Prednisone side effects how long they last??

Question

i've been taking Prednisone a type of steroid for just over a month now for crohn's disease i have been weened down to now 2 a week for 1 week then after that it'll be one tablet for a week then i'm finished.
I'm having bad side effects since being on them, i use to be fairly slim only 118lbs i'm now 130lbs even though i go the gym twice a week i cannot lose it, have a very round face, look really tired and the skin on my face is looking dull, i look bloated all the time and i have bad acne on the tops of my arms and some of my back.

How long after finishing the Prednisone will the side effects go away, i dont know how long i can cope it is really getting me down looking like this as i look horrible.

Answer 1

I understand. I'm on predisone right now as well for my Eczema, I got another week left. I just had a really bad flare up with the hot summer weather. Right now I have acne on my legs, arms, and back. I think I'm gaining a lot of weight too. It's crazy because I just finished High School and 6 months ago I was on the varsity wrestling team. I think I'm starting to get a gut. For some reason I don't feel full anymore when I eat, even if its a lot. I'm starting to experience joint pain as well.

This isn't the first time I've taken systemic steroids. I gained a lot of weight taking steroids when I was in middle school for my eczema. It took 3 months to work it off. I hope when you get off you'll be able to get back. I think the acne will go away once you stop because I asked my doctor about it. This is my first time getting acne on my body due to the steroids.

What I'm going to do is go on a detox diet after I finish. I want to clean up my system because all the drugs I'm on now really mess me up. Maybe you can try the same.

Answer 2

Yeah, my sister was on fairly heavy doses of prednisone for a misdiagnosed auto immune disorder ( we won't get into that). She went from about 130lbs to about 180lbs, but she was on it for quite awhile. Once they weaned her off she went back down fairly quickly. Like in her senior picture, she was huge with that big round face, but by the time she got married a year and a half later, she was back down to her regular weight and even smaller.
Hang in there. It stinks to look in the mirror and see somebody you don't recognize.
And BTW, my sister was finally properly diagnosed 3 years later with Systemic Lupus.

Answer 3

Once you're tapered off, the puffiness and the weight will follow. I know, it's a crappy side effect, but sometimes it's the only answer. Cut down on salt,sodium, soda pop-all holds excess fluids. Drink lots of water too. Hope you are feeling better.

Answer 4

I also have Crohn's and I was on Predisone last summer. You should be back to your pre-Prednisone weight about two months after you stop the drug entirely.

Good luck to you!

Answer 5

Along with their needed effects, all medicines can cause unwanted side effects, which usually improve as your body adjusts to the new medicine. Speak with your doctor if any of the following side effects continue or become troublesome.

Indigestion, stomach ulcers (with bleeding or perforation), bloating, oesophageal (gullet) ulcer, thrush, inflammation of the pancreas, muscle wasting of the upper arms and legs, thinning and wasting of the bones, bone and tendon fracture, adrenal suppression, irregular or stoppage of periods, cushing syndrome (upper body weight gain), hair growth, weight gain, change in the body's proteins and calcium, increased appetite, increased susceptibility to infections, euphoria (feeling high), feeling of dependency on treatment, depression, sleeplessness, pressure on the nerve of the eye (sometimes in children in stopping treatment), worsening of schizophrenia and epilepsy, glaucoma, (increased pressure on the eye), pressure on the nerve to the eye, thinning of the tissues of the eye, worsening of viral or fungal infections of the eye, reduction in healing, thinning of the skin, bruising, stretch marks, patches of reddening, acne, water and salt retention, hypersensitivity reactions, blood clots, nausea (feeling sick), malaise (general feeling of being unwell) or hiccups.

These side effects gradually disappear and you will start noting the difference in your appearance and moods in a weeks time until they almost seem to disappear over a period of few weeks

Answer 6

It depends on how long you are taking the prednisone really. My mother was on oral prednisone for a week because of a spinal stenosis in her cervical spine, and her side effects included constipation, increase in appetite, nausea, flushing, and fatigue.

Prednisone is a glucocortoid hormone. It resembles a hormone we naturally produce in our adrenal glands called cortisone.

If you are prescribed to be on prednisone for a long time (which I STRONGLY recommend you avoid) you will be overloading your body with these hormones, and in an attempt to rebalance this your body will shut down adrenal production of cortisone. Therefore, if you withdraw from the prednisone, you will have no glucocortoid hormones in your system, and you will face crazy side effects (including possible death).

Long term use of prednisone or other glucocortoids has a devastating impact on your bones. The hormones will cause you to absorb less calcium in your intestines, cause your bones to take in less calcium, cause your bones to rebuild more slowly, and cause them to break apart faster. This can lead to steroid induced osteoporosis, this happened to my grandmother when she took prednisone for years to treat her emphysema. She lost so much bone that she couldn't walk and ended up bound to a wheelchair.

Glucocortoids such as prednisone also slow down the immune system, so you will be more prone to infection and possibly have an increased risk of getting cancer. Your blood sugar will also go up, and you could end up with steroid induced diabetes. Your muscles will also atrophy since these hormones are catabolic, meaning destructive, so you will get weak. Your body will also retain more water and get really puffy, something called "moon face". Your skin will also become more fragile and prone to cutting.

I hope your doctor isn't planning on long term treatment with prednisone, you will be setting your body up for direct destruction. Perhaps you could receive a local prednisone injection in just that area where your nerve is inflamed? Since the injection is local and typically applied at most monthly, you will not suffer from these side effects. The prednisone tablets did not work for my mom so she received an epidural shot of prednisone, worked like a charm, no side effects whatsoever (except some tenderness in the injection area, which is expected). I would never let her take prednisone tablets for an extended period of time.

Hope my words help you out, please talk to your doctor if he is planning long term use, try alternatives. If he is planning short term use, just listen to his instructions and take it in the morning for the amount of time you're supposed to.
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Answer 7

its immediate effects are water retension edema so weight gain hunger feeling high elated sometimes depressed long term weakens bones sugar levels in diabetics gets elevated. the withdrawl symptoms too are not too comfortable

Answer 8

The side effects should soon resolve since your dose is now being tapered (reduced)...hang in there and good luck!