Steroids might affect some medical conditions, such as diabetes, heart or blood pressure problems, or mental health issues. If you have any of these conditions, the person treating you will need to make sure the steroids aren't making the condition worse.
diabetes (or they may worsen existing diabetes) high blood pressure. glaucoma and cataracts (eye conditions) stomach ulcers.
Steroids do not tend to cause significant side effects if they're taken for a short time or at a low dose. But sometimes they can cause unpleasant side effects, such as an increased appetite, mood changes and difficulty sleeping (insomnia). This is most common with steroid tablets.
Steroids work by decreasing inflammation and reducing the activity of the immune system. Inflammation is a process in which the body's white blood cells and chemicals can protect against infection and foreign substances such as bacteria and viruses.
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.
Glucocorticoids have a powerful anti-inflammatory effect and mimic cortisol (a hormone that is released by our adrenal glands in response to inflammation and stress). Prednisone controls inflammation by suppressing our immune system and is four times more potent than cortisol at decreasing inflammation.
How long will it take to work? Prednisone generally works very quickly — usually within one to four days — if the prescribed dose is adequate to reduce your particular level of inflammation. Some people notice the effects of prednisone hours after taking the first dose.
“Chronic steroid therapy can affect the body's immune system [response] to certain infections, particularly fungus infections and tuberculosis; and it may actually alter the immune system in regard to fighting off certain viruses and bacteria as well,” says Albert Rizzo, MD, chief medical officer with the American Lung ...
Although pyogenic bacteria are the most common pathogens, chronic steroid use increases the risk of infection with intracellular pathogens such as Listeria, many fungi, the herpes viruses, and certain parasites.
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. However, these effects are rare when topical corticosteroids are used properly.
2) In spite of its positive effectiveness, long term use of steroid can cause adverse effects, including osteoporosis, renal impairment, infection, gastrointestinal disorder, depression, hypertension and diabetes.
A 5-day course of prednisone can cause short-term side effects, including changes in mood, appetite, sleep, and energy. The severity of the side effects depends on the dose of prednisone. Low doses are less likely to cause adverse effects than high doses of prednisone.
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.
Steroids (corticosteroids) have been shown to help relieve symptoms in other types of upper respiratory tract infections by reducing the inflammation of the lining of the nose and throat, which means they might also improve the symptoms of the common cold.
Patients are considered immunocompetent if more than one month has passed since the end of a course of high-dose steroid (>20 mg prednisolone for >2 weeks).
Talk to your doctor right away if you have more than one of these symptoms while you are using this medicine: blurred vision, dizziness or fainting, a fast, irregular, or pounding heartbeat, increased thirst or urination, irritability, or unusual tiredness or weakness.
Official answer. There is no set limit on how long you can safely take prednisone.
Steroids won't cure your condition, but they're very good at reducing inflammation and will ease symptoms such as swelling, pain and stiffness. Usually inflammation is the body's natural reaction to infection or bacteria.
Some people who take steroids say the drugs make them feel powerful and energetic. However, steroids are also known to increase irritability, anxiety and aggression and cause mood swings, manic symptoms and paranoia, particularly when taken in high doses.
Some people only take prednisone for short periods of time. But even with short-term use, prednisone can cause changes in your appetite and mood, sweating, and insomnia. Your blood sugar levels can also go up. Typically, these side effects should resolve after you finish your course of prednisone.
Prednisone affects areas of the brain that manage the regulation of different neurotransmitters, including serotonin and dopamine — the “feel-good” hormones. Feeling happy is a great side effect some people feel with prednisone.
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.
Some products that may interact with this drug include: aldesleukin, mifepristone, drugs that can cause bleeding/bruising (including antiplatelet drugs such as clopidogrel, "blood thinners" such as dabigatran/warfarin, NSAIDs such as aspirin/celecoxib/ibuprofen).
Specific medications in this group include (in no particular order) Flovent, Pulmicort, QVAR, Asmanex, and many others, both brand-name and generic. These are medicines that are similar to prednisone, but the dose is much lower than prednisone taken by mouth, and the side effects are dramatically reduced.