Do not stop taking your medicine without talking to your doctor. If you've been taking steroid tablets for more than a few weeks, you usually need to reduce your dose gradually. Stopping suddenly can cause your adrenal gland, which makes important hormones for the body, to stop working.
If taking steroids long-term, the amount of steroids you take should reduce a little at a time. Your doctor will give you a schedule to follow for taking the medicine. It is important that you follow this schedule with care. Once the amount reduces enough, your doctor will have you stop taking steroids.
Even if you have side effects from the medication, don't stop cold turkey or cut back the dose on your own if you've been on it more than a few weeks. You could go into steroid withdrawal, which can have severe symptoms. It's safer to taper off prednisone. Your doctor will gradually lower your dose.
Anabolic steroids have similar withdrawal symptoms to that of many other addictive substances, such as headaches and muscle pain. The most dangerous of all steroid withdrawal symptoms is depression, as it can lead to suicidal thoughts and actions.
Steroid use for over two weeks can decrease the ability of your body to respond to physical stress. A higher dose of steroid may be needed at times of major stress, such as surgery or very extensive dental work or serious infection. This could be needed for as long as a year after you have stopped steroids.
How long to take it for. This depends on your health problem or condition. You may only need a short course of prednisolone for up to 1 week. You may need to take it for longer, even for many years or the rest of your life.
When a person stops taking prednisone or other steroids abruptly, they may notice symptoms similar to adrenal insufficiency. These include lethargy, low appetite, weight loss, and a general feeling of being unwell. Prednisone is a corticosteroid that doctors prescribe to treat swelling and inflammation.
The side effects of steroids can be dangerous and permanent. Your genetic makeup has a major role to play in your body shape and size. That's a fact even steroids can't change.
Even if you have side effects from the medication, don't stop cold turkey or cut back the dose on your own if you've been on it more than a few weeks. You could go into steroid withdrawal, which can have severe symptoms. It's safer to taper off prednisone. Your doctor will gradually lower your dose.
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.
Steroids are a man-made version of hormones normally produced by the adrenal glands which are 2 small glands found above the kidneys. Steroids reduce redness and swelling (inflammation). This can help with inflammatory conditions such as asthma and eczema.
by Drugs.com
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.
If symptoms such as abdominal pain, fever or unusual digestive problems (diarrhea, constipation) occur during corticosteroid therapy, notify your physician.
Prednisone is a strong anti-inflammatory steroid and jack-of-all-trades that is prescribed to treat conditions such as: Poison ivy. Sore throat. Inflammation in different parts of the body.
To avoid withdrawal after long-term use, prednisone should be reduced gradually according to a schedule set by your healthcare provider. Don't try to stop or taper prednisone without your healthcare provider's knowledge or advice.
You will need to - 'taper'(gradually reduce) the dose to give your adrenal glands time to start making their own steroids again. Generally, people will not need to 'taper' if they have taken steroids for less than three weeks, but you should always consult your IBD team before stopping treatment.
If you've taken steroid tablets for more than a few days, they can cause side effects known as withdrawal symptoms if you stop suddenly. You might be given a small dose, known as a maintenance dose, for a long time to make sure your symptoms don't return.
You should tell any doctor or dentist treating you that you are taking steroids. 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.
Prednisone generally works very quickly — usually within one to four days — if the prescribed dose is adequate to reduce your particular level of inflammation.
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. This helps keep blood sugar low. Limit saturated fat and cholesterol. Choose lean meats, poultry and fish.
Taking steroid tablets for less than 3 weeks is unlikely to cause any significant long-term side effects.
[1] The most common adverse effects of corticosteroids include osteoporosis and fractures, suppression of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, Cushingoid features, diabetes and hyperglycemia, myopathy, glaucoma and cataracts, psychiatric disturbances, immunosuppression, cardiovascular disease, ...