Prednisone...

[Michelle D]

Okay I'm on a 12 day tapering dose of prednisone for dressler's and whenever I google prednisone I get horror stories. For those who've taken it and have spoke to actual doctors is there really much long term damage to be worried about if I were on it a few weeks? I read crap about it shutting down your adrenal glands, giving people diabetes etc. I'm sure you guys can tell by now I'm quite a hypochondriac.

 

[Kathy McCain]

For most people ABSOLUTELY NOT! I started at 60mg. Two 1/2yrs later, I take a daily 2 1/2mg. I also know (my elderly neighbor) a women, a very attractive older lady I might add, that has been taking 5mg for 20 yrs! She was diagnosed with inflamation of the arteries. When she was first admitted to the hospital years ago, she had to take a huge intravenous dose. I can't remember just how much. Here's the thing. The higher dose didn't make her nervous, or give her insomnia. She also is in her 70's and has NO OSTEOPOROSIS ! I have read that info on the net too, but I don't believe that is in the majority of people. I am very sensitive to alot of meds too. Like I said in my other posts. The high dose I do not tolerate very well though! If it is worrying you, I would talk to my Dr.

Please keep us updated. Take care

 

[Lynlw]

Short term it shouldn't be a problem. Justin has been on it for a few months at a time (even when he was a growing child) and didn't have any problems, and I was on high amounts for months in my 20s when my asthma would be very bad, with out any long term problems.

 

[Michelle D]

Thanks guys <3. I've had horrible reactions to meds on the past so I just get nervous. I hope this acne goes away when I stop taking this, I feel like a teenager. I also hope the four nightly trips to the toilet and the night sweats end after I go down or off from this. And geez, you'd think from googling this medicine that you were taking arsenic. It's been no fun at all but I was mostly concerned about permanent damage. Thanks for always making me feel better.

 

[Kathy McCain]

I forgot to say, that when I was on the high dose, I did experience a bit of "moon face" and a little breakout, but it went away as soon as I lowered my dosage. I'm sure that things will return to normal. Try not to get too stressed out. It will pass!

 

[Cooker]

I have had to take it on a few occasions for lung issues ... never had a problem, well maybe a little extra hair growth:biggrin2:

 

[Michelle D]

Ha, luckily no hair growth for me. In the hospital they had me on 60 mg every 8 hours for three days and I gained 15 pounds. As I am now tapered to 20 mg a day I lost all that weight plus a few pounds. I'm actually back to my college weight of 130. It kind of creeps me out, I was 155 before I went into surgery. 15 pounds in 7 weeks is too noticeable for me, I feel emaciated. But I can't stop eating. But being twiggy on top of the insatiable appetite and the acne I feel like a prepubecent teen. The good news is that I feel no gurgling in my chest and haven't had dressler's like pains so I've got my fingers crossed, oh and I guess I was out of it when the cardiologist came in one of those days in the hospital and my mom just happened to mention to me yesterday that they didn't think I had dressler's but would treat me for it anyways. Thanks mom. Anyways whatever it is I hope it doesn't come back when I'm off the prednisone tomorrow. I see the hospital cardiologist tomorrow and hopefully he will take me off. Well hopefully he will take me off if that is the wise thing to do.

 

[Michelle D]

Oh I forgot to ask when you've had new flair ups of the dressler's did you have to take a large dose to get it in control or could you resume at a lower dose. I don't want to completely get off of this just for a week later to end up on the large dosage again. Ah I wish there was more info out there about this and I wish I could trust doctors. Looking at my symptoms in retrospect I was probably in CHF for a year before I finally was diagnosed. Perhaps they could've put me on betablockers and maybe this surgery wouldve never had to happen. I trust doctors as much as used car salesmen.

 

[njean]

I have taken prednisone for different reasons in my lifetime and never experienced anything horrific other than perhaps the "moon face" that Kathy mentioned in her post. I don't think that the smaller dose for a short period of time will harm you.

And, you are probably right when you mentioned that you probably were experiencing CHF symptoms way before it was properly diagnosed. I think that because that's what happened to me before my 3rd OHS and I was jumping from one cardiologist to another. And, it finally took my PCP to diagnose it as Stage III CHF!!!

Good luck to you & hope you get better soon!

