Do the side effects of Prednisone (puffy face, acne, joint pain) go away after you stop taking the?

Prednisone does leach calcium from bones and teeth and that is why long term use has Fosamax, or one of those brands, and calcium supplements with vitamin D3. However, this happens with aging as well and runs in families too. So it may not be the only contributor to this condition. Lack of exercise is also part of this problem.

The cataracts are a special type of cataract which causes a slow growth of yellowing tissue. It disappears when off high dose. However, if on high dose a long time it may require cataract surgery to correct, if one is able to even have surgery when on high dose.

Ringing in the ears is from hearing blood vessels that are under high blood pressure or cholesterol problems causing a blocking of the vessel. High blood pressure is not from prednisone. Cholesterol problems are. I have never heard of deafness from this. Not in any literature I have read. Would appreciate a source on that.

It does thin the skin and one bruises more easily. It does affect moods as it is much like being full speed on adrenalin all the time giving one a hair trigger with anger or even tears. Antidepressant and anti anxiety meds control this side effect.

It saves many lives and can be the first line of defense with an auto immune disease. Never, ever stop cold turkey. It has to be done with a physician and coming down from long term high doses can take many months. Be patient. Wishing all wellness. Karen

For those with chronic illnesses, these corticosteroids can only suppress symptoms and never actually cure these inflammatory problems because they never address the reasons WHY you are experiencing continual inflammation. Have you ever thought about why your body is creating inflammation in the first place? There IS a reason, and corticosteroid anti-inflammatory drugs such as:

Prednisone
Prednisolone
Methylprednisolone
also called Glucocorticoids, Corticosteroids or Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories- these drugs should not be confused with the illegal 'Anabolic Steroids' that bodybuilders use nor with Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, such as Ibuprofen. Corticosteroids are powerful drugs that can only be obtained by prescription (at least in the US) and are designed to reduce inflammation in many different illnesses with an inflammatory component. Corticosteroids come in many forms and can be given by the intravenous or injection form in hospitals, where they are known as Prednisolone or Methylprednisolone, or in oral pills called Prednisone or PediPred (for children) when taken at home.

While they absolutely do reduce inflammation, and they do their job extremely well for both acute and chronic problems, they also cause a WIDE range of short and long-term side effects that can range from a pleasant increase in energy to permanent diabetes and osteoporosis.

Short Term Prednisone Side Effects

These are just some of the short-term problems that prednisone and other steroids can lead to. I'll not go into these in depth since, as I've said, are only short term problems and some, such as euphoria, are actually pleasant rather than unpleasant:

Mood Problems(4)
Anxiety
Agitation
Euphoria
Depression
Psychotic reactions
Insomnia

Most of the negative short-term effects generally go away quickly after you stop taking these drugs. By contrast, when taking corticosteroids for long periods of time, the long-term effects below can lead to serious life-long health problems.

Long Term Prednisone Side Effects

Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is such a common and well-knows side effect of these drugs that it is known as 'Steroid Osteoporosis' by doctors who rarely take any precautions to prevent this loss of bone in their patients(2). Bone loss of between 10-30% has been noted as a side effect of prednisone in many studies and can affect up to 50% of people taking these drugs. While some of the bone loss was regenerated after stopping the medications, it wasn't reversed completely(1) and if serial regimens of prednisone are taken over periods of several years, severe osteoporosis could be the result.

"Early experience with the new steroids revealed
the occurrence of minor undesirable side-effects,
such as facial rounding, hirsutism, diminished carbohydrate
tolerance, insomnia, restlessness, weakness, transitory
mental clouding, acne, increased skin pigmentation,
and vague abdominal distress."
* These are the 'minor' undesirable side effects
according to this study!
MAJOR UNDESIRABLE SIDE-EFFECTS RESULTING
FROM PREDNISOLONE AND PREDNISONE

Part of this problem could be the result of the Magnesium Depletion that occurs with these drugs. While most people think of calcium replacement to prevent bone loss, one of the Side Effects of Prescription Antacids is magnesium deficiency and bone loss as well. Since most US women get plenty of calcium, a bigger problem in general as well as a result of prescription drug usage, is a loss of magnesium that leads to osteoporosis in the long run.

