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What does taking high doses of prednisone for two years do to the pituitary gland? I have Lupus which is now pretty well controlled with an herb called pycnogenol, but am wondering if some of the problems I have may be due to two years of 60 mg per day of prednisone I don't know how much of my symptoms are related to the Lupus and how much to the prednisone. I now take only alternatives, no steriods, and am much better than when on lots of pre ion drugs.

yakkydoc replied: "The pituitary adrenal axis is depressed. ACTH is low. If steroids are abruptly discontinued, the level of naturally produced steroids will be low, as their production will take time to go up. 2 years of steroids can have side effects such as altered distribution of fat causing moon face and buffalo hump, reduced immunity, peptic ulcer, striae on the skin, withdrawal of calcium from bones, high blood pressure, cataract."

laineyette replied: "Hello...it doesn't affect the pituitary gland directly but does affect the adrenals which are controlled by the pituitary. Prednisone will trick the adrenals into thinking they don't need to produce as much cortisol and over time will produce less and less. You may develop Addisons where the adrenals won't produce enough cortisol in times of physical or emotional stress. You need to be seen by an endocrinologist to test for this. It can be very dangerous if you get into extreme stress (ie. car accident) and your adrenals can't create the adrenaline you need."

frequent breathing problems that only high doses of prednisone help? My son has been having frequent breathing problems and has seen several pulmanary doctors and none can diagnose his problem..they keep putting him on high doses of prenisone, when he has these attacks. The attacks are now more frequent and the constant prednison has taken a toll on his weight. He has gained 100 lbs over the past 2 years and now has sleep apnia..........any ideas will greatly appreciated.

Jan C replied: "Please find another Doctor. Surely there is another way. Most people in the medical field know about the pros and cons of prednisone. Do try to find someone who may at least have a suggestion regarding the course of treatment. Good luck."

wezy53154 replied: "Have they tested his alpha-1 antitypsin? This is a chemical that while rare can cause autoimmune induced empysema. While I highly doubt that he has it he should be tested due the the number of repeat high dose prednisone s he's been on. Has his doctors tried any other oral medications like singular which is a luekotriene inhibitor. This type of medication helps to prevent the swelling in the airways from occuring in the first place. His insurance company should also have talked to him about having a respiratory therapist come out to the house for a inspection to make sure that he understands all of his triggers and that his home environment isn't unsafe for his lungs. Some companies are even willing to do job site inspections. When was the last time that he had a pulmonary funciton test? Does he smoke? I sincerely hope not. You wouldn't beleive the number of persons with breathing difficulties that continue to smoke even after ending up on supplimental oxygen. I do think that your son should get a second opinion, perhaps even have his heart checked out if the lungs are doing, o.k."

catbandini replied: "In my opinion i find it very hard that the docters can not diagnose his condition yet they are still prescribing him medication. With that said. I see how you are concerned it can be very stressful not knowing what is wrong with your child. I think might just have Asthma or Chronic brohoncitis. If i were you i would recomend going to a respitory threrapist at a childrens hospital in your area. You may also want to go to another magor city in your province/state. You may also want to research some drugs/medications that do the same thing as what your son is taking but has a diffrent medical ingredient that shouden't cause weight gain. hope i helped. Best of luck :-)."

Lee lee replied: "I won't take anything, or let my kids take anything first without asking the doctor what the diagnosis is, an you should always question the medication. Make sure you know how much to take and what the side effects are. What exactly do you mean by breathing problems. Shortness of breath? anxiety? any mucus probs? If you're not getting anywhere and do not have a diagnosis after 12 months you really must go see another Doctor!"

emeraldblonde5 replied: "i sortof understand what he is going through. I didn't gain that muich weight taking Medryl(related to predisone) I have had other severe side effects But unfortunatly I have to continue mine. I think that if he seems worse after taking the steroids then you should really talk to the doctor about trying something else. You should not be given steriods if they do not help because they are damaging to the body. I know."

Sarah R replied: "I know the feeling, I have personally been on and off prednisone since I was 10 years old and only recently since being put back on it has it affected me. When I say affected I mean the insatiable appetite part, really the only thing you can do is maybe give your son water to drink instead of anything else and try to give him fruits for that part. As for the fact that they haven't found anything out yet I would go to another doctor, I was put in hospital last june and it took them about 2 months to diagnose me with non specific interstitual pneumonia which basically means they have no clue what is wrong with me - but I knew that was going to happen as I have alot of lung problems. Try looking up some good pulmonologists in your state and see if you can get a referral from your general practitioner to them if your still not getting anywhere."

