Question,
Been on prednisone 10mg for about 11 years....2 years ago had to add Medrol 8mg day. About 6 months after adding the medrol, started losing more hair and my face got very full.
Now, seems im having a problem keeping sodium in my body and my cortisol is high, while my ACTH is low...doc said this is normal
for being on steriods..im starting to wonder if something else is going on. I have all symptoms of some pituitary or adrenal disorder.
She said to keep eating more salt, which I do, and crave, but just urinating all the time, with a full bladder, all night long.
Anyone else on steriods have these issues?
thanks
Gursie
Hi Gursie,
Ive been on 2mgs. of prednisone for almost 10 yrs.I started at 20mgs. I have to take it to control
my pericarditis.Im going to start taking 3mgs. a day to help with joint pain which is getting very
bad. My doctor wants me to take a very low dosage if possible. I dont have any of your symptons
so far, but I noticed I stand stand heat.I always felt cold , till this year. I cant stand covers on me in bed& I always needed 2 blankets all my life.I get some crazy symptons. I hope you find
ans. to your questions.Good Luck to you & take care.
hugs to you, Duffy
I've been on 3-5 mg a day (4mg mostly) for over a year with a few medrol packs for flares. I definitely have symptoms of high cortisol even at this dose. I am very thin and don't weigh a lot but I have fat over my collar bones and in my neck and upper back area. Not obvious to others really but not having any collar bones at my size/weight makes me not feel good about the way I look. Peeing all the time with a full bladder, check! It's so annoying. Haven't had any tests done, but I pee so much that there probably is some type of chemical or mineral Imbalance. Also within this time I've grown a thyroid nodule and had a lot of anxiety. My thyroid levels are apparently A-ok though..
I started out on prednisone 20 mgm a day and then tapered down to 10 mgm a day as a treatment for my sjogrens symptoms. This was back in 2005. As time went on I was diagnosed with myasthenia and my neuro put me on 10 mgm every other day. She puts all her myasthenics on this dose to help keep them "treated" just enough that it may help way lay a myasthenic crisis.
At times I have to go on 20 mgm for a few days or a week and then back to the 10 every other day. Right now I just finished 20 mgm every day for 2 weeks and am on 15 mgm for 2 weeks and then will be on 10 mgm for several months. I am having a hard time with my myasthenia. We myasthenia patients don't do well with heat and humidity and this summer has made me weak which weakens the diaphram and causes breathing issues that can be serious.
Neuro hopes that I will recover back to previous status by December. All these years on the prednisone has not caused me to have many issues. I do have a little fat in my cheeks and a little more fatty tissue in my belly. I haven't got the hump on my neck---yet.
Neuro has always said that you can take up toe 10 mgm every other day without having too many systemic issues. I guess I tend to believe her. I am hoping that the weather will cool down so I can get off the every day dose of steroids sooner. It will involve a slow taper getting down and off that one day of prednisone every other day and still take the one day every other of 10 mgm. I have tried to go down to the 5 mgm but I start having other symptoms then. We are all different. Talk with your docs though to see what the treatment plan is and his time frame so that you may be able to work with him to get your dose down. Good luck. Irish ;D