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Prednisolone side effects

J

JMC_vic

Hey All,

Currently in week three of my Prednisolone treatment for Crohn's disease and I had a quick question about the side effects that people experience. I have just tapered down to 30mg a day but for the past week I have been noticing the increasing sensation of palpitations and overall raised heart rate. Is this a common side effect or something more sinister? I am keen to gauge other people's experiences.

- J
 
UnXmas

UnXmas

It is a recognised side effect, but palpitations should always be taken seriously. Have you timed your heart rate to see exactly how fast it gets? It might be worth checking with your doctor. If necessary they can do an ECG which is a very simple, non-invasive test to check for heart abnormalities. Almost all prednisone/prednisolone side effects should normalise once you're off the medication, though sometimes it takes a while for them to go away completely.
 
L

lenny

Son did steroids for 6 weeks and they started him at 20 mg. He felt awesome and the only negative side effect was moderately bad acne.
 
UnXmas

UnXmas

Oh, and just to add my personal experience, I don't remember having any heart symptoms from prednisolone, and haven't noticed any from the prednisone I'm on now so far. But I am on another medication that raises my heartbeat as a side effect. Even though they knew it was from the med, my doctors still did an ECG (which was normal, other than the fast heartbeat). Just because a symptom is a side effect, it doesn't mean it's not worth checking out.
 
Nym

Nym

I'm still on 5mg prednisone daily (at night).
Ankle swelling - gone
Exessive weight gain & bloating - gone
Moon face - gone
Insomnia - gone
Cravings - gone
Surface bleeding & bruising - still
Fistula - not as angry
Aching hips & joints - gone
Psychological dependence - yes. Transfering this to assorted immune boosters.
 
Thistle

Thistle

Sometimes when I was on the higher doses I experienced heart palpitations, they usually went away as I tapered down.

The physical side effects I most commonly had were weight gain, bloating, very bad acne, moon face (although my last two corses of pred I managed to avoid this somehow, considering I've had it bad over the years), joint pain.

What I struggled with more was the psychological side effects, and it always followed the same pattern -
Higher doses (25+) Manic and full of energy
Middle (15-25) short fuse, angry all the time, snappy, shouting at people for the least little thing
Lower doses depression, tearful, suicidal thoughts, these were the toughest but I've had so many courses of steroids over the last 10 years so I got to know that it was the pred altering my thoughts and recognising that fact made it a bit easier.
 
J

JMC_vic

I have been pretty lucky so far although I have gained about 4-5kgs. Should be able to shed those when I am off pred (fingers crossed). All other side effect died down although acne has returned - lucky I still look like a teenager haha. Thanks for sharing :)
 
lookame

lookame

Right now I'm on 40 mgs. I don't think I've been on this high of a dose before without a clear taper but I'm waiting on biopsy results and a surgical consult so that's probably why I don't have a taper. My side effects though

Starving-I'm starving but I eat and feel full quickly then in an hour I'm starving again
extremely thirsty
greasy face-well it just feels greasy
cravings
I also remember having anxiety and sweats with my other doses- I've been on it for 3 days and only some sweats, I've been suffering from night sweats before the prednisone due to an uncontrolled flare/c-diff infection.
 
POTTYTIME!

POTTYTIME!

Location
USA, Mississippi
Lookame:

I just started my taper Friday. From 40 to 20mg. I was on 40mg for two months. My cravings went away already. Still cranky though. Im also waiting on ct scan results to do surgery. Did your face swell? Did you gain weight? I gained 20 lbs.

Good luck on the preds.
 
lookame

lookame

With my other doses i didnt gain weight, if i did it was only a little bit and was lost quickly. When i tapered the other times the bloody diarrhea would slowly come back. I also dont remember having a super swollen face either. I think my highest dose was 35 mgs for a week before tapering 5 mgs each week, its been close to 5 yrs sisince0 the last time i was on it so my memory is a little fuzzy.

Pottytime i know youve had a rough struggle, what was your diagnosis? Have you had a colonoscopy recently? I hope you find relief soon!
 
POTTYTIME!

POTTYTIME!

Location
USA, Mississippi
Lookame:

Had long time problems that I blew off to food I ate, nerves, etc. Looking back with my doctor, we both feel that crohn's disease was the reason I had to get my gallbladder removed in November. I was not DX January. Colonoscopy in Jan. Showed Crohn's, along with blood test, and a berium scan. None of the meds has helped thus far. Thats why im waiting on ct scan results to set up surgery. I have to think if I would have got checked out earlier, I wouldn't be this bad off.

My quality of life sux right now. I cant even bend over. I cant get too far from the house before I have to run back for the potty. Im on prednisone, pentasa, Nexium, Bentyl, humira. Only getting worse.
 
lookame

lookame

I sort of feel,the same way you do. I became seriously ill the summer of 2009, i was referred and recieved a colonoscopy which the GI discussed with me while i was still recovering from anesthesia so i remember him saying it looked like UC but didnt want to treat until biopsies came back...then he dropped off the face of the earth. I couldnt get ahold of him and he never got back to me.

Before i could get another GI i had to get insurance and a referral from a primary care physcian. I established insurance within 2 to 3 months but couldnt see a primary until 3-6 months(they had no openings for new ppatients) all the while im getting worse and trying to get some care from er visits which id get ct scan and basically watch the disease rampage through my,colon Then sent away with pills that (and this was straight from the er drs mouth) wont work for me. Aug 2010 i walked into the er one last time and was admitted with a blood transfusion. They asked for a stool sample and when the nurse saw it was all blood they finally took notice and i was given a cocolonscopy, diagnosis and drugs in no time but the disease had already set in and no part of my colon has been healthy ever since. Its sort of just varying degrees of bsbad.

I also have a mixed bag of a diagnosis- bloodwork is indeterminate ibd, my last biopsies were crohns and the colon appears as uc.
 
POTTYTIME!

POTTYTIME!

Location
USA, Mississippi
Sorry to hear you had to wait so long. My wait was one month. But after I got in and being labeled as severe category, I have straight access to my doctors nurse and if she cant get answers, the doctor will call me personally. I agree about the er doctor. When I went in November with my gallbladder about to pop out of my chest, they tried to say I had an ulcer and send me home. After a few choice words, the done a abdominal ultrasound like I ask. 36 hours later im having surgery. My blood work, and all test shows crohn's. No questions on
that.
 
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