How does Prednisolone make you feel mentally and emotionally?

[4MyHubby]

My hubby has been on and off 50mg of Prednisolone for the past year, as he had been having major flares when he drops it completely.
His Doc put him on a maintenance dose for quite a few months, switched him to Entercourt (flared after 3 weeks on it) so he is back on it (50 again, weaning down atm on 12mg) and he has also started Imuran.

Ive been reading other threads where pple have been making reference about how bad the side effects are, but other than the drug pamphlet, his Doc only said he may feel a little 'down'. Understatement of the year.

I'd love to know some of your personal feelings/experiences on how Pred makes you feel (emotionally as well as physically) so I can better support my hubby and also so I can show him this forum (when he is up to it) and he can see that how he has been feeling is largely chemically induced, rather than just him!
Thanks everyone. This forum is really helpful for us.

 

[MapleLeafGirl]

Everyone is different and so will have different experiences - for myself - when I am starting out (usually at 40mg), I have an incredible amount of energy and actually feel hyped up and I have a huge appetite. As I start to taper off, I start to get incredibly moody - everything (and I do mean everything) pisses me off and when I have my period it is a million times worse. I cry more, I gain weight, I get a puffy face, I am more thirsty than usual, I can't sleep and my brain gets foggy and I just feel not myself.

Hope that helps!

 

[e13 boy]

Hi 4myhubby

On pred i was always sooo hungry,face got puffy,felt hyper,overenergetic as i tapered i was the exact opposite.
Every CD patient will probably tell various stories on steroids.

I wish your hubby well.You are 1st class for talking to a CD forum to try to help him.

Best Wishes

 

[hainman]

hi 4myhubby,
ive been on and of pred for 4years and its caused weight gain as your constantly hungry which at first wasnt a bad thing as i'd lost 3stone when i was ill.i get some headaches from the pred but the worst thing thats happened is being diagnosed with osteopenia(bone density disease) due to the long duration of me taking these.im sure other ppl will have more to tell but thats my story.hopes this helps your hubby understand these meds.ive never been on as high a dose as 50mg but sofar everytime ive tapered down ive hit a brick wall and my symptoms have flared up,on new meds now so its just a waiting game to see how i fare this time.

 

[crohns5-0]

I'm on it again, 40mg did nothing, 45 was better. Now at 35 and I'm sick as a dog. Along with the hunger, I tend to have extremely short fuse. Sometimes a little scary.

 

[Terriernut]

I dont sleep...maybe an hour a night if I'm lucky! I also can be incredibly short fused and moody. Violently short fused! One time I threw a sink with all the taps (not light I might add) across B&Q when I was on pred! Another time I ran an idiot driver off the road! (she wont be cutting off drivers again I tell ya!!!)

Anyhoo....pred does different things to different people, and none of it is pretty. But...it does stop inflamation fast, so we love to hate it, and hate to love it. :kissgrits: pred!

Misty

 

[Astra]

Hi and welcome!

Pred saved my life!
I started on 50mg too and it took nearly 11 months before I felt well. I'm doing great now and in remission. Your hubby will get there too.
I loved the jittery, speedy, wizzy feelings on Pred, the intense energy and I could talk a glass eye to sleep!
I hated the insomnia, so I took it very early, about 6am to counteract that.
I ate everything that wasn't tied down and gained weight but it was much needed.
I got chipmunk cheeks but these went away very quickly.
I never got moody, angry, depressed or down on Pred.
I got severe joint pains tho when I came off it.
Hope your hubby is taking extra calcium?
And I hope you both join us, lots of friends here for you, all paddling in the same boat!
lotsa luv
Joan xxx

 

[crohns5-0]

I dont sleep...maybe an hour a night if I'm lucky! I also can be incredibly short fused and moody. Violently short fused! One time I threw a sink with all the taps (not light I might add) across B&Q when I was on pred! Another time I ran an idiot driver off the road! (she wont be cutting off drivers again I tell ya!!!)

Anyhoo....pred does different things to different people, and none of it is pretty. But...it does stop inflamation fast, so we love to hate it, and hate to love it. :kissgrits: pred!

Misty

I hear ya, I seem to rage more and more the longer I'm on it. :devil:

 

[Crohns08]

I hate being on prednisone. It doesn't matter how much or how little I've been on (I've been on up to 120 mg), it depresses me, makes me hungry a lot to the point of overeating, bloats me, and causes my stomach a little pain because it produces more stomach acid so I have to counter that with either protonix or prilosec (whichever I have on hand but I prefer protonix. It's twice as strong). I also get bad joint pains in my back, though I've been lucky to skip that this go around! But the worst thing for me is the insomnia because I'm up until 3 am at least with minimal sleep and all by myself because no one else is up! It gets to be rather lonely.