Prednisone Made Me Nuts...

[drjpmg]

I was only on it for a week, and by the end of the week, I couldn't stop crying and felt like I was losing it. My doc hadn't mentioned that it has psychoactive effects! Luckily my friend is a psychiatrist and he told me what was going on. I post this just so that anyone on prednisone is aware that it can cause depression and even psychosis. Of course if it's not having any bad effects for you that's fine. It just really bothered me that neither my doc nor the

Pharmacist mentioned this when it was prescribed. Hoping others are getting more info than I did!

[Hidden]

I thought I was the only one with this rare side effect. I was on pred for a month last summer and one day my hubby asked me "are you OK? You Keep looking over your shoulder. "

I was embarrassed and I started to cry as I told him Jesus is hiding behind the livingroom fan and he is talking to me. Right away my hubby took the prednosone bottle and drove me to the ER.

Never will I use steroids again. I was lucky my psychosis left after a day or 2.

[drjpmg in reply to Hidden]

Exactly! I'm wondering if it maybe isn't as rare as we've been led to believe. My friend said he'd had some patients who had these negative effects with pred, and that he himself got extremely anxious on pred.

[Hidden in reply to drjpmg]

Yeah, and even if it is really rare, we should be notified. At least we would be aware of what to look out for.

[zbratianu]

Yeah, no mention to me either. Until I was going through prednisone induced psychosis. Not Fun!!! Beware it's horrid when it happens. Luckily I was able to talk myself through it and had anxiety meds to make it until the next day.

Now won't touch it. Not great for flares.

[Hidden in reply to zbratianu]

Yes you were lucky that you were able to talk yourself through it. I wasn't able too. I actually was surprised my hubby didn't hear or see Jesus hiding behind the fan.

I am thankful that once the pred was out of my system, so was the psychosis.

[zbratianu in reply to Hidden]

I think I maybe had some mental awareness and help from years going to Grateful Dead concerts in so sorry you had to do it alone. It was horrifying. I saw a black shadow hovering over my then two years olds bed. Very scary. Doctors should be ashamed of themselves for not alerting patients to this.

[Hidden in reply to zbratianu]

Oh my God how terrifying, to see a black shadow over your baby's bed. That just gives me the shivers.

I am so glad you were able to realize it wasn't real.

[leeniebeanie726]

I hate having an RA flare . The first thing is a Prednisone regimen. It makes me very emotional, and irritable. It also makes me very shaky, and I have difficulty sleeping from it

[drjpmg in reply to leeniebeanie726]

Pred sucks! Hate feeling like I belong in a mental hospital!

[leeniebeanie726]

I remember my mom being on it , she was having hallucinations, it really scared me at first. I don't like the side effects one bit . Thank You for sharing this with everyone

[Momof446]

Prednisone is horrible from me. I cry, get depressed and do things I don't even remember doing. I can't stay still-- have to be busy all the time, I am mean and rude to my family. It's like a wicked witch has taken over my body. I'm on sulfasalazine and Humira. I have rheumatoid arthritis,osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, spinal stenosis, Hashimoto's thyroid, peripheral neuropathy. Unless I have a flare I don't take prednisone and then only a very low dose no matter how much pain I am in. My flares usually feel like my bones are being crushed and my body is on fire. Dealing with the pain is almost easier than dealing with the prednisone side effects. I just try to take as low dosage as possible whenever I need it.

[RobieC]

hang in there drhpmg, over time the "crazy" side-effect goes away!

[donnabea]

I get very moody while on prednisone. I don't like the person I become, and neither does anyone else. Of course, I have gone through a lot of other pressures while taking this. But I refuse to take any more. I will suffer through it.

[gg317]

Are you ok, now? I was on chemo several times and only learned afterwards some years that side effects from medication can be permanent.

[Hisue in reply to gg317]

I never knew about the possibility of permanent side effects either. I see now some TV ads say side effects may be permanent.

[Hiswench69]

I have bipolar disorder & found that it made me psychotic. My meds wouldn't work to keep my moods level. I knew it was prednisone right away called my Dr & was off it that same day. Now when I have flares I take a milder version of it call Metholprednisone. It doesn't have the psychotic effects that prednisone has. It takes longer to work, but it does the job

[Hisue]

I had this happen to me. No one told me either, I told the dr who ordered 60mg prednisone per day, that I was acting impatient, strange, pacing, couldn’t sit still, & paranoid thoughts. He shrugged, Had to look it up myself! It is not so rare.