There are 342 ratings for the drug: PREDNISONE in the Askapatient database.

Key to ratings for prednisone: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

Page: 1  2 3 4    Results are sorted by length of time drug was taken from shortest to longest (with no time reported listed first).

Rating	Reason	Side Effects	Comments	Sex	Age	Time Taken and Dosage		Date Added
				F  M
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5			please see website on steroids such as prednisone www.sidefxdrugs.com					2/4/2007
5	cluster headaches	Some insomnia, minor weight gain (4lbs.).	Only drug that stops my daily cluster headache condition (chronic). My neurologist prescribes me a 16 day decreasing amount(start: 60 mg/day; end:5mg/day). She gives me this as sort of a present roughly once per year(feeling sorry for me I suppose). Says I can't take enough prednisone consistently to help. My headaches always start back after the prednisone treatment, but the 16 day relief is a miracle.	M	73			10/15/2009
4	4-Interstitial Lung disease - HP	Moon face, fluid retention/water weight gain over all body especially the torso area and feet and ankles, hsve stretch marks on torso too, skin is very thin (like tissue paper) it tears and bruises easily, have 2 camel's hump on back, get fevers, get bone chilling cold, get clamy, get day and night sweats, hair is thinner, loss of appetite, very weak muscles, have cataract in one eye, eye pressure is slightly raised in both eyes, get dizzy, have diabetes, high blood pressure, osteoporosis, broken bones take a long time to heal (broken foot took 10 mos to heal, fractured sternum took 4 mos to heal), infections take a long time to heal since I have no immune system. high cholesterol	Prednisone saved my life. I started taking it in 2002 - 10 days in a row at a time every few mos. I then took it daily starting in 2003 until present. It reduced the inflammation in my lungs and now keeps my lungs stable. I have permanent lung damage (pulm fibrosis) and will probably need to take it the rest of my life. I have tried Imuran and Cellcept while on prednisone to see if either drug could keep my lungs stable. Neither worked for me. I happy to be alive and deal with side effects as they come along.	F	54			5/25/2009
4								7/15/2006
4								2/9/2003
3	Ulcerative Colitis	Bloated face, bloated abdomen, tire around my waist, sweating at night, crying for no reason, cranky, heartburn.	This is my 6th time taking Prednisone in 14 years - it is the only thing that brings a flare-up under control. My doctor finally advised 6MP as a permanent solution so that I don't have to take Prednisone again. It is an awful drug. While my system gets back to clockwork 12 hours after taking it, the side effects are horrific. If you have the option to take anything else for UC, I'd start immediately on that and skip the Prednisone. It is a dated drug.	F	28			12/8/2004
3								3/31/2009
2	ulcerative colitis with bleeding	huge appetite, "moon face", redness and irritation of skin, acne, hot flashes, moodiness. took 40 mg/day.	this drug has only helped on one occasion in past. Only recommended if all else fails.	F	32			7/20/2002
2	asthma/pneumonia	weight gain (10-20 lbs each time, & very difficult to lose), severe & uncontrolable anger, stray facial hair (had groups of 1-3 dark, thick hairs grow on my forehead, chin, cheek, neck, etc ~ and i'm blonde/fair female)	took on & off for about 2 years. i could've handled the weight gain & weird hairs, but the unsubstanstiated anger was affecting my family, friends & job (i couldn't stand to be near anyone, even myself). it changed me from a cheerful person with many friends, into a mean, nasty b$*ch. after i finished the last prescription (a year ago), i have absolutely refused to take prednisone ever again.	F	52			4/19/2008
2	crohn's	dizziness, inibility to sleep, irritability, severe joint pain, blurriness of vision, double vision (only once), all around crazy felling.	it works great in short spans, but i took it for almost two years at a time usually 15mg. most recent dosage was 60mg but now completely off... not worth side effects. have been taking it on and off for ten years before taking remicade.	M	22			11/16/2006
1	auto immune	Rapid heart beat, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, repeatedly getting infections, infections never going away, eye problems, sexual side effects, acne, anxiety, depression, memory loss, achy bones, mood swings, impossible to sleep, moon face, buffalo hump, changes in the way my body stores fat now, increased sweating, rage...	Keep in mind that the only people giving this drug good ratings, for the most part, are people who used the drug very briefly. Anyone who uses the drug for a significant amount of time, for the most part, gives it a bad score. Take away the people who used the drug for a mere 5 days or so and I bet prednisone's score would be sub 2. It's a truly evil drug if you take it for a significant amount of time. It didn't even work for me. But even if it had, the side effects far outweigh any potential benefits.	F				10/11/2008
1								5/2/2004
1	Chrones	Joint Pain	If you have joint pain with this drug, please get it checked. I was told it was Osteo Arthritis (sp) but it is actually Avascular Nucrosis (AVN) which is deterioration of the joints. If you have chrones, please try Puranithol, It works wonders!!					2/23/2004
1	Dr. said	Permanent problems with my thyroid, sweating, shaky hands, depression, mood swings, high blood pressure, rosacea, acne, acne scarring, inability to heal.	Wish I had never taken it.	M	20	1X D		5/27/2010