What happens if you suddenly stop high-dose prednisone? I know doctors, when prescribing high-dose prednisone to treat something such as a severe allergic reaction or gout, will prescribe a tapering dose, going down by 5-mg increments every three days or so until they get down to 10 mg for three days (then stop). Why the taper? What would happen if a patient were to not taper the dosage of prednisone and were to just stop, at a high dose, after having been on that high dose of prednisone for a while? Just curious. I'm a medical tran ionist and type it all the time, and I've always wondered, why the taper.

vadtrav replied: "never ever stop high dose steroids. these drugs should always be tapered off. the reasoning is that your body produces these substances naturally. certain steroids are necessary to respond appropriately to stress. when taking exogenous or external steroids, you suppress your bodies own manufacturing of them. therefore, stopping suddenly, leaves your body unable to respond to stress i.e. heart, blood pressure, sugar mobilizations, etc..."

What is considered a high dose of prednisone? I am reading about all of the side effects and some are associated with high dose or long term use...what do those terms mean exactly...seems very vague to me?

Courtney S replied: "What dose of prednisone are you taking and how long? What are you taking it for? I typcially see doses of 10 to 20mg (starting out with 4 or so tablets daily) and then a tapered dose over 10 to 14 days. Prednisone can be prescribed for many different conditions, as it is both an anti-inflammatory and helps suppress the immune system. Most of the side effects of prednisone are seen over the long term. The most common ones are weight gain, bone loss/osteoporosis, high blood sugar, appetite changes, vision changes, etc. However, many patients are given prednisone for only a few days or a week or two to help with an allergic reaction (such as poison ivy or other inflammatory skin conditions) or for any other condition that causes inflammation (especially in trauma situations). Long-term use of prednisone is usually seen in conditions such as IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), transplant patients (as an immunosuppressant), and even in COPD patients or asthma patients who are prone to having exacerbations. In the short term, you may see an increase in appetite and insomnia, but should not be affected by the other more long term effects. If you are going to be taking prednisone for the long term, you should call your doctor to discuss the benefits vs. risk of taking the medication and see if they can provide an alternative med if you are worried about the side effects. If you are taking prednisone for more than a few days, make sure that you doctor gradually tapers down your dose to avoid withdrawal side effects. Also, it should be taken in the morning with food to help avoid any problems with nausea/vomiting/upset stomach and to avoid the insomnia. Good luck and I hope this helps!"

How can I minimize weight gain while on high doses of Prednisone? I'm 15 years old and have Catastrophic Anti-Phospholipid Syndrome (CAPS). I went into the emergency room at the begining of February weighing 180 pounds, I was discharged from the hospital five weeks later at 135 pounds. A week later I was checked back into the hospital, they had taken me off the steroids too quickly and I had developed a blood clot in my brain along with severly swollen neck lymphnods. I was started on 120 mg of Prednisone a day, and remained on that dose for about a month. I'm now 165 pounds, and am gaining close to a pound a day. I'm retaining a ton of fluid and am on 80 mg of Lasix (water pill) daily, though I haven't noticed a significant increase in urine output. My doctors are weaning down the prednisone slowly and I'm currently at 45 mg a day. Still, with the rate they're taking it down on (5-10 mg every week) it could be another month and a half to two months before the steroids are cut. My whole stint in the hospital lasted 10 weeks straight, I've been recovering for the past two and a half weeks and am trying to catch up on work so I can go back to school. The weight gain is the cherry on top of my traumatizing cake, my face is so swollen kids I was in class with three months ago don't recognize me. I desperately want to be able to control my weight before I lose the remaining self esteem I have left. I should also mention that I've been overweight my whole life, but before I got sick I was very steadily slimming down to my ideal weight.

Tony Tenderheart replied: "I feel very sad to hear that your unwell and I would be honored if you lilsten to my advice as I train with Bodybuilders, Nutrionist, Herbalist. We have this site and I would love you to read it and talk with your mom an dad. Good Luck and God Bless"

What are the side effects of a very high dose of prednisone? I recently have broken out in hives as a reaction to taking Clindamycin, an antibiotic I found my body hates. The doctor gave me 2 cc Dexamethasone injectable in my hiney 60 mg of Prednisone that day and I've been on Prednisone 20 mg three times a day for a week. I'm scared that may be a lot and yesterday I didn't take any. Idk why. I guess the idea of high doses Prednisone scares me?? Last night and today I've had irregular heartbeat and my right eye has been pulsating and feels like it's bulging. I also woke up with flush face and hands. I'm freaking out now. Have I been on too much Prednisone or am I having withdrawal symptoms from cutting cold turkey yesterday? I can't see a doctor until Monday.

