I had an injection of Depo Medrone almost 4 weeks ago to manage a minor flare up and initially felt great but this week my mood is all over the place! I feel anxious, sad, tearful, panicy, obsessive about little things. I haven’t felt this way prior to the injection and I haven’t had any significant changes in my life that could’ve suddenly triggered all these negative emotions. I am therefore starting to wonder if this could be a side effect of the medication. Has anyone else experienced it? And if so, what did you do to manage it? Thanks a million!x
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Aggie-UK
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Sorry you are having mood swings. I’m in same boat re depo jab 6 weeks ago for ongoing flare of overlap CTD. The thing that’s really getting me down is extra fatigue, headaches and extreme oral dryness. I think as the positive effects of the steroid wears off it’s much the same as tapering off oral steroids in relation to the extra adrenal fatigue and return or even arrival of new symptoms.
I guess this is why most Rheumatologists prefer to have patients on disease modifying meds rather than steroids where possible. I’m on Mycophenolate Mofetil but I’ve just had a week off for antibiotics for a dental infection and I do have lots of extra stress just now with a complicated relocation/ house clearance so I guess it’s a combination for me. Are you on Hydroxichloraquine or anything else for your Sjögren’s? If not it may be time to ask to try something.
Yes, I think it feels really awful when steroids wear off. And because each of us have variations in metabolism is all different, so they wear off at different points — some longer, some shorter benefits.
It is my understanding that steroids also affect our hormones.
(That is part of why some of the side-effects of steroids can include headaches and changes in menstrual cycle.) If you’re in a part of your cycle (if you are premenopausal and/or taking HRT) when your hormones would tend to influence your mood more AND you’re in withdrawals from the steroids, then I think this can exaggerate it.
So complicated. Sigh.
I so wish steroids didn’t have side-effects and you could stay on them long-term without problems!
PS. Did I do that right where I tried to tag the two people I was trying to respond to using a hashtag and their username? Does this flag you if I do this? #282523 and #Aggie-UK ? Is there anyone who can advise on that? Thank you for any advice
Hi there. Only just looked and found this reply so my guess is that you can’t hashtag people to reply to them as no email alert came?
Anyway I just wanted to say that I’ve been in a super hyperviscocity flare up (I have overlap CTD with Systemic Scleroderma and Sjögren’s) and got another depo jab yesterday - 3 months after the last one. Already my pain has finished, my tummy ache and bloating have gone and my mood is much improved. I know it’s just masking the disease but I’m trying to enjoy it while it lasts! X
I just replied partially to wrong person. Also, I heard “depo-something” and thought it was a hormonal injection. Just safari’ed it and realise I missed the thread, I see it’s a steroid.
My cognitive changes are so frustrating. 😔
I may also have been projecting my experience onto this discussion. I’ve gotten onto some HRT and it’s helping me not feel exponentially worse in weeks 3&4 out of 4.
I am on hydroxychloroquine long term – over 15 years. I’ve never been able to know if it’s helped from the start and now my memory is so foggy I can’t remember how the early stages of friends but it’s certainly wasn’t anything dramatic and things certainly are declining but recently I have had my dose have to have some visual changes and the Royal College of Opthamology here in the UK has some significant data now for people who have been on it for 15 to 20 years.
I am on hydroxychloroquine long-term – over 15 years. I’ve never been able to know if it’s helped from the start and now my memory is so foggy I can’t remember how the early stages went but it certainly wasn’t anything dramatic and things certainly are declining now. Recently I’ve had my dose halved because I’m starting to have some visual changes Which the consultant ophthalmologist couldn’t describe to me very well though she didn’t think they were related to HCQ. I am concerned though because the Royal College of Opthalmology here in the UK has some significant data now for people who have been on hydroxychloroquine for 15 to 20 years.
So let’s hope, pray and (if we can a tiny bit) contribute to research or raise awareness of these diseases!
Oh I’ve always wondered how to do that adding thing!
Answer: Very high plasma viscocity/PV - like ESR - hyperviscosity is a rare complication of Sjögren’s apparently: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/268...
“Conclusion: High viscosity was present in almost half of the patients and was associated with vasculitis and higher activity scores. Conversely, HVS was infrequent and was associated with vasculitis and splenomegaly. It seems that both conditions have different physiopathological, clinical and treatment implications.”
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