1	A misdiagnosis	Hair loss, weight gain, cystic acne, acne scars, rosaceae, high blood pressure		M	18	80 1X D		7/27/2010
1	Crohn's	Bone loss, hair loss, weight gain, racing heart beat, severe acne, severe dry eye, depression, thoughts of suicide, anxiety, bruises, vision problems, severe insomnia, vomiting.	This drug can cause serious bone loss for both male and females. I shrunk considerably while taking this drug, and I'm a male. Any doctor who prescribes this as a first-line treatment to a young person is reckless and irresponsible and should find another line of work. There are better drugs. There are safer treatments. Use what's safest first. That should be obvious. I would never have taken this drug if I knew about all its horrible side effects.	M				11/9/2008
1	Crohn's	Bipolar disorder, euphoria, depression, cystic acne, high blood pressure, huge weight gain, rapid heart beat, bruises and cuts, stretch marks, blurred vision, dry red eyes, insomnia, profuse sweating, high blood sugar, infections	Ignore the people who rate this who have only taken it for a matter of days. If you take heroin or cocaine a few days they won't seem so bad either. Keep on them though and then you'll see how horrible they can really be. Prednisone likewise is a horrible drug that can cause permanent damage. I took it years ago and I still live with its effects and I always will you. It's horrible for your general health and IF you have any positive effects they will only be temporary. I did not have positive effects from prednisone, only bad ones.	F	19			3/13/2009
1	Dr. said	Severe panic attacks, heart palpitations, fuzzy thinking, depression, racing thoughts, rage, acne, high blood pressure, infections, bruises, couldn't sleep, was always hungry, gained 50lbs	By far the worst drug I've ever took.	M				4/2/2009
1	Crohn's disease	All of them, all the ones that make you ugly anyway. Severe acne, redness in face, yellow skin tone, stretch marks, bruises, thin skin, buffalo hump, dry skin, dry eyes, belly fat, moon face, hair loss, and weight gain. Beyond the literally ugly side effects, I was very depressed and had thoughts of suicide. Was it from the drug or from what the drug did to me? I don't know, but I wasn't depressed before taking it, I was a very happy person.	This stuff is POISON. I absolutely HATE it. Don't take it!	F				6/6/2008
1	Lupus	Impotence, hair loss, acne, frequent urination, skin infections, eye infections, slowed healing of cuts and bruises, unstable moods, rage, hopelessness	Being on prednisone is pure hell and it can mess you up for life.	M	25			12/11/2008
1	Multiple Sclerosis	Severe clinical depression, thoughts of suicide, cystic acne, weight gain, insomnia, trouble remembering, dry eyes, among others...	Prednisone can cause insanity; it can cause diabetes; it can cause clinical depression and lead to suicide. It is by no means a safe drug, and some of its side effects are irreversible. Needless to say, I will never take this drug again. And if my doctor had not lied to my face about prednisone's side effects, I never would have taken it.	F	22			2/4/2009
1	Doctor said	It raised the levels of hormones in my body. Now my skin is always ice cold and yet at the same time I sweat profusely. The doctor said corticosteroids can affect thyroid functioning and I just have to live with this now. Also experienced the other typical side effects most others write about...acne, weight gain, depression, etc.	When prescribed this drug must be used with EXTREME caution.					2/23/2009
1	Crohn's	Suicidal depression, suicide attempts...Make sure you know about all that this drug can to do to you before taking it, because you cannot stop taking it abruptly. Good doctors (doctors who do their job) will tell you what to expect and what to do when side effects occur and what your treatment options are. It's the law that your doctor tell you this, because it is so critically important. If your doctor can't be bothered to do his or her job, find another doctor. Under the supervision of an incompetent doctor this drug could easily end up destroying your life.	This is what the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation says about prednisone: "The undesirable side effects of corticosteroids are dependent on both dose and duration of treatment. For many, the side effects of steroids outweigh their anti-inflammatory benefits...Because of these side effects, doctors frequently choose safer medications, such as the 5-ASA drugs and antibiotics, as initial therapy. But there are a number of ways to reduce the risk of developing side effects." http://www.ccfa.org/info/treatment/corticosteroids					3/2/2009
1	Autoimmune Disease	I was on a very high dose; I don't know anyone who's taken such high doses as I did. Side effects: Suicidal ideation, depression, bipolar disorder, large acne cysts that scarred my skin, weight gain, thyroid disease, rapid heart beat, decreased healing ability; dry, red eyes...too many to mention. In short, it ruined my life.	If anyone tells you prednisone is safe, don't believe them. I really wish I had been assigned a different doctor. When I became sick, I was assigned someone, Anne Sullivan, whose medical interests supposedly are adolescents and chronic disease--and because I was an adolescent with a chronic disease, I suspect that's why I was assigned this doctor. She told me prednisone was safe and not to worry about side effects; I believed her, as I would've believed any doctor. I started experiencing side effects right away and the doctors denied them--and now they're permanent, because they refused to treat them. Also: prednisone didn't help my disease at all. In fact, just weeks later I was told I was going to die and my mom and I had to drive five hours all the way back to Iowa City, to the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics, to see my doctor. The reason why I, a teenager, was going to do, however, was related to the stupid advice my doctors in the hospital gave me, not my disease. Basicall	F				9/22/2008
