The most serious prednisone side effects usually include allergic reactions, infections, gastrointestinal issues and elevated blood sugar. These may occur when people take larger doses or take the medication for long-term treatment.
Tell your doctor right away if you have depression, mood swings, a false or unusual sense of well-being, trouble with sleeping, or personality changes while taking this medicine. This medicine might cause thinning of the bones (osteoporosis) or slow growth in children if used for a long time.
Can prednisone worsen other health conditions? People taking prednisone can also experience higher blood sugar, which is a special concern for those with diabetes. Because prednisone suppresses the body's immune system, it can also increase the risk of infection. Therefore, some precautions need to be taken.
Prednisone can cause certain side effects (also called adverse effects), some of which are more common than others. These side effects may be temporary, lasting a few days to weeks. However, if the side effects last longer than that, bother you, or become severe, be sure to talk with your doctor or pharmacist.
Side effects of corticosteroids taken by mouth
A buildup of fluid, causing swelling in your lower legs. High blood pressure. Problems with mood swings, memory, behavior, and other psychological effects, such as confusion or delirium. Upset stomach.
Does prednisone cause diarrhea? Diarrhea is not a side effect you need to worry about with prednisone. If you have new diarrhea and you're taking prednisone, something other than the medication is likely the cause. In rare cases, gastric irritation from prednisone can cause a bleed in the stomach.
Topical steroids
The fear of using corticosteroids is so common that it has its own name: corticophobia. For topical steroids, this fear stems from well-known and severe adverse effects like Cushing syndrome and permanent skin atrophy.
There is no set limit on how long you can safely take prednisone. It depends on the dose of prednisone and the condition being treated. It may be prescribed short term or long term. The dosage will be adjusted or stopped based on your response or lack of response to the medication.
See your doctor immediately or go to the emergency department of your nearest hospital if you experience any of these serious side effects: severe stomach or gut pain. epileptic fits. sudden changes in your vision.
It takes approximately 16.5 to 22 hours for Prednisone to be out of your system. The elimination half life of prednisone is around 3 to 4 hours. This is the time it takes for your body to reduce the plasma levels by half. It usually takes around 5.5 x half-life for a drug to be completely eliminated from your system.
Prednisone controls inflammation by suppressing our immune system and is four times more potent than cortisol at decreasing inflammation. However, prolonged use can cause immunosuppression, muscle wasting, bone changes, fluid shifts, and personality changes.
Official answer. Prednisone does not usually cause sleepiness but may make you feel dizzy, irritable with mood swings, or cause you to have trouble sleeping (insomnia). If your dose is stopped too quickly or if you take prednisone for a long period of time you may feel severely fatigued.
Nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, heartburn, trouble sleeping, increased sweating, or acne may occur. If any of these effects last or get worse, tell your doctor or pharmacist promptly.
Take prednisolone with breakfast so it does not upset your stomach. Taking prednisolone in the morning also means it's less likely to affect your sleep. If your prednisolone tablets are labelled as "enteric coated" or "gastro resistant", you can take these with or without food but make sure to swallow them whole.
Some key drugs that interact with steroids include anticoagulants (such as warfarin), drugs for blood pressure, antiepileptics, antidiabetic drugs, antifungal drugs, bronchodilators (such as salbutamol) and diuretics.
Your body needs cortisol to function. When you take prednisone for more than a few weeks, your adrenal glands make way less cortisol. If you stop prednisone or taper too quickly, your body won't have enough of the steroid it needs. Your withdrawal symptoms are due to that sudden steroid shortage.
Weight gain is a common side effect of prednisone. Prednisone can also cause a redistribution of fat to the face, back of the neck and the abdomen, although these changes vary from person to person.
Results: Low-dose prednisone significantly enhanced urine output. However, the effects of medium- and high-dose prednisone on urine output were less obvious. As for renal sodium excretion, high-dose prednisone induced a more potent natriuresis than low-dose prednisone.
Any body fat you gained on prednisone won't automatically go away. As with any weight loss, it may help to have a healthful eating plan and get regular exercise. If prednisone was effective and your health condition is under control, it'll be easier to eat well and be active again.
“Most patients benefit from short-term prednisone treatment, while others require low-dose maintenance therapy with medical supervision and routine lab work,” Tomaka said. “Depending on the condition treated, the benefit of using prednisone may outweigh the risks.”
This study suggests that prednisolone increases the risk of a range of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular diseases. It concludes that this risk increases with the dose and duration of steroid treatment. People on high doses develop a risk similar to those with diabetes.
Official answer. You could expect a dose of prednisone to stay in your system for 16.5 to 22 hours. The elimination half life of prednisone is around 3 to 4 hours.