Prednisone has been used by many doctors to treat quite a number of ailments. It comes in many forms from tablets to ointments to injections. It is a synthetic steroid primarily used to suppress the body's immune system.
Doctors prescribe this medication to treat pulmonary ailments like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases to help make the patient breathe more easily. It is also used curb arthritis and joint pains. For those with allergies, it is used help calm down allergic reactions. It can also be used to treat migraines and other neurologic diseases. And at higher doses, it can be used to treat certain cancers like leukaemia in combination of antitumor drugs.
But despite the good this drug can bring to a patient, prednisone still has some bad effects to the body. These prednisone side effects happen usually because the doctor has prescribed the drug at a higher dose in order to see the desired effect of the dug or maybe it has been used as maintenance in order to prevent a certain disease fro reeling its ugly head again. Short term side effects of this drug would include insomnia, elevation of glucose levels especially those diagnosed with diabetes and even experience mania and euphoria. While the long term prednisone side effects are weakening of the bones that can lead to fractures, clouding of the vision or cataracts and to some, they may experience depression.
Another way of classifying prednisone side effects is as major or minor side effects. Minor side effects would include fidgeting and nervousness, eruption of acne and rashes, sensation of being hungry all the time and cramping of the legs. Whilst the minor prednisone side effects would include weight gain, swelling of the face, psychosis and poor concentration and the so called "roid rage" where the patient will experience sudden outburst of rage without any particular reason.
The only way for these prednisone side effects to stop is by stopping to take the drug. But this is a case of easier said than done because suddenly stopping the drug can also causes another kind of problem. The thing with prednisone is that when it is taken for a long time, the adrenal glands will also stop producing steroids in favor of the one being taken in. But once the drug has been stopped, the adrenals have still yet to recover in order to start producing steroids again. This would then lead to adrenal crisis, which is a bad complication. So the only way to prevent both the crisis and the side effects is to lower the dosage of the drug gradually in order to give the adrenals time to recover. The tapering should be done a doctor and no one else.
You also have to consider that the body's immune system will be down for a while whist the drug is being used, so proper protection and hygiene is very important. Most importantly, your doctor should be easily reached so that prednisone side effects can be treated early to prevent any complications.
Doctors prescribe this medication to treat pulmonary ailments like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases to help make the patient breathe more easily. It is also used curb arthritis and joint pains. For those with allergies, it is used help calm down allergic reactions. It can also be used to treat migraines and other neurologic diseases. And at higher doses, it can be used to treat certain cancers like leukaemia in combination of antitumor drugs.
But despite the good this drug can bring to a patient, prednisone still has some bad effects to the body. These prednisone side effects happen usually because the doctor has prescribed the drug at a higher dose in order to see the desired effect of the dug or maybe it has been used as maintenance in order to prevent a certain disease fro reeling its ugly head again. Short term side effects of this drug would include insomnia, elevation of glucose levels especially those diagnosed with diabetes and even experience mania and euphoria. While the long term prednisone side effects are weakening of the bones that can lead to fractures, clouding of the vision or cataracts and to some, they may experience depression.
Another way of classifying prednisone side effects is as major or minor side effects. Minor side effects would include fidgeting and nervousness, eruption of acne and rashes, sensation of being hungry all the time and cramping of the legs. Whilst the minor prednisone side effects would include weight gain, swelling of the face, psychosis and poor concentration and the so called "roid rage" where the patient will experience sudden outburst of rage without any particular reason.
The only way for these prednisone side effects to stop is by stopping to take the drug. But this is a case of easier said than done because suddenly stopping the drug can also causes another kind of problem. The thing with prednisone is that when it is taken for a long time, the adrenal glands will also stop producing steroids in favor of the one being taken in. But once the drug has been stopped, the adrenals have still yet to recover in order to start producing steroids again. This would then lead to adrenal crisis, which is a bad complication. So the only way to prevent both the crisis and the side effects is to lower the dosage of the drug gradually in order to give the adrenals time to recover. The tapering should be done a doctor and no one else.
You also have to consider that the body's immune system will be down for a while whist the drug is being used, so proper protection and hygiene is very important. Most importantly, your doctor should be easily reached so that prednisone side effects can be treated early to prevent any complications.
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