1	CD	Hair loss, acne, major depression, suicidal, memory problems, weight gain, sexual side effects, red eyes, heart palpitations, yellow skin... Go here to read what the Mayo Clinic has to say about the psychiatric effects of corticosteroids: http://www.mayoclinicproceedings.com/inside.asp?AID=4187&UID= Here are some excerpts: "It is important that clinicians in all specialties become aware of the potential psychiatric adverse effects associated with corticosteroids and explain these effects to their patients.""The corticosteroid dosage is the most important risk factor for the development of psychiatric symptoms." "Psychiatric disturbances can occur at any point during corticosteroid treatment, including almost immediately after initiation and even after cessation of treatment." "Patients should be evaluated for any suggestion of suicidality." "Corticosteroid-induced psychiatric disturbances are common and include mania, depression, psychot	"Educating patients about potential adverse effects and asking about such effects at each patient encounter can enhance early intervention for adverse corticosteroid-induced psychiatric reactions." "Although a powerful therapeutic option, corticosteroids are associated with serious adverse effects, both physiologic and psychiatric." "In our literature review, we found that the potential psychiatric adverse effects of corticosteroids span a symptom spectrum from subtle mood changes to full-blown affective syndromes and frank psychosis.""Cognitive deficits, particularly declarative or verbal memory deficits, have been well documented during both long- and short-term corticosteroid therapy." "More severe cognitive impairment consistent with delirium or dementia has also been described."	F				9/27/2008
1	injurys	visual halluncinations,auditory hallunciations,tactile hallunications total psychotic reaction requireing time in mental ward. suicidal, multiple occurances until I figured it out. I now have a twenty year mental heath history because of a stupid drug allergy, imagine being half naked in the snow with a sword all night I could have hurt some one.	never take this drug orally or injected. I got hurt, got treated , went crazy, got referred to mental health, got treated with more drugs, got hurt, went crazy, over and over for twenty years	M	54			4/7/2009 Email
1	UC	Suicide attempts, constant thoughts of suicide, severe depression, cystic acne, moon face, buffalo hump, memory problems, weight gain, stretch marks, no sex drive, insomnia, tremors, heart palpitations, profuse sweating, night sweats.	I was a completely normal person before taking this drug and had no history of mental illness and was a good student. Prednisone changed all of that. In addition, it did not help my ulcerative colitis. Even if it did I would not have taken it had I known it was so dangerous.	F	19			4/18/2009
1	ulcerative colitis	Cystic acne that left scars and damaged skin. Clinical depression (having scars from cystic acne and ruined, damaged skin probably contributes a lot to this remaining even after I stopped prednisone but I was clinically depressed even before it had ruined my skin.) Hair loss. Stretch Marks. Insomnia. Heart palpitations. Anxiety. Moonface. High blood pressure. Red eyes--it dried out my eyes and I can't wear contacts because my eyes are too dry now. Weight gain.	My doctor at the time, Bushra Sulieman, had told me this drug was completely safe. He never told me about its side effects. When I experienced side effects, he brushed them off and said not to do anything; they'd go away on their own. Well, that was really horrible medical advice. That made the effects permanent. Prednisone can be horrible, but I think under the care of a competent doctor--or at least someone who's not a moron--it would not have been so bad for me. What's more, the effects would not have been permanent. I had a bad doctor and now I have permanent side effects from him--and this horrible drug he gave me in high doses.	F	17			4/27/2009
1	MS	Suicidal, very depressed, couldn't sleep, acne, sweating, heart palpitations		F				5/2/2009
1	Systemic lupus	Cystic acne, weight gain, hair loss, depression, tremors, elevated blood pressure, elevated blood sugar, anxiety, insomnia, moon face, buffalo hump, extreme fatigue, dry skin, dry eyes, mood swings, rage, euphoria.						4/22/2009
1	Crohn's	Clinical depression, cystic acne, hair loss, weight gain, yellow skin, insomnia, and it didn't even work for me.		F				5/6/2009
1	Lupus	Hallucinations - the scariest thing I've ever experienced. I was very depressed and thought about killing myself for no reason at all.						5/11/2009
1	UC	Heart palpitations, bipolar disorder (never had anything like the mood changes I had on prednisone) anxiety (severe panic attacks...racing heart, sweating), acne (not little pimples but very bad acne worse than I've seen on anyone), insomnia (and when I did sleep, I had night sweats).		M				5/19/2009
1	Lupus	Psychosis, acne, irregular heart beat, chest pain, high blood pressure, weight gain, moon face, buffalo hump		F	4			6/5/2009
