Entocort moodiness

[my.december]

Are y'all tired of seeing my name pop up as starting a new thread yet? lol

Okay, so after my colonoscopy last year, the good doc put me on Entocort. It seemed to help some, which was awesome.

What was NOT awesome, however, were the side effects for me. I became a complete bee with an itch on it. Like seriously moody and straight up mean. You could tell me the sky was blue, and I might just snap at you for it. My poor dad was trying to direct me to the church where my aunt was getting married, and we got lost. Granted, I'd been there before that but didn't remember where exactly it was. The GPS was taking me to a place that dead ended several blocks from the actual address of the church. The neighborhood wasn't a great one, and it was night. So I was SCREAMING at him on the phone, cussing up a storm, and being a general jerk.

There were other instances of me snapping at undeserving people.

I'm figuring the good doc will prescribe the bee with an itch inducing med again after my colonoscopy Tuesday, which is kinda awesome because it did help some. Kinda not awesome because I don't want to become Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde all over again. It was just an ugly scene.

I'm not overly thrilled about a Pred pulse though, so I'd rather avoid that if possible. I've taken WAY too much Pred in my life and try to stay away from it unless absolutely necessary now.

So does anyone else become their evil twin on Entocort, or is it just me? lol should I tell him to give me some sort of mood stabilizer with it (kidding... sorta)? Have you ever had different experiences with the side effects of it... maybe Captain Evil one time and normal the next?

 

[shazamataz]

Yikes, sounds NASTY!

I have only had Pred thus far and it didn't make me a grumpy cow but I got very depressed at times and a lot of anxiety as well - though I get that anyways!

Once started taking an SSRI (seritonin antidepressant) I have felt so much better. Perhaps something like that would 'stabilize' your mood?

I thought Entocort was supposed to be good at avoiding these side effects since it is 90% absorbed just into the intestines?

 

[imisspopcorn]

I can't remember noticing that on Entocort, but Prednisone made me moody Trudy! It really heightened my PMS symptoms....My poor husband said I only like him 3 weeks each month. Which is true.....And I do take Zoloft, but I don't think it helped....I pretty much had 'roid rage' minus good biceps!!

 

[Crohn's 35]

I have been on Entocort at one time for 7 years and never noticed moodiness. It is a moderate steroid, at least for me. Prednisone on the other hand, roid rage and at first didnt sleep for 2 days. Everyone reacts differently to meds and if you get upset the endorphins make it work even stronger. Hormones can play a role, and I never believed in PMS but after 30 years of Crohns, I had to admit it or just call me a "itch" with a B.

 

[my.december]

Yeah, I'd thought it was supposed to be better with side effects too. He went for it because I was so adamant about avoiding Pred if at all possible. Guess I'm just a bit sensitive to the stuff. Yuck.

 

[Peaches]

I don't remember it causing me any problems as well. Doc did tell me it is supposed to "topical" to your gut, so not systemic - but you know how that kinda stuff can go. I guess I'd take that rather than pred any day - but now I'd have to wonder if you were getting that effect if it has the other steroid like effects as well for you? Have you had a bone density scan at all?

 

[my.december]

Okay, maybe I'm the weird one on this. But it makes me more confident in giving it another try and just keeping an eye on myself. I make a point to NOT read the side effects of any meds when I start them... only after I feel or notice something. I don't want to ever end up discontinuing a good med for a side effect that could be some psychosomatic effect. But perhaps with the Entocort, knowing it was a steroid caused some psychosomatic roid rage. Perhaps some of it was just stressors in my life, including the new diagnosis (sorta) of a chronic illness. I don't know. It's definitely worth testing again if the good doc wants to go that route. I'll just make sure I give myself a good session of positive thought every day. "I am in a good mood. There is nothing about this medicine that makes me angry. I am in a good mood." lol... personal mantras. I just know it was absolutely maddening for me. I'm normally just a happy person, not Super B. Heck, even when the hormones fluctuate on me, I don't get angry. If anything, I get ridiculously depressed.

But yay for enough encouragement to make me think it'll be worth trying again.

