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Depression, Stress, and Prednisone

Hey guys.:depressed:

I'm on 20mg down from 40mg over the course of a month. I've really been down about a lot of things lately, and that's just not my style. I have also been extremely stressed over little things, and that's not like me either. I am hoping its just the prednisone, but I think there are other things bugging me as well. Can prednisone cause depression?
 
hey Guy

yeah pred can really mess with your emotions and mentality.
personally, i dont really get "depressed" on the pred, i get intense mood swings that will take me from being happy to screaming and violently angry in an instant, or take me to sobbing for hours even. and these changes will happen because of one tiny thing- im running late for something, i spill a cup of water, stupid little things like that! lol

and like you said, that is definitly not my style. i rarely get angry or sad like that, it takes a lot to push me over the edge.

also keep in mind that, you know, just being sick for a prolonged period of time can kind of get you down too. it does to me sometimes.it sucks to not feel good and to be missing things and you cant really do much about it.

not sure though...how are you feeling physically? maybe you are feeling ok atm, im not sure.

but anyways, i definitly agree that the pred will mess with you, so you are not alone in that ok? and vent it all out here when you are having a stressed out moment! itll feel better.

take care!
 
I've found that prednisone can cause depression. I've actually been on antidepressants for years now, because I could never quite get "back to normal" after getting off of it.

If you find that you just don't have a lot of energy anymore, and you're just kinda down all the time, then you might want to think about talking to a doctor. Then again, it could all go away once you finish the pred.

I know how you feel though. The depression, the mood swings. Prednisone really sucks. =/
 
@ kello:

I'm actually feeling pretty good physically...its the mental stuff thats getting to me, i guess because i'm not used to it. Thanks for the support :D

@procyon:

I've noticed spikes in my energy, where i'll be bouncing off the walls one minute and having to take a nap the next. I've also got alot of things going on at my house right now too...gotta love the family drama. And yes, prednisone sucks...hard :p
 

fenway1971

Sports Crohnie
hi thatguy -
i've been on prednisone since september. went from 40 down to 5 only to have kick back up to 20 from a flare up. recently i've been tapering and am now down to 10. hoping to be off completely in two months.

i hate this drug. at >20mg, i had total insomnia and felt irritable. got used to it at 20 but as i've been tapering it i'm getting headaches and enormous fatigue. don't feel depressed but do feel beat up and tired.
 
I'm bipolar and it's amazing what your mind does differently when your chemistry is off. The last time I was unstable (blanking on when it was, it might have been when I was taking those fateful antibiotics that led to the C. Diff that triggered the Crohn's in the first place), I would have these thoughts like, "I don't want to have children because living is the most horrible thing there is and giving someone life is worse than murdering them." Then things normalized and suddenly I realized that I just didn't have those thoughts anymore. I know it feels weird and somehow less "real" to have sad thoughts as a side effect, rather than something more tangible like a headache or sleepiness, but steroids are famous for causing emotional instability and if this is really unlike you, I am certain it's the cause. Hang in there, sometimes it helps when the thoughts come to recognize them for exactly what they are...they're distortions. Remember who you are underneath. Good luck.
 
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