1	Ulcerative colitis	Major depression, loss of interest in everything, yellow skin, cystic acne, high blood pressure, tremors, weight gain.	Prednisone can cause serious mental illness. I had no idea a drug for a physiological health problem could do this. Doctors really have an obligation to tell patients these things. Unfortunately, for my doctors, I had scum.	M	18			5/24/2009
1				F				6/19/2009
1	Systemic lupus	Weight gain, belly fat, stretch marks, hot flashes, severe migraines, moon face	Wouldn't take again.	F	27			6/21/2009
1	UC	Nervous breakdown, cystic acne and acne scars, 80lb weight gain, dried out eyes						6/30/2009
1	MS	cystic acne, hyperpigmentation, depression, mood swings, high blood pressure, high blood sugar, red spots on my legs	Didn't help me at all. I really WOULD NOT recommend taking prednisone. All doctors I've went to subsequently detest the drug and wouldn't let me use it even if I wanted to.	F	34			11/18/2009
1	Lupus	Myriad	And it didn't even work.	F	45			11/26/2009
1	CD	Mania, depression, suicide ideation, panic attacks, high blood pressure, weight gain, acne, hair loss, insomnia (not sleeping for days on end) redness in face,	If you ever wanted to ruin someone's life, a good way to do it would be to trick them into taking this garbage. I would rather die than take this again.	F	33			12/1/2009
1	MS	Diabetes, osteoporosis, suicidal depression, acne, weight gain, insomnia, stretch marks.	Someone who takes this drug for five days for dermatitis (usually something that would go away on its own) really has no business reviewing this drug. This is a very dangerous drug. It's like a teenager who does a drug a few times and concludes that there's no negative effects.	F	35			12/16/2009
1	UC	Extremely blurry vision. Extremely dry eyes. Vision went from -3.25 to -8.50, eyes became dry so can no longer wear contacts. This means huge glasses even when I pay extra for thin lenses. Prednisone basically prematurely ages your entire body. The reason why old people have so many health problems is because when you age you naturally experience the things prednisone does to a person. Hair loss. Thinned skin. Dry skin. Dry scalp. Dry mouth. Stretch marks.	Knowing what I know about UC now, I would never take prednisone. I also would not put blind faith in my gastroenterologist. It's painful to think back at how inept he was. He even would give me rectal exams without a glove and then when I looked at him (because that is a weird thing to do) he would say, Oops, I must've forgot. It's like: if you were giving someone a rectal exam, wouldn't that be the FIRST thing you think of? Personally I would use several. I really think the typical person who becomes a gastroenterologist is either a pervert or someone who's very greedy but could not manage to become a specialist in another field. Usually when you hear about doctors who rape, sexually assault, or commit sex crimes and abuse against their patients, they're gastroenterologists, and more often than not, the ones from third world countries.	F	19			12/18/2009
3	ulcerative colitis/pancolitis	Weight gain(30 lbs in one month)Extreme Moon Face, It totally changed my appearance. I am hungry all the time. My body is stretched and tight from fluid retention. I can only sleep two or three hours at a time. I have hot flashes, and wake up in pools of sweat. I really don't like taking it.		F	28	3 times		10/21/2002 Email
2	Chron's Disease	Increased appetite, increase hair growth, depression, mood swings	Worked well for the chron's when I was very sick and settled it down quickly but the side effects, especially the depression was the worst. It made me just have an overall feeling of being always sick. I would only suggest it to someone who is very ill and for use for a very short period of time.	M	20	3 times		10/13/2009
5	Bels Palsy	Dizziness, sleepiness and extreme irritability.	I had a horrible outbreak of Bels Palsy. The entire left side of my face was paralyzed. When I smiled, only half of my face moved..I couldn't taste on the left side of my tongue, and had to wear sunglasses incase something were to come close to my left eye. (I wouldnt have been able to close it fast enough). Within 3-4 weeks, the Bels Palsy was gone. I have occasional outbreaks, however, they come back less severe each time. I have gone with out having a recurrence for a couple of years now.	F	18	10 times		11/14/2006
4	RA & Crohn's Disease	Weight gain, pudgy face, dark stretch marks on my legs and dramatic mood swings.	Prednisone works well and quickly to control inflammation in both diseases, however it is not something I like being on for too long. I gained a huge amount of weight while being on it for several months and it's difficult to lose. It makes you have a never-ending appetite for everything and it makes you have serious and sometimes uncontrollable mood swings. Above all else though, the worst part is the swollen face aka "moon face".	F	26	12 times		5/2/2009
1	Asthma	You name it, I had it. Weight gain, horrible strech marks, moon face, buffalo hump, increased blood sugar (I was given insulin), very moody, depressed/emotionally numb, memory trouble, muscle weakness, muscle loss, bad acne, yellowish skintone, a lot of trouble sleeping, severe indigustion/hearburn, heart palpitations, ringing in ears, joint aches, headaches, bone pain, osteoperosis.	Diabedics and people with osteoperosis beware!! This medication causes potentially high blood sugar and bone loss! I'd recommend a low-sugar/carb diet on this stuff if you are experiencing applicable side effects. Also, bulk up on calcium supplemnets! I didn't take enough calcium and I have osteoperosis at only 23! I've already broken 2 bones (one rib and one back rib) as a result, and the rib fracture hurt like H*LL! The only way I take it now is if I'm on (another) deathbed. Otherwise, I despise it.	F	23	3546854 times		11/3/2006 Email