 

[uab grad student]

Hi December,

I would definitely give the Entocort another try, just keep a check on any side effects. I am taking it currently, and I don't have any mood problems but b/c it is a steroid they told me to take a Calcium + Vit D supplement just in case b/c of the bone density issues Peaches referred too.

You might consider taking a Calcium supplement also, it probably couldn't hurt.

 

[Nytefyre]

I didn't have any mood problems with Entocort. Prednisone, however, is a completely different beast.

 

[TheyCallMeRC]

I know this is an old thread, but hopefully by bumping it more people may have some more info. I have been on Cimzia for 6 months and have been taking Pred. on and off for the past 3 years and neither I or my G.I. wanted to put me back on Pred. so he put me on Entocort 3mg. x 3 times a day.

Today marked 3 weeks and allthough I feel o.k. I have had some bothersome side effects. I have had the same mood problems as mentioned above. The problem may not even be a big deal to 99% of the people, but I will just go ballistic. I was in my bonus room the other day and started throwing stuff and kicking stuff and just losing it.

The other major problem is that we all have bad gas problems, but mine has multiplied by 100. I mean like every 5-10 minutes and I can't control it either. When it wants to come out, it comes out. Which is very embarrassing in public and even around my family, although they understand.

The only other thing is lack of sleep.

My doctor said this medicine was supposed to have all the positives of pred. but without the side effects. I haven't had high blood pressure nor has my sugar levels been up, but I am having a lot of other bad side effects and not sure how much more I can tolerate. I want to give it a fair shake and see if this is all going to be temporary. I definitely don't want to have to take prednisone again. I have tried asacol, pentasa and Imuran to no avail. I also tried Remicade before the Cimzia and it didn't work either. He said Humaria wouldn't work if Remicade didn't, but I hope this next 6 months I will see some positive results.

Thanks for listening and hopefully some others will have more Entocort experiences and talk about their side effects and if they were short lived or not.

 

[Astra]

I hated Budesonide (Entocort)
I was put on it straight after Pred in June for a couple of months, this was because I had horrific joint pains from the pred withdrawal. Then I went back to work.
I was sooooooooooo foggy! I was disorientated, confused, moody, slow, slurry, bad tempered, I made so many stupid mistakes in work, which were dangerous! I'm sure people thought I was pissed!!
I came off it in August, and went back on Pred, give me Pred any day! I'll never try Entocort again, it wrecked my head!

 

[don1jones]

Astra101--you may have hit on something for me. I take the entocort. Haven't been taking it long--but you decribed just how I fee. I am disorientated, confused, moody, slow, slurry, bad tempered, I made so many stupid mistakes in work, which were dangerous! I'm sure people thought I was pissed!!
Discribes me. I am going to stop the Entocort. It has done nothing to help. Thank you as I am looking for some clues right now.

 

[Astra]

Hiya Don

Yes, it was awful! People hate Pred, but it didn't effect me like the Entocort!
Have you tried Pred? It has healed me good, I feel ok.
good luck Don
xxx

 

[artemis_512]

Entocort makes me crazy too! but mostly when I'm tapering off of it. I am tapering off for the second time within the past few months, and each time I've ended up feeling like I'm losing my mind... like PMS amplified! Moody, depressed, worked up and anxious... my poor boyfriend held me for hours last week when I had a meltdown walking through the front door after a long day at work. I really think it's the Entocort. I started going to a counselor this week though and she has put me on a mood stabilizer called Lamictal. I have hope!

 

[Jessica]

Pred for some reason has less of effects on my moods than Entocort it seems. Weird, I know. I've been on Entocort for 2 years. And I notice my mood swings. My other half will try to relate it to hormone fluctuations. It usually doesn't match though. I don't know if it's the stress or a side effect of Entocort. But there are times I'll cry on my way home from work. That way I can avoid dealing with people. And my mood swings aren't swings... more like long drifts. It can sometimes take me weeks to get out of an agitated mood. Rediculous!
Good luck to you and your others that deal! <3

 

[Babs1957]

Interesting. I've been on entocort for 3 weeks and have noticed very little difference in my moods. I thank God for it. I specifically asked for it over Pred,which turned me into an angry, paranoid, sleep-deprived, ravenous maniac, with short-term memory loss.

