There's no official definition. But over 30 days is generally considered long-term steroid use. Most often, oral corticosteroids are prescribed for roughly 1 to 2 weeks — and only for very severe symptoms. But for certain chronic health conditions, corticosteroids may be necessary for months or even years.
There is no set limit on how long you can safely take prednisone.
Steroid tablets taken for longer than 3 weeks can cause: increased appetite – which may lead to weight gain if you find it difficult to control what you eat. acne. rapid mood swings and mood changes – becoming aggressive, irritable and short-tempered with people.
Long-term use of prednisone may lead to bone loss and osteoporosis. It can cause changes in the distribution of body fat which together with fluid retention and weight gain may give your face a moon-like appearance. Stretch marks, skin thinning, and excessive facial hair growth are also not uncommon.
Corticosteroids — like prednisone — can have serious long-term side effects. This is especially true when someone takes them for a long time or at a higher dose. Examples of corticosteroids side effects include weight gain, osteoporosis, eye problems, and increased infection risk.
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.
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.
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.
Prednisone has a tendency to raise the level of glucose, or sugar, in the blood, which can cause increased body fat or diabetes in some people. It is important to avoid "simple" carbohydrates and concentrated sweets, such as cakes, pies, cookies, jams, honey, chips, breads, candy and other highly processed foods.
Steroids should ideally only be used for a short period of time to get over a flare-up or while long term treatments, such as azathioprine, become established. If you are starting a course of steroids, then you should complete the full reducing course, which is generally prescribed for eight weeks.
The effects are dose related– higher the dose, the worse the side effects. Prednisone use should be minimized. A dose of 5 mg daily use to be considered acceptable, but current thoughts are to try to eliminate completely, particularly if you are prone to develop the conditions I mentioned above.
Steroids, particularly at higher doses for long periods of time, can sometimes lead to damage to bones, called aseptic necrosis (also known as osteonecrosis or avascular necrosis). This can happen in a number of joints, but the hip is the most common.
When a person stops taking prednisone, the body cannot immediately produce enough cortisol to make up for the missing drug. It may take several days or weeks before the body's cortisol production levels return to normal.
This involves gradually reducing the dose over days, weeks, or months. Some typical recommendations for prednisone tapering include: Dosages above 40 milligrams (mg) per day: Decrease by 5 mg at a time until you reach 20 mg per day. Dosages of 20 mg: Decrease in 2.5-mg increments until you reach 10 mg per day.
Prednisone is the oral tablet form of steroid most often used. Less than 7.5 mg per day is generally considered a low dose; up to 40 mg daily is a moderate dose; and more than 40-mg daily is a high dose.
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.
Compromised immune system
Turns out, prednisone's greatest asset is also its greatest weakness. The very action that makes prednisone so effective — its ability to mute the immune system and relieve symptoms — can also lead to an increased risk of illness and infection, since your body's defenses are low.
The primary adverse effects of prednisone include hyperglycemia, insomnia, increased appetite, hypertension, osteoporosis, edema, adrenal suppression, cataracts, and delayed wound healing.
1. Omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 fatty acids , which are abundant in fatty fish such as salmon or tuna, are among the most potent anti-inflammatory supplements. These supplements may help fight several types of inflammation, including vascular inflammation.
Still, dexamethasone is more potent (stronger) than prednisone. If you're in a situation where you need a more potent steroid, dexamethasone will likely be the preferred option between the two. It also works longer in your body than prednisone does.
You can hardly find prednisone cream over the counter, but an OTC 1% hydrocortisone cream may be an alternative, for example, if you have a severe allergic rash.
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.
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.