Experiences with Prednisone

I agree with Danielle. Also your doctor wouldn't have prescribed it if you didn't need it. They don't like giving people steroids. My daughter gets it at the beginning of every winter to help her lungs. Her only side affect is she wants to puke from the taste, and she gets pretty hyper. She has never complained of joint aches or anything else hurting. My guess is they are missing something that is wrong with you. The steroids might be amplifying the issues, but they were there before the prednisone was. The pains are your body's way of saying "get me checked out" Have you been tested for arthritis or bursitis?

Just wanted to add, bursitis is traditionally a disease that affects the older generation, but I am only 30 and have had it for approx 7 years now...so it's not out of the question.

My experience with it is through other family members. My grandmother was put on it and it did her no good. A good friend of mine also went on it and she was also miserable. I would tell your Dr right away about your side-effects because this steroid can cause long-term/permanent damage. The best thing (I think) is to find out what is causing your allergy and avoiding that. If you can avoid medicating it's always better for you in the long-run!
Hope that helps you!

I have been on prednisone for over nine years and will remain on it for the rest of my life. I understand why these other two people feel like it is such an awful drug. The side effects can be terrible, but I have never heard of joint pain directly associated from it in such a short period of time. Side effects from prednisone are very minimal at a low dose and for a short period. The crazy side effects you hear about from prednisone are from long term use, NOT short term. Also, you need to be on at least 20mg for over a month to really consider it high dose or long term. For me, prednisone is what keeps me alive as well as many other people with Inflammatory diseases. And DO NOT taper yourself off it. That is very dangerous advice. Prednisone replaces the chemical your andrenal glands produce. If you stop suddenly, your adrenal glands may not kick back in fast enough.

Now with all that said, has anybody considered that you might have Fifths Disease? If you don't know what it is, it is the fifth childhood disease after measles, mumps, chicken pox and Rubella. It starts with a cold and then a rash. When I had it while 8 months pregnant, I ended up with severe joint pain at the end of the illness. It was so bad, I could barely walk. Just a thought.

My first husband was on predisone for many years for colitis. It affected his joints so much that he had to have both knees replaced and couldn't straighten his arms. This is not a harmless durg. There are better ways to deal with allergies. If you speak to someone in natural medicine, such as a naturopath, they can help you safely leave your allergies behind.

I have Crohn's (an autoimmune disease that involves swelling of the digestive organs) disease and have been on prednisone loads of times. Icky stuff! I had joint pain (really bad if I forgot to take it), dizzy, lightheaded, nautious, slepplessness, weight gain, facial swelling, and lots of other goofy stuff happen. It is very good at reducing swelling, but has lots of nasty side-effects. I would recommend trying to stay on it as little time as possible. When you go off though, you will need to wean off under the supervision of an MD. When my docs kept putting me on it, I finally insisted they do something else. It just is a nasty drug that no one should be on long term. Unfortunately, it reduces swelling pretty effectively and is cheap. Drugs that reduce swelling without all the side effects are much more expensive (but in many cases do exist if you persist).
Best of luck; hope you don't need to be on it much longer!
:) M.

Prednisone is a steroid. Try not to take it any longer than you NEED to... and in fact, I'd talk to your docter and see if you really need to be on it. Here in the States we have a tendency to prescribe steriods whenever we don't know what the actual problem is. See if trying some natural/homeopathic creams can help instead. I was on prednisone for about a month when I was 21, I had a reaction to "something" (we never figured out what) and my whole face was covered in a kind of rash. I gained weight (about 20+ pounds), was terribly depressed, and could hardly get out of bed I was so tired. I ached all over like I had the flu. I strongly urge you to get off them -- and if you are on a high dose, you will need to taper the doses. (Years later I had bell's palsy, and they wanted to put me on steriods again... I did some research and refused.) Steriods often don't actually HELP the problem, they just mask it. I'm sorry to say that all your side effects are totally "normal" when it comes to prednisone -- in fact I did a google search and found out about some worse ones. Hope they figure out the problem soon so you can stop taking them!
A.

I agree with Danielle. I have been on and off Prednisone for half of my life. I have asthma. I think you should talk to your doctor before your tests. DO NOT take yourself off of the prednisone without talking to your doctor. There is a reason why on some medication is says to call your doctor with any side effects are not listed on the medication info lable. Doctors just don't prescribe steriods for the hell of it.

I have been on Prednisone many times because I have Lupus. I also had a steroid shot and it gave me the same reaction that you are having. It's a stiffness that moves throughout your body and then is gone. I would just call your Dr. and ask them about it because people without medical degrees really shouldn't be giving medical advice on a medication such as this.
Best Wishes,
J.