4	arthritis	many side effects, but this medication works so well, sometimes you have to take it.	I take it by injection in joint and tendons....hate it, but it works.			1 days		10/13/2004
4				F		1 days		5/1/2009
2	bronchitis	after one dose (20mg) in the morning my chest was almost instantly better. HOWEVER, by the night time (12 am) i woke up suddenly -I was jittery and had a racing heart, felt like i was full of adrenaline and couldnt sleep - i would have panicked except i have had these symptoms before on nasonex, and was expecting them, so had propanalol handy (which i took finally at about 2.30). However, when I took nasonex it took me months of gong to the doctor thinking i was SERIOUSLY ill (having a heart attack / thyroid problems/ diabetes etc etc) before i worked it out (I found it on this website actually). I rang work at 2am last night to explain i wouldnt be in this morning and am just waiting for the doctor to comfirm that it is okay for me to keep taking them....	if she says it is okay i am going to continue takng these for my short course (5 days), but i wouldnt want to take it any longer knowing the nightmare i had with nasonex!!	F	35	1 days 20mg 1X D		5/26/2010 Email
5	SEVERE HIVES	All side effects were good. The first couple of weeks I had more energy than I have ever had. Pain in the back of my ankles (possibly heel spurs) along with other foot pains went away and never returned. My back pain was almost nil while taking Pred. I think I may have osteoperosis, however it seems that it may have been present prior to taking the meds.	It has been about 4 years since taking prednison. I am recently having some problems with an enlarged spleen and liver and was wondering if their may be a relationship.	M	49	2 days		10/13/2003 Email
3	crohn's disease	bloated face and body, huge appetite, sleep loss, heart palpitations, dry dry mouth, mood swings - highs & lows, cravings for salt...future osteoporosis, scaring and inability to heal from minors cuts	have taken several times in my life for crohn's flares. Feel better FAST but then can take YEARS to get over side effects.	F	27	2 days		3/23/2003 Email
3	Severe allergic reaction	Symptoms subsided after second day taking 40 mg. About 8 hours on second day of a 5 day prescription anger went overboard. Yelling and screaming hateful things.		M	49	2 days		6/21/2009
2	chronic sinusitis	insomnia	I only took this for 2 days then had to stop taking it because I could not sleep at all. After I stopped the medication, it took another night without sleep until I could sleep again.	F	29	2 days		2/28/2006
2	chronic sinusitis	insomnia	I only took this for 2 days then had to stop taking it because I could not sleep at all. After I stopped the medication, it took another night without sleep until I could sleep again.	F	29	2 days		2/28/2006
2	drug reaction to antibiotic	eeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I got the mood swings and 'roid rage like you wouldn't believe. ANgry, enraged about most everything. Impatient, despairing, scared, paranoid, want to give up, overwhelmed with hopelessness, suicidal, yuck. All this about stuff that had felt manageable the day before!	IT has calmed down the joint and muscle pain that were a bad reaction to the antibiotic. I don't know which is more frightening--the joint and muscle pain from hell, or the rage and moods so out of control. I HATE THIS STUFF.	F	50	2 days		7/18/2007
1	sinus infection	hungry ALL THE TIME, sleepy, moody	I was instructed to take this for 5 days but quit after 2 b/c I was hungry all the time. When I say all the time, I mean ALL THE TIME. I'm a small girl and I probably topped 3000 calories a day easily, which I never do. Horrible stuff. I cannot imagine being on this continually...I'd look like a whale.	F	22	2 days		4/9/2007
1	to prevent allergic reaction	u guys.....scaring me.....i am a cancer survivor and oh so sensitive to any medication. the docs want me to take 40 mg of prednisone 12 hours before an MRI with contrast and then again 40 mg 2 hours before the MRI. It is to prevent an allergic reaction to the contrast they use.......tempted not to have the MRI, don't want to take the prednisone, maybe i will take benadryll instead, right before the MRI. The docs always say...." oh the side effects are mild if any,you won't even notice" b.sh......t I know for a fact this not to be true. I have survived cancer and chemo and radiation and on and on......so " no to prednisone " says I.....		F	50	2 days		4/25/2009
1	allergic reaction	Lightheadedness, anxiety, insomnia	It did clear up the allergic reaction. I took 2 days of 30 mg and asked if I could stop. Dr said yes since I felt better. On the second day I started Levaquin for strep and pneumonia. Maybe it was the interaction of the 2, but the side effects increased-anxiety, insomnia for 3 nights, mood swings, nightmares etc.	F	38	2 days		7/30/2004
1	sore throat	racing heart - pulse of 140 and there seems to be some of the same after discountinuing		M	69	2 days		10/7/2008
2	head injury, to elimanate swelling	I am having alot of trouble sleeping, alot of heartburn and stomach problems and some dizziness.		F	50	3 days		9/30/2004