Susceptibility to Infections
One extremely well-known problem with prednisone side effects is its ability to decrease the effectiveness of the Immune System. This can occur to such an extent that patients taking long-term corticosteroid therapy have acquired serious infections such as Tuberculosis and deadly blood infections requiring hospitalization.(10) Some of the infections noted in people taking corticosteroids, such as Pneumocystis Carinii Pneumonia (9), are so rare in the population in general that they are associated with the HIV infection or cancer nearly 100% of the time- except in those taking corticosteroids and other immune system suppressants. Think about this for a moment, Prednisone side effects can cause immune system dysfunction similar to of AIDS and HIV!

Muscle Weakness
Steroid myopathy is a well known problem that can occur when corticosteroids are taken. While it's a more Common Side Effect of corticosteroids taken for long periods of time, this muscle weakness can occur when drugs are taken even for short periods of time and can occur in up to 64% of people taking these drugs(8). Some people experienced muscle weakness so severely that it affected the muscles of the diaphragm and caused serious breathing problems. (7) When you already have a serious illness, having muscle weakness and breathing problems as a Prednisone Side Effect is probably not something that sounds attractive to you.

Appearance
Long term Corticosteroid treatment can also change one's appearance rather drastically. Weight gain, particularly abdominal weight gain, and facial hair growth are common problems when taking these drugs on a long term basis. The most disturbing appearance problems come from an induced condition called Cushing's Disease. The features of Cushing's Disease include all of the above mentioned problems along with a rounding of the face known as 'moon face' and a thick fat pad on the upper back and neck known as a 'Buffalo Hump'. These long term Prednisone Side Effects may or may not go away when you stop taking corticosteroids.

Diabetes
Blood sugar problems are an extremely common problem with the use of corticosteroids. It is SO common that people in the hospital who are placed on even short term corticosteroid therapy have their blood sugar watched carefully 3 to 4 times per day and treated with insulin when necessary. Long term use resulted in diabetes in up to 25% of users with up to 50% requiring insulin after corticosteroid therapy was stopped. In other words, about 12% of people become permanent diabetics with long term usage of corticosteroids.

I feel quite insulted by your position and I wish there was a compromise rather than the the unreachable you are right or I am right. Without room for growth, how does one gain knowledge? Each case is different. I am one who stays alive on this. I would be gone in very short order if I did not take it. There is no other treatment for this genetic disease and I am very grateful I have this. I do not and will not operate from the position of fear that something may happen. It is a limiting and destructive force that saps the life out of people and removes hope. Staying happy and having hope with full knowledge of ones condition makes a huge difference.

If decisions were based on fear, who would get in an airplane or drive a car? Our purpose here is to support people and their decisions. Scaring people with an emotional response is not helpful. Every day I have is because this medication is slowing the progress of a disease that will result in suffocating to death.

I truly believe that reading about something is very different than working with experts and having the background of microbiology, anatomy, chemistry and so forth. I have done research and am published. I have talked extensively with the expert in this field who confirmed that prednisone is my only defense. Mayo clinic lead rheumatologist. Where they invented it! And, I do not believe you have the extensive background in this field required to truly understand how prednisone and prednisone sparing drugs work. Please take a step back and remember people come here to ask for help and real Information. They are not here for someone's agenda. You are responding with your experience. Be sure you label it as such.

I am sorry to the writer of very legitimate concerns to be influenced through mis-information. Doctors are very careful giving out prednisone. It is not an aspirin. They are highly aware of the effects. In fact, they remain far more careful with this medication than they ever were with opiate pain medications. When they prescribe it there is a very strong reason for it. Any doctor worth his or her degree will tell you that. Please talk with your doctor about these concerns. And read, read, read. Then talk to your doctor again.

I wish you wellness and a day when medications like this are not needed. Until then, be strong. you have a lot ahead of you. Karen