Prednisone Side Effects

We CAN Minimize the Damaging

Side Effects of Prednisone!

This is an interactive website and support forum. We can all help to make a positive difference for each other in the fight against Prednisone Side Effects.

Those who have been on prednisone understand the value of exchanging questions and ideas about managing their side effects with others who have had similar experiences.

Greater Participation = Greater Shared Knowledge = Greater odds for minimizing the damaging side effects for each of us!

Your help is needed! This is a fight we must all be involved in! Please tell us about how you have managed and handled your own prednisone side effects issues. Respond with whatever input you can at the bottom of any of the pages under “Leave a Reply” or “POSTREPLY”.

Please click on an existing discussion and post a reply or start a new discussion.

Our motto is “Working Together To Make It Bearable” so please consider helping others who are fighting to minimize the terrible side effects of prednisone.

Hello, my name is Dave and I love hiking, snorkeling, exercising, and photography.  However, in 2008 I was diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome and a kidney disease (FSGS).  As a result, I was put on prednisone therapy with a starting dosage of 80 mgs/day.  I immediately started doing research on the adverse side effects of prednisone. What I found was that there was no one source to go to for information about prednisone’s side effects.  I ended up learning about how to manage the side effects by reading medical articles, and communicating with other patients.  Without the help from total strangers, I would not have been able to minimize the side effects from prednisone nor avoid permanent damage to my body.  I am now hoping that I can encourage people who have been on prednisone to join these discussions and help one another. Like the others, I will be sharing my own experiences so that we can lean from each other.

I am currently back on prednisone therapy at 80 mgs per day, and  I will be blogging about what side effects of prednisone I experience, and what I do to minimize the adverse side effects.

My blog includes details such as how I eat, sleep, exercise, how much weight I gain, how my physical appearance changes (stages of moon face/Cushing’s  syndrome), how the muscle atrophy (caused by prednisone) will affect me, and what methods I use to combat the adverse side effects of prednisone.

This web site is geared towards helping people prevent or minimize adverse side effects that prednisone can cause.  It is from people helping people that patients learn what symptoms to look for; what to do, what not to do, what worked, what didn’t, where to find  low sodium, yeast free, and low glycemic food products, and other items such as diabetic socks and clothes that do not irritate their skin.

Prednisone is prescribed for many different reasons, but it seems that doctors who prescribe the medicine are generally careful not to scare their patients about the long list side effects.  Clearly there are pros and cons to this approach.  While the intention is to minimize anxiety, in some cases shielding patients from the dangers of prednisone can lead to them being unprepared to recognize and deal with the adverse side effects.

Since many medical  doctors do not subscribe to preventative health care, patients are at a disadvantage when it comes to preventing some of the adverse side effects of the drug.  Less informed patients may wait until they have side effects such as bone loss, broken bones, diabetes, cataracts, severe muscle atrophy, depression, rage, sleep disorders, severe weight gain, ulcers, etc. before seeking help, if at all.

A person on prednisone therapy, in order to obtain the best possible outcome, should seek information from multiple sources when deciding how to best manage their condition.  By sharing their experiences, the users of this site will help others to better understand what adverse side effects may be experienced, and offer strategies for prevention of and coping with the physical and emotional challenges of being on prednisone.  Thank you for using this web site, and please post comments so that we can continue to learn from one another.