1	chron's disease	This drug sucks, severe thrush all the way down my throat, no energy. will never take it again	Treatments for Chron's flat sucks	F	40	3 days 30 mg 1X D		5/12/2010 Email
1	chronic sinusitus	heart palpitations, insomnia	I could not continue taking this drug.	F	36	3 days		2/16/2005
1	asthma	Paranoia, lots of pain as if my internal organs were being rearranged. Cried a lot.	I called the hospital with my symptoms and they said get off of it right now (did not even wean myself off). I did, and swore to myself that I would get my "asthma" under control (really just anxiety about having an asthma attack) so that I would never have to take prednisone again, and I have stuck to this - that episode was 8 or 9 years ago!	F	37	3 days		4/10/2007
5	RA	Round face, mild sleeplessness, weight gain up to a big 125 lbs from a 105 lbs bone.	4 years ago I couldn't drive my car to work from pain in my arms. I've had RA for 45 years and prednisone is what keeps me going. I maintain a "normal" lifestyle thanks to prednisone. My doctor tried to convince me to switch to methotrexate for no apparent reason (he didn't have one other than "it's safer") which I can't find any proof of. From one evil to another when this evil is working? Nope.	F	45	4 days		9/26/2006 Email
4	poison ivy	blurred vision and sleep disturbance. The former freaked me out until i checked the web. Hopefully the "foggy vision" will not last. Thinking of stopping a day early, which would be tomorrow.	taken orally, on 50mg daily; 10mg 5x each day.	M	49	4 days		1/26/2008 Email
4	Worsening asthma (allergy-induced)	Pretty bad insomnia; a little jittery, otherwise fantastic - went from severe coughing and feeling like my throat was going to close permanently, to almost perfect breathing, no coughing and no wheezing! Happens every time I take prednisone, BUT	Last time I took it I had to pee very often and I got very thirsty-finally went to the doctor and she said I was spilling sugar into my urine - tested my blood and my blood sugar was almost 700! No prior history of high blood sugar. Now I am diabetic, but I think I must have been borderline diabetic before because I had similar symptoms before. PREDNISONE CAN RAISE YOUR BLOOD GLUCOSE DRAMATICALLY -- so if you have extreme thirst and are going to the bathroom all the time you might have DKA like I did -- I ended up in the hospital in ICU! So be careful. Now when I take prednisone I test my blood sugar about 3-4 times a day and take more insulin to compensate. But I still believe in the drug because sometimes it's the only way I can breathe.. Good luck to everybody!	F	55	4 days		1/12/2009
3	unidentified rheumatic disorder	fat face, bad headache, muscle pain, overall ill feeling, increased appetite, weight gain, dizziness	I did a strenuous mountain bike ride on day 4 of my taper and got really, really ill afterwards. awful headache, high pulse for several hours, hot flashes, dizziness. For the reason that I was prescribed it- worked wonders! I'm going to look for any alternative to this med from now on... :(	F	30	4 days 10m 3X D		3/12/2010
2	multiple sclerosis	terrible taste, indigestion/heartburn severe acne, weight gain	yucky!!! this med might have made me feel a brief surge of energy,but it is altogether poopy!! I usually take them for MS exacerbations. Made me feel a hell of a lot less attractive with acne and weight gain. since usually you don't have a choice with this medication, take it with chocolate pudding(if you like it) goes down nice and smooth.	F	23	4 days		7/14/2002
1	Sinusitis	High blood sugar, high blood pressure, increased urination, shaking and trembilng, blurry vision and dizziness.	This is a horrible medicine that after some research I found out that can make you diabetic. My glucose level two months before taking prednisone was 81 now after three weeks of stop taking it for just four days my levels are 104 to 113. There are documented cases of people suing their doctors for making them diabetic. I ended up in the ER with glucose levels of 147 shaking and trembilng with blood pressure of 165/96. I had never had any reaction to medicine but this one did it for me. I strongly recommend eveyone not to take it unless it is truly the last resort. It was hell and you can have permanent effects!!!!.	M	34	4 days		2/17/2008
1	asthma & bronchitis	mood swings, blurred vision, frequent thirst and urination, muscle weakness, constant hunger, facial swelling	I was lazy and did not get a replacement albuterol inhaler when my current one ran out. Developed bronchitis. Took biaxin for the bronchitis. My doctor prescribed prednisone since I was still wheezing a little after 4 days of the antibiotics. Called the Doctor after the weekend due to so many side effects. Ended medicine early. I would not recommend taking this if at all possible. At least get a second opinion before you take it. I have since switched doctors.	M	38	4 days		11/14/2008
1	recurrent anaphylaxis	Blood pressure all over the place, dizzy, confused, weak. Headache. Difficulty sleeping...	I can't wait to get off of this stuff. I cannot function in my head at all. This is day 4 or 5 of a 12 day regime. Don't think I can endure the prescribed course...	M	43	4 days		8/24/2006
1	ear congestion/infection	acute and SEVERE panic attacks, anxiety, rapid irregular heart rate put me into a drug induced psychosis have been off work now for 3 months due to the adverse drug reacion	It may do wonders for people who need to to give them a quality to life, but to people like me who just had inflammation due to an ear infection it has run havoc on my body and mind.I would only recommend it for serious illness.		37	4 days		10/26/2004