Bunny L replied: "I take prednisone every day for Lupus. My dose varies between 10 to 20 mg daily. I have been told that you need to taper off of prednisone gradually and not stop "cold turkey". Many times prednisone is given in a dose pack that states 6 pills first day, 5 the second, 4 on the third, etc.... This tapering allows the body to ramp up its production of prednisone to replace the oral dose that you have been taking. The first couple of days on higher dose prednisone (80 mg), I get a prednisone "buzzing" in the head and an increased appetite. You should check with your doctor if you're worried."

mr.answerman replied: "A short term schedule of pred. is not going to harm you. The worst thing you can do for your body is to stop taking it like you did. This will shock your adrenal glands, so follow your doctors orders. Real problems with oral pred. like Cushings, and other problems occur with prolonged use."

Jacobo replied: "I have been a critical care registered nurse for many years. The steroid you were given is to stop the reaction your body was going into. it must have pretty bad because steroids given for a reaction of that sort is life threatening its call an anaphylatic shock and will kill you. your airway swells closed and you cant breathe. If you experience side effects from the dose, CALL THE DOCTOR !!and he will tell you what you must do.With prednisone the dose must be taperd off or else your body will go into a complete kaos and your airway will swell things go very bad very fast. it is not wise to tamper with doses on medications SPECIALLY steroids. Steroids may cause your heart to go fast, curb your appetite and cause shakiness. If you feel too weird CONTACT THE DOCTOR on the pre ion label, if he is unavailable ask to speak to the nurse and tell SOMEONE about whats happening. long term use of steroids can cause your immune system problems and your sugars get all crazy. A severe overdose is what may happen when steroids are given IV, one can go into cardiogenic shock, Rhabdomyelosis, and kidney failure. But that is extreme. Take care of yourself and use wisdom. If you are unable to contact the office because its a weekend...all physicians have an exchange, they should answer explain to the person who answers exactly whats going on and tell them you need to speak to the physician on call. if you can'tt do that call the pharmacist where you got the pre ion tell him/her whats happening .THEY can get a hold of your doctor.If that doen't work go to the emergency room. You could have cardiac problems if the dose is too high for you."

i have cancer and im on high dose prednisone the prednisone is making my sugar levels be super high, im on two types of insulin ive stoped drinking soda, im drinking water 24/7 im following the diet plan low carbs, low everything alot of bla food. i walk around i try my best to be active but my levels are still high what else can i do. my levels are not dropping ive been reading about cinammon but what else can i take to lower my sugars so far its not working

Nah Z replied: "Since dietary restriction REALLY isn't in your favor when you have cancer, the best you can do is slowly increase your insulin dose per your doctor's advice and try to bring it down."

was hospitalized for exacerbated asthma & given very high doses of I.V. prednisone which provoke my diabetes.? I never had diabetes until I went to the hospital. Can prednisone cause this?

Colette B replied: "Prednisone will cause your blood sugar to go up. It can also cause extreme hunger which makes you eat too much and that can make your blood sugar go up. If you are off of Prednisone, have your glucose checked fasting and then determine if you really do have Diabetes."

lremmell64 replied: "I have never heard of prednisone causing diabetes. However, prednisone is a steriod and could possibly have irritated the pancreas or other organ in causing diabetes. Did you have a lot of weight gain/loss while on this? Also another cause of diabetes, besides excessive weight, poor exercise, and genetics; is possibly caused by a virus. My husband had a really bad bout of the flu and after developed Type II diabetes."

Is 10 mg of Prednisone considered to be a high dose to take everyday? my wife is trying to get pregnant and she doesn't want to get on Methatrexate quite yet because you are not supposed to be taking that when trying to conceive. She is in her early 40's and exercises everyday at the gym. How much damage will the prednisone do to her bones? She's been taking it now for five months.

curious1 replied: "10 mg. prednisone is not much at all, I am on 10 mg. prednisone a day, and have been for about 10 years now, This dose has not affected my bones in any way. Its the higher doses that you have to worry about, high doses 50 plus mg. daily can cause terrible side effects like irritability, moodiness, crying at the drop of a hat, insomnia, and tremors. and if taken long term can damage the body. I wouldn't worry about the 10 mg. dose. I know all this from personal experience."

John de Witt replied: "That's roughly the equivalent of the glucocorticoids your adrenal glands normally make. Most conditions that require steroid treatment use a standard dose of about 1 mg/kg/day, so 60 mg wouldn't be surprising in a short course or for a serious illness. It's hard for us to put her dose in context since you didn't mention why she's taking it. Bone loss shouldn't be a major worry at that dose in most cases."