prednisone and nose bleed

[icu2]

prednisone....while i have your attention....and thank you all for responding about flares....anyone else suffering from major nose bleeds. at 72 i have only had two in my lifetime...both in last month. and i mean major . rheumatologist said no connection to meds. he is wrong in my opinion. blood runs for about two hours...like a stream .i have to hold myself over a bowl and let it collect while i pinch my nose and try to get it to stop. which it does after about two hours. i have photos to show Dr. on next visit. i can share but it is not for queasy stomachs.

but if you have had such an experience what have you done to help issue? i use a dehumidifier, saline solution spray and use a bit of polysporin to keep passages moist.

anything else i can do?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

If it is that bad it is worth calling 999 - older people losing a lot of blood in a nose bleed can become quite ill. There are ways of sorting it out quickly and then looking for a more permanent solution.

One problem with having a bad nose bleed is that that blood vessel remains delicate and a second one is more likely - the hospital is able to minimise that.

Pred can make you more likely to bleed but it shouldn't be that bad. What other medications are you on?

[icu2 in reply to PMRpro]

blood pressure pills and crestor. BP under control 117/87. had to increase with taking of prednisone but i have had BP meds for years.

i see rheumatologist this coming week and will see his response.

once bleeding stops i am fine but getting it there is another issue. ears plug, nose plugs. finally after a few hours blood clots dislodge and i can spit them out ( sorry for description) trying not to gag. and things settle back to normal.

[SnazzyD]

Pred weakens the little blood vessels up the nose. Once you have one bleed, that area can remain a trouble spot and may need cautery which isn’t as bad as it sounds. Or they may just pack it and you go back to have it removed and checked. At least they can see the extent of the trouble and get to the bottom of why it happened. You can’t afford to lose that amount of blood too many times.

[icu2 in reply to SnazzyD]

duly noted...thank you

[jinasc]

Next time off to A&E pronto. Hospitals are safe so don't worry.

[herdysheep]

I had that problem last year. The bleeds often seem to be linked with bad headaches for me. I was advised head forward, pinch nose. Ice cubes on bridge of nose and plug for nose covered in vaseline or similar so that it can be removed without setting the bleed off again. I ended up having nose cauterised but still can not blow my nose on that side and still get minor bleeds without warning. Headaches eased after starting BP meds. I often felt v light headed after bleeds. Def need to see Dr asap.

[S4ndy]

I've had a problem with nose bleeds. I had loads as a youngster but I seemed to grow out of them. However since having PMR they have returned. Same nostril every time. Seems like I've a weakened blood vessel in one nostril. Luckily they don't last too long. My GP thinks it's to do with PMR and has prescribed naseptin to help moisturise and prevent infection. I do suffer from hayfever in the spring/summer and occasionally get a small bleed if I've been sneezing a lot. I use Sterimar Hayfever to help wash the pollen out which seems to help too.

[Saxsoprano]

I also was prescribed Naseptin when I had some troubling nosebleeds and that seemed to cure the problem. I've had none since though still on blood thinners. My GP reckoned they would have been caused ya minor nasal infection and not necessarily the pred dosage.