Prednisone Side Effects Evil

[Baking0224]

Hi I was recently given prednisone 40 mg for 10 days for mild case of inflammation in my lungs. I only made it 3 days into the treatment because of the side effects. Once I stopped that's when the side effects were worse. I developed being very tearful, anxiety, depression, and insomnia. It has been 3 weeks since I stopped and I was wondering if anyone had experienced something like this and how long it usually takes for the side effects to get out of your system. Thanks

[Dairyman11]

I find the emotional side effects shocking, but for me they generally clear up within a day or so of taking it.

[hilary39]

I've seen people on here call it the "devil's candy" and for good reason. Sometimes it's the only thing that can stop a bad flare but the side effects can be rough. They seem to change for me with every course. Sometimes I'm a bit manic, other times weepy, other times I am lethargic, or starving, or have no appetite. But it's always extreme when I'm on 40 mg or more. I don't know how long it'll take to clear your system. The half-life is pretty short (should be out of your system within 22 hours) but bodies and adrenal glands are very sensitive to steroids. Hoping you feel better soon. Keep us posted.

[Putnam Asthma Captain]

It should be out of your system by now. Probably triggered suppressed anxiety etc. How is your breathing. Maybe a lower dose would be in order?

[Karenjaninaz]

After 10 days of a high dose of steroids you really should be stepped down gently because the adrenal glands get repressed. The symptoms you have after coming off the steroids can be symptoms of adrenal insufficiency‘s. There is danger of adrenal crisis with collapse if you have a big stress after coming off such a high dose. Maybe want to bring this up with your doctor and be on a lower dose for a short time. The lower doses should not give you such an extreme feeling.

[d2read]

Is this your first experience with steroids?

I ask because most patients don't get the extended side effects until they have been on them for some time, and their bodies have built up some in the organs that it seems to react to.

That said, you should promptly notify your doctor. While the side effects may be coincidental, they also could be a sign that the steroids triggered some other problem that needs to be diagnosed and treated. If you are still having symptoms this long after the steroids were stopped and after only 120 mgs total over three days (if I understand how much you actually consumed), it warrants a new investigation and a different treatment protocol in the future. DO NOT ACCEPT "IT WILL GO AWAY" FROM YOUR DOCTOR! If it hasn't gone away by now, you need a thorough investigation into why not, what was triggered and how to reduce/eliminate these symptoms and prevent any recurrence in the future.

BE FIRM!

I have constant problems -- because I was on very high doses of steroids for far too long, and the steroids cannot be eliminated by your kidneys the way most other drugs can. They just build up. So I am permanently disabled, and have a number of other permanent problems (now insulin-dependent diabetes, chronic/acute steroid myopathy that makes it difficult for me to walk/stand/sit upright for very long, etc). Steroids now are used on me exclusively when I have a serious asthma attack, and normally I am hospitalized as a result. Each dose now brings me closer to organs completely shutting down.

Steroids are passed out like candy by many physicians, and even though they are the only way to treat most asthma attacks, most can be treated with topical steroids (inhalers/nebulizers) rather than systemic. Have you noticed that there are very few new ways to treat acute asthma attacks? Lots of ways to try to prevent them, but virtually no new ways to treat since the 1940s, I understand. As a result, I point out to medical students and physicians (and researchers) constantly that I am the poster child for why they need to really THINK about whether there are other ways to try to treat an asthma attack and inflammation than by using systemic steroids.

Good luck.