Prednisone questions

[KayessB]

I know this drug has tons of side effects and hits everyone a little differently. I just wanted to share what happened this weekend in hopes that someone can give me some advice/comforting words.
I've been tapering off prednisone the last few weeks now and have been on 2.5mg for five-six days. Yesterday I decided to not take the prednisone and call it my last day.
We were visiting in the mountains this weekend and yesterday we did some rather strenuous hiking. When we completed the trail I noticed how hot and tired I was and my face/hands/feet all started to get numb. I knew this was a sign of my anxiety and I tried to calm myself down but I couldn't get my bearings on it quick enough and it just spiraled into the worse panic attack I've ever experienced. I went to the ER and was given Ativan. It helped calm my nerves and I went about my way to dinner with a friend of mine in the area. The anxiety came back during dinner and we had to cut it short. I filled the rx for the 4 doses the ER doc gave me, went back to our hotel, took Advil PM and fell asleep.
I woke up several times throughout the night with a panicked feeling that I kept trying to just sleep off. Eventually I woke up at 5 and started cleaning and pacing because that seemed to calm me down and I took another Ativan. I threw up once at the hotel. I took my 2.5 mg prednisone this morning thinking that could have something to do with how I was feeling.
We got on the road and I took another Ativan about an hour into our trip and had to pull over to get sick again. I fell asleep most of the drive home and had a lot of trouble falling asleep when I got home.
I finally got a nap in and woke up feeling a bit better, but still on edge. I don't feel myself at all.
I read online that tapering prednisone can cause hypersensitive anxieties and other side effects that I'm experiencing. Does anyone have any tips on how to deal with this better?? I can't function properly, have no appetite, I can't sleep easily, I want to cry at all times for no legitimate reason. I don't know how I'm going to do at work tomorrow feeling this way and I only have two more doses of Ativan. How long does this feeling last?!

Thanks in advance!
Kaleigh

 

[SupportiveMom]

How long were you on Prednisone? 2.5 of a taper to quit shouldn't have major effects but it can depend on how fast. Its hard to know when your body kicks back in to start producing.

Could you have come in contact with something in the mountains? A bug, a tick, anything? Anxiety sucks. It sounds like you are doing the right things. It just might need a few days to work its way out of your system. Hang in there!

 

[KayessB]

Was on 20mg for an month and half. And started tapering from there. I tapered by 5mg until I reached 10. And then from 10 I tapered by 2.5. When I got to 2.5 I was on that for 5 to 6 days before quitting. I don't think I came into contact with anything.. That I've noticed! I started taking the prednisone again just in case that's the problem and maybe I wasn't ready to quit yet. Thank you!

 

[UnXmas]

That sounds a low dose to be causing severe side effects, and it wasn't a sudden decrease so there shouldn't have been much in the way of withdrawal (I'm not even sure if withdrawal can cause anxiety). But prednisone can cause anxiety, and side effects can increase in relation to the duration of the time you've been taking it as well as in relation to the strength of the dose so it's possible. I've also read that the risk for mental side effects is higher if you suffer from them anyway, i.e. your existing symptoms but more severe.

I had a constant anxiety the first time I was on prednisone, but nothing like the severity you describe, just a kind of excited, anxious buzz in the background, if that makes any sense.

Are you able to see a doctor to see if there's something that may help you better than the Ativan? Is there anyone around who can help calm you down? Talking and just being around people you know and trust is the most reassuring thing I've found. (I've had worse anxiety, short term, from other med side effects.) If work is generally a place you feel comfortable, it might actually be easier, especially if you'll be busy but not so busy that it's stressful.

 

[KayessB]

I do have anxiety-tendencies. But they're very mild and controllable. I've never had any huge issues that can't be solved with a good cry or some deep breathing. And even those cases are very rare and specific. Nothing like this has ever happened before in my life which led me to think it was because of the prednisone. When I went to the ER I was given the Ativan which helps but makes me so tired. So I need an Ativan and a four hour nap to feel better. And being around my family does absolutely help. I'm comfortable at work and work with some very supportive women, but home is where I am most comfortable.
I spoke to my GI, as I am on pred for crohns, and he told me this is normal and will pass. But would not give me anything for it except a note so I could stay home from work.
I have an appt. Tomorrow with my regular doc. Hoping to get something to help control my emotions and anxieties while this is "passing".
Just wondering if anyone else has experienced this? I feel like I'm living in a nightmare.

 

[UnXmas]

As I said, I've had high anxiety as a side effect from another medication. I found I had to keep my mind focussed on something else, as it felt like if I stopped and actually thought about my situation and how I was feeling I wouldn't be able to stand it. I don't know if that makes sense or if it's anything like how you're feeling now. I would just keep reading a book or something to try and keep my mind off the anxiety, and no matter how bad or desperate I felt I'd just try and make myself keep reading.

 

[Zootini]

Sorry to hear what you're going through. I seem to think that pred has something to do with all of this. I have always been an anxious person but never a panic attack etc. I was on pred for a very long time (4 yrs!) when I came off of them I had a massive panic attack first one ever and also went to the hospital as I thought I was dying! Looking back I wonder if it was the pred or coming off the pred that caused this terrible anxiety. I still suffer terribly with it unfortunately and have just had to go back on pred for a flare and am feeling constantly anxious with a fast heart rate which also adds to my anxiety! Good luck. I went to my gp for anxiety and got some help. It's worth a try x