 

[Michelle D]

My primary care just thought I had panic disorder and asthma. I just made an appointment with a new pcp, unfortunately I have to wait until Nov. 1 but I do have two cardiologists and they don't know it yet. I like my cardio I have had for the past year but she is an hour away and hard to get an appt with, she is also too optimistic for me. Then there is my cardiologist from the hospital I keep ending up in, I don't know if I trust him yet but he seems to always be at the hospital except Thursdays in which he has office hours and I had no problem getting in tomorrow when I called Monday. If he gains my trust I'll switch to him. It's hard because I live within a large population of retirees and snow birds so the doctors I believe are over worked around here. That got way off topic. Anyways I just hope the cardiologist knows enough about prednisone and dressler's to hold me over to seeing my new pcp Nov. 1st.

 

[Lynlw]

I forgot to say, that when I was on the high dose, I did experience a bit of "moon face" and a little breakout, but it went away as soon as I lowered my dosage. I'm sure that things will return to normal. Try not to get too stressed out. It will pass!

I just wanted to add, like the others, Both Justin and I had the moon face, I usually get ALOT of fluid if I'm on it a month or so, pitting edema up to my knees. But even with that neither one of us had any long term problems. I was more concerned with that about Justin than me, since he was still growing and I know steroids can mess with alot in children. but so far so good.
and Justin ATE, he was less than 2 one time and at a children hospital he got the adult meals, not childrens and beside eating them, we had to get him snacks in between meals.

 

[Kathy McCain]

Michelle,

I have never gotten completely off for more than two wks. So once you stop completely taking the pred, if you do not get any symptoms at all, then I believe it MAY be safe to say it won't come back. My Dr. says if I need to take anywhere from 2 1/2mg to 5mg for LIFE, it should not hurt anything. He tells me this is a VERY low dose, and can be taken safely. I want to add though, I do have some osteoporosis. I take Boniva 150mg monthly. My cardio says I should be taking something for this, and it is safe to take with a tissue valve. I suppose the pred could have aggravated the condition further, but I doubt the short time I was on the higher dose actually CAUSED it. Remember my neighbor in her seventies, that been on the pred for many years. She has just slight signs of osteopina. I believe you are pre-disposed to bone loss, which is mainly an inherited disease.

 

[Kathy McCain]

Michelle, I just read your profile, and didn't realize you are so young. I don't believe you need concern yourself with osteoporosis just yet. I was speaking as an old gal, myself.

Good luck and let me know what happens!

 

[Michelle D]

Thanks for info, I guess I've become over dramatic since this surgery. I've always tried to be educated about what I'm consuming and it's hard when there is too much information. I actually feel better today than I have even since before surgery besides what feels like a sternum wire poking me but I think I beat the anemia and dressler's so far. I'll be off the prednisone tomorrow unless my cardiologist says I'm not as good as I feel so I'm hoping to keep on this trend.

 

[Michelle D]

Today my cardio told me to stop worrying about so much. He said I don't need to continue the prednisone. Yay!

 

[nngbwh]

Glad something is going right. Thanks for the update.

 

[Kathy McCain]

Thank you for the update Michelle! You're going to be just fine.

 

[Tass]

I was given pred for a neck muscle strain that wasn't responding to any otc treatments. I couldn't believe how much better I felt after 2 doses (of a 9 day rx). Didn't even need the muscle relaxers I was also prescribed. That said, I wouldn't want to have to take it any longer than I am. Heartburn is a problem for me on it and I always get some muscle soreness (last night my skin felt tender where a necklace had been resting all day).

Tass
(who can finally turn to look at someone on the left without moving my whole body around)

 

[Michelle D]

I take prilosec so I don't get heartburn but by the time it would work for you you'd be off the prednisone. In the past I had steroid injections in my back, I'd get pinched nerves multiple times a week for over a year. I got the injections two years ago and have never since had any pain in that muscle.

I just stopped taking it two days ago, I went from 60mg to 40 to 20 with four days in each oh and four days of 60mg every eight hours in the hospital. I was so happy to get off it but I think I couldve been tapered down a little more before completely getting off. Most people don't have problems when it's short term getting off like I did but for my unstable heart rhythm I believe the withdrawal from it is wreaking havoc. I'm having tons of PVCs and headaches. I never get headaches. But I'm happy to get off of it, my skin is covered in more acne than I've ever had in my entire life combined.