side effects of pred

[craighead72]

I have been on Pred since April 2022. Over last 2/3 months have tapered from 16 to 11mg a day with no problems. Will continue slow taper. How long before side effects like swollen ankles, increased weight and blotchy skin will subside?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

How long is a piece of string? It very much depends on the person and how proactive they are in combatting the adverse effects. By cutting carbs fairly drastically you can lose weight while on pred, and even avoid the weight gain when you start early enough. Cutting carbs also helps other adverse effects such as fluid retention. as does watching your salt intake. Both are helped at a single stroke by avoiding processed carbs.

Is the blotchy skin the result of bruising and/or petechiae/purpurae forming? I have found that improved a lot since getting below 10mg but many don't find the same effect.

[craighead72 in reply to PMRpro]

Not the result of bruising. Just marks that appear under the skin without any obvious cause.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to craighead72]

Petechiae and purpurae - even carrying a bag over your arm is enough to start them off.