1	Allergic reaction	it made me emotionally unstable	I almost killed myself, be careful with this stuff. It's much more dangerous than most other drugs.	F	32	4 days		6/24/2009
1	flu	anxiety, panic attacks, fear of death, stomach pain		M	19	4 days		11/19/2009
5	piriformis syndrome/sciatica	No side effects.	This drug did in 2 days what naprosyn couldn't do in nearly 3 weeks. It reduced the inflammation in my piriformis muscle to the point where I no longer needed to take vicodin every day and use a lidocain patch every night. I take my last dose of the 1-week course tomorrow, and I am hoping the positive effects remain.	F	42	5 days		9/16/2009
5	Anaphylaxis/asthma/allergies	a little trouble sleeping, hyper, higher than normal blood sugar	the first time i ever took prednisone i was nine. i also took it for an allergy attack then... i experienced EXTREME rage and vowed never to take it again. it took me weeks to recover. BUT NOW, being 24, i have to take it after a recent anaphylaxis/allergy/asthma episode to suppress my immune system. and let me say, I FEEL BETTER THAN I"VE FELT IN YEARS!!!!! i am almost sad that i have to stop taking it tomorrow. i haven't breathed this easily in ages. i feel lively, energetic and healthy, for once. the only down side (i have type 1 diabetes) is that it is causing my blood sugars to be slightly elevated. but i've compensated for this by checking my BS more and raising my insulin doses to match my blood sugars. i've also made an effort to drink more water and eat a lower carb diet, which seems to have had a good effect. all and all, i am amazed at the drastically different experience i am having with this drug, which i once thought was so evil. so i can relate to reviews	F	24	5 days		10/8/2008
4	asthma.	extreme hunger.	Prednisone kicked my asthma flair up within a day. the only crappy part was that i Wanted to eat anything within sight. But, as long as you can control your desire to eat eat eat, then prednisone works wonders.	F	22	5 days		10/17/2006
4	sinus infection	I guess I am one of the lucky ones, as I have had very little side effects from this drug. I am taking a taper down for 6 days. I have had some anxiety (more jittery than anxious) and increase of urination.	The drug seems to work ok. It has helpped with decreasing the swelling of my sinuses. I will finish my pack in another day and am hoping to continue to see results. I am also taking Augmentin XR 1000/62.5 at this time.	F	26	5 days		5/6/2006
4	Vertigo	Heart palpitations, tachycardia, weakness	taper from 20, 10 to five mg sid. Doctor took me off before I got to the 5 mg dosage. Did really help the vertigo though	F	32	5 days 20 1X D		8/25/2010
4	Allergic reaction to antibiotic	The only side effect I noticed was increased hunger. I was literaly hungry all day. Also very thirsty too.	Other than being contatntly hungry I forgot I was taking it. It really helped to correct the bad reaction I had to Sulfa.	F	30	5 days		12/8/2008
4	Dermatitis "of unknown origin"	insomnia was the worst symptom, very minor stomach upset, some moodiness, dizziness at points	I am really shocked at how well I handled this medication. Typically I'm sensitive to prescription meds, and get some heavy side effects. Have to say I think some folks here aren't giving this drug a chance	M	30	5 days		12/14/2009 Email
3	asthma	headaches and hungry	it makes me feel really nerves	F	34	5 days		10/16/2003 Email
2	Earache	Insomnia; dry mouth, increased heart rate, tingling in hands feet and legs, mood swing to the (slightly) manic side, increased energy - i.e. wired.	I was prescribe 10MG twice a day by my ear, nose, and throat doctor because of an earache. It was a 5 day prescription. The first day I didn't notice any change and then the side effects kicked in and got worse every day. The insomnia was bad, could sleep maybe two hours at night and an hour nap. But to counteract the lack of sleep I was wired so that I actually didn't feel tired or sleepy during the time I took it. Very thirsty all the time. My resting heart rate increased, so be very careful if you are exercising. I got slightly manic, talked more quickly, talked more to strangers, felt my mood was much more positive. Had much more energy -- felt like I was on speed. I'm sensitive to drugs and for me this was a very powerful drug. I've been off it for two days and the side effects are just starting to decrease. Not sure how long it will take for all of the side effects to go away. I don't actually know if it helped my earache or not.	M	50	5 days		1/9/2009
1	Labyrinthitis	Moon face, retained water (gained 6 pounds in 5 days), insomnia, anxiety, hyperactive, depression, urinary retention, now have chronic interstitial cystitis. Now have extreme fatigue being off the drug because my adrenal glands are in need of desperate repair.	THIS DRUG IS POISON!!!! I was given such a high dose to start for my weight (60 mg. for a 102 lb. female????) and then to taper for 12 days. I pulled myself off of it after 5 days and felt like I was going to die with the withdrawal symproms. I thought I would end up in the hospital a couple of times for what it did to my blood pressure and heart rate. It shrinks your adrenal glands and you can't produce your own cortisol. VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE YOU BECOME LIFE OR DEATH DEPENDENT!!! This stuff is like DRANO for the body. My lower abdomen is so swollen from this drug. My bladder feels swollen and like it's on fire. Now I'm on drugs for that. I never would have taken it had I known what it has done to me. The dizziness from the labyrinthitis is preferred over this. I recommend trying to heal your body naturally with alternative care if at all possible before trying this dangerous stuff!!!	F	29	5 days		12/26/2008