After I told my husband, who is very patient and tolerant, that the GI put me back on steroids, he said "Oh SH*T. Do I have to go through all that again?!?!!"

 

[Jessica]

After I told my husband, who is very patient and tolerant, that the GI put me back on steroids, he said "Oh SH*T. Do I have to go through all that again?!?!!"

LMAO!!:ylol2:

 

[nlb]

yeah - roid rage maximus

This is an old forum, but it came up during my search and maybe some people are still reading it. Yes, I totally get the roid rage from Entocort. In fact, I purposely cut back to two capsules a day to try to control it. It works well to prevent flareups, and I want to stay on it if possible. But lately I've been getting freaked out by small things at work, and I know it's the pills that are doing it. I feel as if I want to either punch somebody out or cry at the same time. Awful feeling. :confused2:

I've been on and off this medicine for several years, and I've recently decided that it's the best thing controlling my symptoms, so I have to get used to it. I'm experimenting with the timing of taking the pills to see if that matters. I'm going to start to take one with breakfast and the other with dinner. Alcohol seems to intensify the effect so unfortunately brewskis are on hold until I figure this out.

Anybody else experimented with ways to reduce the side effects? :ybatty:

 

[scotishcanadian]

I don't know much about Entocort since they only had me on it for a short while after my initial diagnosis in high school, but I've been on pred for probably about a year now, and MAN do I get testy sometimes. It's like this savage beast comes out and I'm not me anymore. I go from being perky, pleasant Lindsey to 'holy crap, did godzilla just take over her body?' I always seem to take it out on my mom too, which sucks considering she's got to be the person I love the most in my life. She takes it all in stride because she knows it's from the pred, but I still feel bad about it sometimes.

 

[sunflower]

Wow, I read this whole thread thinking you were talking about enemas! Boy am I dense today!! LOL!!!

Anyway, after years of suffering roid rage, I finally made my doctor give me some xanax for it. It really helps. Not all docs want to give that medicine because I guess it is addicting, but it is great. When I feel a rage coming on, I can pop one of those and within a couple of minutes a smooth calm comes over me. I don't take them all the time. When it is just my regular B moods, I let them fly. I figure I have enough anger stored up I need to let it out once in a while! LOL!! But, when it is from the meds - I do take it. No need to put everyone through that.

 

[Astra]

This is an old thread
But I posted in October of last year about how Entocort made me foggy and disorientated.
I've been on 9mg of Entocort for just over 2 weeks now and feel ok, no foggy brain etc, not yet anyway.
I believe it may have been because Prednisolone was still in my system last year.
I went straight from Pred to Entocort, maybe a steroid overdose!!

 

[Jessica]

lol - Maybe not an overdose, Astra. Possibly because the side effects of prednisone are more prominent than those with Entocort. If anything, since there are less of an effect of Entocort side eeffects, you might have felt slightly better! I always enjoyed going down to Entocort, versus up to Prednisone.

 

[Kitty'z Finn]

To quote tumblr, "It's not just me!!!"
I've been on Entocort for about 4 months now (EDIT because I'm a dork and bad with counting time), and I'm also starting menopause (fuuuu), so the angry swings are horrible. Last for about 5 minutes, but ANYTHING can set me off. The crying has not reared it's ugly head, but the anger issues are gonna get me in trouble one of these days.

My poor 7 yr old Squirt doesn't understand, and the hubs is near wits end.

While the Entocort is kind of doing it's job, it's also helping with the Chronic Fatigue. I've had a couple of flare ups, and only one attack while on the Entocort. Previous med was Salofalk and that made the Chronic Fatigue so much worse, and caused multiple duodenum colitis attacks and aggravated my pancreas divisum and had to be hospitalized for a week. Joy.

I have my MRCP in a month, and GI appointment in June. Blood work to be done in there too. Hopefully I can talk to her like a normal person and we can come to some sort of solution. I can't deal with these mood swings.