I've experienced shaking quite a lot since taking steroids for about eighteen months but now I seem to be in a constant nervous state, not "me" at all. I wake up by 5.00 every morning with my heart thumping and feeling shaky. I've tried the usual Rescue Remedy etc. ( but that just makes me cough) I've had a fairly stressful time recently. Two of our three cats died within two weeks of each other. The oldest was 22 so not unexpected but it happened so suddenly with the younger (vet found a lump Monday, preparing him for surgery on Thursday when he suddenly deteriorated and we just had time to get to the surgery to say goodbye)I wasn't surprised to feel shaky after that but I don't seem to be improving. We've just taken in another cat from the local rescue centre, which I suppose is mildly stressful but I've had multiple cats all my life so nothing I'm not used to.
I had a fall last week, nothing broken but swollen foot and technicoloured 'steroid' bruises from shoulder to toe. That shook me up again of course. As if everything doesn't hurt enough already!
Has anyone else had this problem? I want to make myself 'snap out' of this, what I see as weakness, but I know it's the steroids and the condition. Can doctors offer anything to calm it down? I wondered about Beta Blockers?
Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, lovely people.
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Countrykitten
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Not sure what dose you are on now, but if below 10mg would say will all the issues you've had recently your adrenals are struggling to cope - and if it's that -then it's not just a metter of shaking yourself out of it.
From a personal point of view, I wouldn't be adding in any other drugs... if it is adrenals it's just a matter of time, very slow tapers, small decreases and patience to nudge them to working again.
This is a common reaction to our diseases and medication at times we are like hot house plants in reaction to life events. Beta Blockers are not a bad idea. I take them for raised blood pressure and they seem to keep me steady. Ask your doctor for medical solutions. I am sorry about your dear cats, I hope your new addition is a solace to you. I did 2 courses in meditation and one in mindfulness. I draw on these learned skills all the time. Have a look on the Internet for something local.
It is difficult to say since you don't tell us what dose of pred you are currently taking but if it is well below 10mg that would account for all the symptoms you mention. While at higher doses of pred your adrenal glands don't produce more corticosteroid in the form of cortisol - and you need that to deal well with stress.
If you are having palpitations that could well be due to poor adrenal function but there are other causes and it needs checking out. I have atrial fibrillation and it does often wake me in the night - but I know it is that and it is appropriately managed so not a concern.
You need to remember that the fall is enough to trigger a flare and your body had a shock - so you aren't into recovery territory after the other stress yet.
I'm on four weekly Depomedrone injections ( reducing by 20 every three months because I reacted so badly to oral pred.) I'm due for the next one next week, 80mg (I've just come down from 100, You can't add more for flares as you can with pills unfortunately. ) I used to get palpitations before being diagnosed Hypothyroid about six years ago but did improve once treated. Unfortunately, I fell on the day when I'd actually just seen my GP, having waited over two months for an appointment. She's very good when I can fight my way past the receptionists to get an appointment so perhaps I should try to get another one in the next couple of months! I just wanted to know if this is normal.
you’ve had good advice from the others but I wanted to add my sympathy for all you’re going through. It sounds like a lot of stress and sadness. I hope the new cat brings you some comfort. I find yoga and meditation help when all else is going pear shaped.
sorry you are going through these trials and tribulations. It’s always sad when we lose a beloved pet. I had very similar symptoms in the middle of my PMR/GCA journey and it turned out to be hyperthyroid. Which surprised me as 2 or so years prior to that I had been slightly hypothyroid. I got on meds which controlled it nicely till it burned out of its own accord 18 months later. I think it was related to my GCA but can’t prove it!
It may depend on your dose of pred, as others have mentioned, but I also experience shakiness, mostly in my hands. I have been on 15 mg of pred for almost six months, but have recently managed to taper down to 14 -- I am having to do a very, very slow taper, as decreasing by too much too quickly just brings my symptoms back within a week. So in my case, these effects are not being caused by tapering, since I've only gone down 1 mg so far, but from the pred itself.
I also have spells of feeling edgy and anxious, but then I have struggled with anxiety and depression on and off most of my life. As well, I get "hot flashes" at times, when my cheeks go bright pink and hot, usually in the evenings. This never happened before starting the pred, not even during menopause (I was one of the lucky few women who rarely had hot flashes).
I find that doing daily meditation helps, as well as daily exercise (whatever your body can tolerate without pain). I've also cut most sugar out of my diet. Deep breathing also helps -- even just a minute or two of deep slow breathing can help bring you back into balance.
You certainly had had a lot to deal with, so sorry. Pet loss is painful. I was diagnosed with essential tremors, mostly chin, years before I started taking Pred in 2019. At first I think my whole body was like a tight coil and my hands were like leaves in the wind. It is only recently tremors in my hands have been an issue...writing...😟and painting. I'm just going with it at my age, 83. The degree varies, so I'm just accepting...unless I start slapping myself~!!!!💞
I agree that a visit to the doctor would be a good idea. Emphasize to the gatekeeper that you had a fall and have not been recovering well. Do not minimise anything!
However I was concerned to see in your post that you feel like you should be able to "fight" your way through this, and perceive your condition as weakness. You may be weak, but that is not a personal failing, but a condition of your body. Your body is trying to tell you something. Perhaps something as simple as needing to treat yourself like a precious princess for a few days or a couple of weeks (and every few days thereafter!) or maybe, as the doctor may determine, something else which is medically treatable. Sometimes I look at my poor hands which over the years have become misshapen and stiff from osteoarthritis, and lately have begun to develop a tremor (we are looking into that). And what I feel is gratitude to my hands for serving me so well all these many years. I cannot fight how they look, I can try to ease how they feel by keeping them warm, but mostly I feel this gratitude. Weird I suppose.
My hands shook for quite a long time but stopped when I left off pred. but only my hands shook . A very unhelpful rhumat. suggested it might be something else like Parkinson's. I remember going to a craft group where I should have been threading beads onto some fine wire and actually crying because everyone else had finished the task and I hadn't been able to manage even half of it. I was in rather a depressed state at that time which was unusual for me before steroids. But they are fine now. Sorry to hear about your cats and your fall, hope things move in the right direction for you now, things are hard enough without that stress.
First, let me offer condolences for losing your fur baby. I know from experience how heartbreaking that can be. I also want to thank you for rescuing another one rather than supporting a breeder. There is a special place in heaven for people like you. I hope that works out for all involved. Why breed and buy while shelter animals die... Thirdly, I, too, have experienced shakiness and anxiety but those seem to hit me when I am in the midst of a taper. I was able to get some propranolol, which is a drug used to treat hypertension, but a small dose when needed helps calm that pounding heart and generalized anxiety. I wish you well and hope you will find some relief from those very troubling symptoms.
Masses of sympathy and understanding. It is awful when you feel you lose yourself. I have finally accepted that we are all just a balance of chemicals! The answer is to get them right! When I complained to Rheumy about feeling agitated and not being able to sleep she suggested an antihistamine. That flattened me for 3days and I now avoid them totally. I had never taken one before. BUT it might be a solution for you? We are all so different.
I do occasionaly take diphenhydramine ( antihistamine) to get to sleep, but still awake before 5.00! I'm currently trying Valerian, still awake same time but maybe slightly less 'edgy'
I tried Valerian and that made me feel and be sick!! I think it is so interesting that we are all so different. I do hope you find a solution. Do let just know about. I am sure you will and I have noticed that my sleep is not so effected by increases in Pred as it used to be.
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