if there are new lesions compared to my previous MRI's.  

I am currently dx with TM.  If the new MRI's show new lesions my dx will likely become MS.

He also prescribed a course of Prednisone to start after I have the MRI's.  Any of you who have been on this steroid, would you please give me some info about your outcome and side effects?

Thanks!

[OrchidNC]

Pednisone seems to be fine with some and aweful for others, I think
NOT taking it with other meds is key. Lower doses and stepping off gradually
also Key. In some, like me it affected my bp, and blood sugar. Checked only a month before all my metabolic no's were excellent, very healthy in all other
respects. Until the last two weeks.... After use of prednisone with other meds
to block a reaction I was having to an Allegra. My body isn't use to meds and
I had a reaction do the Urgent Care over killed giving me steroid shot, several anti histamines and prednisone?!? I won't know if the past two weeks of illness have been related to the prednisone exclusively or not. But be prepared. It's taken me weeks to normalize my bodies systems still deal with anxiety it induced that I did NOT have before. The excessive thirst can mess with your electrolytes do have some drinks on hand to drink on occasion. Shakes can mean low blood sugar and nausea after eating with raised  bp can reflect high I had some difficulty with this so I used glycerna drinks for several days to stabilize by sugar and it is fine now. Having a bp cuff is a good idea because you don't know till your in the cycle whether you can handle it or not and because I didn't the abrupt stopping really taxed my adrenal system. Know too that steroids can affect an important neurotransmitter GABA which is a watch dog over the others (sort of) as it acts as an inhibitor and aids I the healthy balance of the Seritonin, dopamine and Others that  directly impact our mood and anxiety. I found out the hard way that steroid use can bring anxiety in the body which is no fun and very dibilitating till you get a handle on it. So, proceed with caution. Have supplies on hand because docs and hospitols send you home when you feel very
I'll to fend for yourself so be pray for the best and prepare for the worst is my advise. AND Know what your taking and it's possible side effects and chemically what it might change in your body, ask if there are any other options of treatment that might be ok too. Best of luck to you and get well soon.

[debgen]

I have been on prednisone 3 times over the years. The first time was intense for some very intense symptoms. It was 3 weeks in the hospital through IV and the symptoms were pretty strong. I swelled up a bit. It worked very well though and helped the MS from surging through me! More recently, I have been on the pill for a recent relapse. The first time, it worked great after only 3 days. The second time it took about 3 weeks, but it always worked for me. I hope it works for you :)
Xxxx
Deb

[limomel98]

This is the worse drug for me ever!!! Alot of people on this site under prednisone has said the same. I was given this for vertigo, because the PA thought i had fluid in my ears. Each pill was 5mg, the first day I started with 6 pills, THATS 30mg!! Then weened down. By day three I was sick as a dog. Anxiety out the butt! Irritability, night sweats, weak, tired and could not sleep. Everytime I would try to fall asleep, I would feel these weird brain zapps in my head, and at the same time my body would heat up really hot, sweaty and heart racing fast. I woke up each time exhausted, confused and scared. I woke up at least 6 times in one night! Then enough was enough, I went to the ER and they ran all test. My bp was high...but everything else normal. It took a month to get over these side effects. That was September 10, 2011, now im doing much better. Almost back to my old self. Prednisone really frazzled my nerves and IS NOT FOR EVERYONE!!  If you have any type of anxiety, mental issues or are just sensitive to steriods, USE THIS DRUG WITH CAUTION PLEASE!!

[tripnstumble]

I have been put on prednisone a few times over the past year. My Dr. wouldn't not keep me on it even though I felt better while taking it. He said it was bad for me lol I told him... NO feeling this way is bad for me and you :) LOL

Honestly, for me. I felt great on it. I had no bad side effects, but wasn't on it very long either. I was on it just long enough to have a life for Thanksgiving and Christmas :)

And YES it is very nasty tasting!!! Ugh, make sure you have a lot to drink when you take it. I have an issue with swallowing pills so of course they hung around in my mouth just making it worse... ewww!!! It's like the worlds worse penicillin taste. And they are tiny, but not coated at all so they can be little buggers if you have a swallowing issue like I do. Ugh bad stuff. But, helped so much.

[Sidesteps]

My kids have been on prednisone for their asthma.

Common side affects: Irritability, Mood Swings, Insomnia

It's common to feel kinda amped up and I've been told you feel good on it. :)

It's NASTY tasting. I used to give it to my kids with syrup so have something close by that you can drink with it that will over power it. It will leave an after-taste.

I've never been on it but I think I'm going to talk seriously with the new Neuro about trying it to see if it will relieve my symptoms.

[jorbsid]

I have been prescribed oral prednisone beginning on high dosage (80mg) for three days with a step down process which will take about 3 weeks.  I don't know if the oral and IV are similar.

Thanks for your info.  I will do some research.

[MsmsinFl]

I had 5 days of IV solumedrol --  in the hospital, given every 6 hours.
I had no problems, except lack of sleep, mostly a result of the hospital noise & 6-hr intervals.

I will say that my blood sugar went up several times (I'm NOT diabetic), and I got insulin injections when it happened.  I was told this is not unusual with IVSM, so if you get put on it, DO ask for blood sugar (finger-stick) testing.  I'm not sure how the testing is handled if you are not an inpatient.