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prednisone

my doctor is putting me on a round of prednisone.  I knew that I'd heard of it, so when I googled it I saw it is an immuno-suppressant drug and then remembered I'd seen it being used with UC and other diseases.  anyone here have any personal experiences with it?  I'm always hesitant to use something big and bad like prednisone.

for background info, I've been fighting the mother of all sinus infections for almost a month, which turned into the mother of all inner ear infections in both ears due to backed up bacteria.  last Thursday I went in to the doctor because I was having a little trouble breathing and extreme dizziness and light-headedness.  I got put on a z-pack and a steroid (I think methlyprednisolone?).  while I was on those meds, I started to feel better.  my last one was Wednesday I think, and since then the dizziness started returning.  last night and today I've been so disoriented I can hardly walk a straight line.  all the pressure and drip is returning, too.  I called my doctor and she's ordering in the prednisone, and if that doesn't work I have to go see an ENT specialist.

so, tell me what's up with prednisone!

Re: prednisone

  • I have NO information, but I hope you feel better and you become infection-free soon!!


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  • Haven't been on it personally, but I am a nurse.  It is an immune suppressor.  Also, it can increase your appetite, and depending on dosage can create a sense of euphoria.  One major thing about it is that if you go off it suddenly, you can get some pretty wicked withdrawal symptoms.  Your doctor should taper down the dose slowly to prevent that.
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  • I had to go on prednisone twice when I was young, both times for severe poison sumac outbreaks. I had weird mood swings, like one minute I would be manically laughing about something stupid and then suddenly burst into tears for absolutely no reason. It was not that intense the entire time, and I didn't notice any other side effects that bothered me. Keep in mind, I was 9 and 10 years old when I was on this, and I have very strange reactions to a lot of medications.

    I think if your doc prescribed it and you take is as planned, you will be just fine. Keep an eye on things and if you notice anything out of the ordinary, call your doctor and talk it over.

  • well, crap.  I was afraid of that @csousa1.  just being on the normal oral steroids made me feel crazy.

    I will have to ask the pharmacist to give me the low-down on it when I pick it up after work.  I just hope it works!!

    thanks for your comment, @eatuttle.  I will be sure to remember about the tapering.  I am pretty sensitive to medications, so I like to really research them before I actually take them.  I do trust my doctor, but no one knows my own body like ME. 
  • BreMRBreMR member
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    I was put on it for a resistant bout of bronchitis, I had to go two rounds with it and I didn't experience any harsh side effects other than some shakiness after taking it.... 
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  • I have never taken it, but my mom was on it for awhile and got a 'moon face' which is apparently a common side effect of Prednisone. I'm pretty sure thats just for long-term usage.
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  • My husband is currently tapering off two weeks of it. He was really worried about the side effects, but actually didn't have any! Good luck!
  • thanks @emmyg65 ... that makes me feel a lot better!!
  • OMG.  I'm reading about the moon face and weight gain.  NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.
  • @cocobellaf :(

    My doctor wanted to put me on Prednisone for a couple weeks when I couldn't get over a cough but I refused because I was really afraid of the moon face. Luckily they were able to put me on something else. Maybe there is something else she can put you on?
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  • BreMRBreMR member
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    I had never heard of this 'moon face' before, so I had to google it.  Man, I probably should have researched this drug before I took it for two rounds.. I guess I'm lucky I didn't experience anything! 

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  • @severmilli12 - this is our last stop.  the other stuff wasn't strong enough.  after this, she's sending me to an ENT specialist to possibly remove infected tissue (WUT) or whatever else they do.
  • @bremr @cocobellaf I haven't researched Prednisone so I haven't read about the side effects, but when my mom was on it, she was on it for awhile and developed the moon face. II would think that if someone takes it short-term that the chances of getting moon face would be slim or that the moon face side effect would not be as dramatic, but i'm not sure. I just know that it is a side effect.
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  • I'm going to guess I won't be on it an extended period of time before she sends me to an ENT, so I am going to just TRUST I won't have any of those side effects!
  • phiraphira member
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    I won't go into lots of details, but I've been on pred a lot in the past, and I refuse to take it for anything chronic anymore.

    Prednisone is very good for acute conditions, and the goal is to tamp down inflammation long enough and effectively enough for your body to do the rest. You have to taper it, though, because being on it for a number of days and then abruptly going off it can fuck with your adrenal glands. Your doc should always give you a very clear and easy to follow taper (although you may have to get a pill cutter).

    Pred tastes AWFUL. Sorry. I used to take it with juice and take as many measures as possible to only have the pills in my mouth as long as I need to in order to swallow them. Blech.

    I was never on pred for long enough periods of time (I'd taper and then go back on it, lots of yo-yos for a while), so I never got moonface. But I did get fatigue and insomnia, and my appetite increased like whoa. And I'd gain weight, even if I didn't overeat. I'd also get pretty moody.

    Pred isn't fun, but typically, if you have to take it, it's for a good reason.

    (I never took pred for UC, but I do have UC and I know lots of people who take pred for it. I had a flare of UC while I was on pred for something else, which is how I know pred doesn't help my UC symptoms.)
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  • I was put on prednisone multiple times as a child, for some sort of reaction on my face that the doctors still don't understand to this day..

    Basically, some combination of sunburn/swimming/wilderness made my face swell up and gave me a terrible rash, to the point where I couldn't open my eyes. I would be fine one day, go to sleep, and wake up the next day without being able to open my eyes, and my face was about 3 times the size it normally was..

    I had the drug in good doses about three times in my life due to that. I noticed no side effects while I was on it, and no long-term differences either. It did, however, fix the problem in a matter of days, and without it, it took weeks to go down.

    Good luck! I hope your experience with it is as complication-free as mine was!
    "Love is hard and love is messy and it can hurt worse than fire, and sometimes it makes you wanna tear down a building with your bare hands, but it also happens to be the best thing that's ever happened to me, and I'm obviously not a big fan of hyperbole."


  • Oh no, that's no fun, I'm sorry :(

    I've had it prescribed for a sinus infection before. I don't remember any side effects but the sinus infection went away. Hope you feel better!
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  • I was recently on it for 10 days, it tastes terrible and it gave me mood swings.
  • I was on prednisone for 5 days last month coupled with levaquin (antibiotic) for 3 weeks due to crazy sinus and allergy issues. I swear it messed with my birth control... I know that antibiotics are supposed to, but the day I started the prednisone I started cramping really badly, and the next day I had an unexpected period. Tons of fun. But other than that, I really didn't notice many side effects. It completely cleared out my allergies, which was amazing. I used to sneeze like a crazy person a few times a day, but now I sneeze maybe once a week. Hopefully it works for you! 


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  • I had to take Prednisone many times for asthma issues and sometimes allergic issues.  I was on it for an extended time with asthma at one point.  I didn't really have any negative reactions to it other than weight gain (not a huge weight gain but noticable).
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