What does taking high doses of prednisone for two years do to the pituitary gland?

Question

I have Lupus which is now pretty well controlled with an herb called pycnogenol, but am wondering if some of the problems I have may be due to two years of 60 mg per day of prednisone

I don't know how much of my symptoms are related to the Lupus and how much to the prednisone. I now take only alternatives, no steriods, and am much better than when on lots of prescription drugs.

Answer 1

Hello...it doesn't affect the pituitary gland directly but does affect the adrenals which are controlled by the pituitary. Prednisone will trick the adrenals into thinking they don't need to produce as much cortisol and over time will produce less and less. You may develop Addisons where the adrenals won't produce enough cortisol in times of physical or emotional stress. You need to be seen by an endocrinologist to test for this. It can be very dangerous if you get into extreme stress (ie. car accident) and your adrenals can't create the adrenaline you need.

Answer 2

The pituitary adrenal axis is depressed. ACTH is low. If steroids are abruptly discontinued, the level of naturally produced steroids will be low, as their production will take time to go up. 2 years of steroids can have side effects such as altered distribution of fat causing moon face and buffalo hump, reduced immunity, peptic ulcer, striae on the skin, withdrawal of calcium from bones, high blood pressure, cataract.