hi all...I was wondering what prednisone side effects everyone is experiencing? And if something is going on with the adrenals what are those symptoms? Thank.you in advance. I am just feeling really strange today and while I have learned a lot about pred,dosing, etc. These are two areas I am clueless about.
be well.....
The Adrenal symptoms are obviously the deathly fatigue, dizziness, nausea, general malaise and lower abdominal pain. Not all at once and some people seem to breeze through. What are you feeling? Just a bit odd maybe?There are immediate side effects with Pred. For instance, I have headaches, a voracious appetite, there is feeling anxious and jittery, mood swings, sweating, many more but we don’t get them all or any of them sometimes.
The serious ones may not produce symptoms initially, like high blood sugar - type 2 diabetes, raised blood pressure, osteoporosis, cataracts and weight gain. Most of these can be helped with low carb diets, calcium vit D supplements, Alendronic Acid and similar, medication for blood pressure. It maybe easier if you tell us what you are experiencing.
Thank you for the fast reply. I woke up and felt ok actually...kind of surpried. Then very suddenly about 10 I got hit with a wall of fatigue, felt shakey...not dizzy but just off. Then all day I go from very hot to cold even though I am inside, on the couch, in a/c. I have totally been hungry...and that is the pred I know....my face is round...very. ugh. What's so strange is I had been on prednisone every morning since 2015...3 mgs. Which along with placquenil kept my RA in check. I just feel sick...but as I struggle to add PMR to my list....hypothyroidism, sjogrens disease, severe osteoarthritis, RA, fibromyalgia. I have managed these since late 80's early 90's. I think I learned what I could and used treatments to manage these things. PMR has thrown me for a loop
..but I believe it's because there is very limited "how to live with PMR" information out there. So as I am learning tons here I kept seeing adrenal.symptom and pred side effects mentioned...key is understanding what IS what. So I am thinking my symptoms are PMR.with a dash of pred.
What is alendronic acid??
Thank you again for replying. Be well....
Alendronic Acid is a bisphosphonate drug prescribed for osteoporosis. Have you been offered it? Personally I would not take it without having a Dexascan to show I had bone density problems.
There may may little information “out there” on how to live with PMR , but there is plenty on here- maybe start with this - general info -
healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...
This is about adrenals -
healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...
..and even more info here -
healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...
I know and that is great. But before I got here I just kept reading the same things over and over. I think when you get this diagnosis the doc should give a good picture of what this could be like. Anyway still so much to take in. This am I got up and.realized I still have ques and that was before coffee. I am on 16 and it's been just under a week. My back and hips are really bad but it's early yet So I thought do I go up? See how it goes? I am driving myself crazy. I have been all over the dosing...after reading here I went from 15 to 16. Maybe going up 1 or more would relieve the symptoms but they are the hardest ones.....oh. my head spins
Yesterday I was exhausted...kept falling asleep...not me usually. Anyway......I am annoying myself at this point. Lol. Thanks for replying. Take care. Now for ☕️.
To be honest I don’t think many doctors know what we should expect -especially GPs…..and you do need to give the meds a chance to work -for some it is a miracle cure within days or even hours, but for many it’s 2 to 3 weeks. No one can tell you exactly how long-and if you have other health problems it’s probably nearer the latter.
Just stop fretting, that won’t help , in fact it will probably make it worse. Just rest as much as can or need, and don’t try and cram too much information in - take it slowly -and if you don’t understand something -then please ask…but probably best to as about one thing at time.
Get that sorted in your mind, and then move on to next issue.,we don’t mind how many questions you ask -it not only helps you, but others as well
..and I would stay out at 15mg for a bit longer…
Thank you. You are right. I have managed quite well with my other health things for many years...so it's hard to have something so different. I have learned so much here now I need to.get in the swing so to speak. I appreciate your advice on the pred dose. I will stay the course and see where I end up. Thanks! Be well.
I have few identifiable pred effects - in that I gained weight, was moody, craved carbs in the afternoons, had sweats and was permanently tired just with untreated PMR for 5 years as it wasn't recognised by the doctor. I later lost weight while taking over 10mg pred (I cut carbs drastically), once I started pred the sweats improved and because I was in less pain was less moody. The day I took the first 15mg of pred, I was able to move normally 6 hours later and I realised that while I was desperate for a cup of tea I wasn't desperate for a large chunk of carbs at 4pm! And never was again - if I want a bit of cake it is as a very occasional treat and not a necessity. The skin on my shins is a bit delicate - but that is only the last year or so and I am 70 now.
And of the invisible pred side effects: I have not developed even pre-diabetes with an Hba1c of 37, my bone density is very little different from the baseline when I started pred, my BP is well managed on a very low dose of medication which is as much for the atrial fibrillation caused by the autoimmune part of PMR as BP.
Hairloss, diarrhoea, weight gain--all side effects I have had, and still have, after 3 years on prednisolone.
It's been eight years for me, starting on 40 mg at age 65. It's possible PMR was lurking at an early stage for six years prior to diagnosis. Initially I gained a lot of weight, although I never craved food and ate normally . My face was so fat there wasn't a wrinkle in sight. Both issues resolved once I got below 12 mg. However, when I got back to my pre-PMR weight the fat had redistributed to my middle. 😒 My blood pressure went through the roof initially, but lowered as I reduced preds. I've had a bone scan three times in the eight years showing osteopenia, not osteoporosis which I contribute to calcium, vitamin D and K2 supplements. Every doctor I've seen, even on initial diagnosis has pushed bisphosphonates which I will refuse until it's absolutely necessary because of the horrendous side effects. Fatigue, often deadly fatigue has plagued me many times throughout my journey. I've given up trying to figure out why it happens when it happens. Is it PMR, the preds, adrenals? I usually persevere until it resolves but if it goes on for weeks affecting my quality of life I give in and up the preds slightly. I've had weak concrete legs since before PMR which have gotten worse and recently convinced my GP to investigate to order a repeat back MRI to see if the lumbar compression and nerve issues may be the culprit.
Stuck on two and a half mg.
Flare after two surgeries 
Two wisdom teeth extractions😱
Signs and Symptoms of Adrenal activity?
