To reduce the side effects of prednisone, you should work closely with your doctor on dosage and tapering, and adopt specific lifestyle and dietary changes to counteract common issues.
Prednisolone can make you hungrier and also can make you retain more water in your body. Try to eat well without increasing your portion sizes. Regular exercise will also help to keep your weight stable. Once you stop taking prednisolone, your appetite and the way your body retains water should return to normal.
Prednisone is a steroid medication that can cause side effects, including insomnia. People taking this medication may have difficulty falling asleep or may wake during the night. The mechanisms by which prednisone disrupts sleep are not entirely clear.
Swelling of the eyes, face, lips, tongue, throat, arms, hands, feet, ankles or lower legs. Swelling or pain in the stomach. Upset stomach. Vision problems.
Stay hydrated: Drinking lots of water and fluids helps support your kidneys as they flush out prednisone. Exercise: Physical activity helps support your metabolism and blood circulation. This helps your body process and eliminate drugs efficiently.
Common short-term side effects include changes in appetite, mood, energy, and sleep. Long-term prednisone treatment can lead to weight gain, osteoporosis, and cataracts. Diarrhea isn't a side effect of prednisone. But other gastrointestinal symptoms are possible, like increased appetite and indigestion.
A gradual reduction in prednisone dosage gives your adrenal glands time to resume their usual function. The amount of time it takes to taper off prednisone depends on the disease being treated, the dose and duration of use, and other medical considerations. A full recovery can take a week to several months.
If you develop a puffy face while taking steroids, you might wonder how long moon face lasts. The appearance of moon face can start to fade when you stop taking steroids, but it may take several weeks or even months for your face to return to normal.
Swelling in your legs and midsection is also a common side effect of prednisone. That's because taking steroids can cause your body to retain fluid, rather than flush it out of your system. Fluid retention can lead to a cascade of negative effects on your health.
Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs)
NSAIDs are your first-line defense when looking for prednisone alternatives. These medications work by blocking certain enzymes that cause pain and swelling. Common OTC NSAIDs include: Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) – Great for general inflammation and pain.
7 ways to cope with prednisone-induced anxiety
Do not suddenly stop taking your medication because you may develop a severe reaction. Your care team will tell you how much medication to take. If your care team wants you to stop the medication, the dose may be slowly lowered over time to avoid any side effects.
Using too much of this medicine or using it for a long time may increase your risk of having adrenal gland problems. Talk to your doctor right away if you have blurred vision, dizziness or fainting, a fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat, increased thirst or urination, irritability, or unusual tiredness or weakness.
Experts recommend taking a mild and safe over-the-counter sleep aid such as melatonin or chamomile if prednisone is causing sleep disruption or sleep deprivation. Many patients find that this helps to reset their sleep patterns and relieves insomnia. It is also a good idea to practice good sleep hygiene.
How to Stay Healthy While Taking Prednisone
Based on these findings we have something called as Rule of 2. If a patient consumed 20mg/day or more Cortisone or its equivalent, for a duration of 2 weeks or more, within 2 years then the dosage of the steroid medication should be doubled preoperatively.
Reducing or stopping steroids is the only effective treatment although exercise to tolerance may increase muscle strength. If stopping the steroid is not possible, changing to a different type of steroid or altering dosage (every other day) may help reduce symptoms.
Current use of prednisone at a dose greater than 20mg increased the risk of both arterial and venous thrombosis more than any other risk factor.
If you take oral corticosteroids for a long time, your adrenal glands may produce less of their natural steroid hormones. To give your adrenal glands time to recover this function, your provider may reduce your dose gradually.
Prednisone may cause side effects. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away:
According to the American College of Rheumatology, the medication can start working 1 to 2 hours after taking it. However, you might not see the full effects for about 1 to 4 days. This timeframe applies when using prednisone for inflammatory conditions and also for chest infections.
Fluid retention can be controlled by eating a diet low in sodium – no more than 2,000 mg a day – and higher in potassium. You can find a list of high-sodium foods to avoid in the General Guidelines for Healthy Eating.
Your symptoms may be a return of inflammation, not withdrawal. Tapering too quickly can cause a flare to happen. If your disease flares, you may need to go back to a higher steroid dose for a short time to get the inflammation under control.
Both medications taken together can cause serious gastric complications in some patients. If after taking you develop any unusual bleeding or stomach pain, dizziness or tarry stools tell your doctor immediately.
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