1	systemic poison oak reaction	Mood swings, severe fatigue. On fifth day woke up and fell out of bed, had lost use of legs. Quit job thinking it was job stress.	Poison. Sad also to see what it did to my mother (asthma).	F	57	5 days		5/11/2005
1	systemic poison oak reaction	Mood swings, severe fatigue. On fifth day woke up and fell out of bed, had lost use of legs (okay as soon as I stopped the med). Quit job thinking it was job stress.	Poison. Sad also to see what it did to my mother (COPD).	F	57	5 days		5/11/2005
1	Possible Asthma, rapid breathing	This was prescribed to my 2 year old daughter for the second time now. Brought her to the ER when she was breathing 40 breaths a min. She took it for 5 days about 3 weeks ago. Her personality has changed, she is very irratable and moody, aggressive, wakes up throughout the night. She also has had a reaccuring rash around her mouth for about 2 weeks. I am not positive it is from this medicine, but after reading other comments I believe its related. Be very careful when using this med with children. I am going to do everything I can to keep her off it in the future! Also, I would stay away from crowded places and sick ppl because of the weakened immune system.		F	2	5 days		9/28/2006 Email
1	Sinus Infection	Terrible pressure in back of head. Insomnia. Vertibrae & bones popping. Highly allergic result, still suffering symptoms 5 months after taking for only 5 days.		M	33	5 days		12/7/2004
1	suspected asthma (but chest inf)	About 4 days after finishing the 5 day course, came out in huge, itchy rash all over my body - looked like measles. Also, can't stop eating, puffy face, double chin and feel really low, tearful, depressed. Been off it almost 2 weeks but still feel & look awful.	My doctor prescribed penicillin at the same time as the Pred. He thinks my allergic reaction is due to that as side effects with Pred are "rare". However, I've taken penicillin before and had no bad side effects. This was my first and only time on Pred - will never take again. Truly awful. I was on 30mg for 5 days - then stopped. Wasn't warned that suddenly stopping can be dangerous. The skin rash and crazy hunger didn't start immediately - 4 days after coming off it and still ongoing! When will it subside, I wonder?? Please soon!!	F	43	5 days		1/29/2010
1	Fluid in ears	Heart palpitations, sweating, flushing, heartburn, weakness, malaise, scalp pimples	After only a short 5-day course of this medication, I feel terrible. I haven't taken a dose in several days, and I still feel like crap. Every time I eat, I get heart palpitations. I've had heartburn since I began taking Prednisone (and I never get heartburn). Today I broke out in painful little pimples all over my scalp. I am tired and weak. I will never take Prednisone again! This is way worse than the condition it was supposed to treat, and it didn't help with that condition.	F	56	5 days 20 mg 3X D		8/16/2010
4	Knee Joint Inflammation (both)	My side effects are mood related. I would always get comments on being so poised and patient. However, my patience isn't what it used to be. I get grumpy a whole lot easier. I work with kids and adults with developmental disabilities, so patience is a must. I can control myself but I end up feeling extremely pissed off on the inside. It's not fun. A good part about this is that I'm more likely to speak up about something. I was always a very shy person. This drug may have helped bring me out of my shell a bit. For no apparent reason both of my knee joints filled up with fluid. I never got a real answer about the cause. Just that it wasn't this and it wasn't that, etc. Possibly Lupus, but not a diagnoses. Well, Prednisone's effectiveness was AMAZING. The fluid/inflammation started going away very quickly. I was so thankful because I couldn't walk for a week because of the inflammation. When I was put on it again about 4 months later for my asthma it again helped very quick	It made my joint and lung inflammation go away very quickly, at the expense of what seem to be permanent changes in my mood - less patience.	F	22	6 days		9/21/2007 Email
3	angioedema/allergies/sinus	I feel very jittery and hyper and can't relax. A bit of mania. Some nauesa.	I had an allergic reaction that cause angioedema and I ended up in emerg as my face swelled up and I looked like an alien/elephant. It was very red, inflamed and itchy. I've been taking prednisone 5mg for the first 2 days, then 2.5mg for 4 days. Today I don't take any. I had an incredible hunger yesterday and couldn't stop eating. I also have a sinus infection and am taking antibiotics. And I"m taking reactine and bendaryl. The swelling has come down but I don't know if its from prednisone or the other allergy pills, probably both. The doctor suggested predisone and I jumped at it because my face was so disfigured. I wouldnt take predisone long term unless I absolulately had to as I'm too high strung.	F	33	6 days		4/3/2009 Email
1	Hives, achy joints, inflamed knee	Horrible side effects! Full onset of arthritis in hips and shoulders, muscle fatigue, belly fat, sleepless nights, moodiness, random blisters, inflamed navel, inflamed rt. testicle. Bed ridden for three weeks, still can't go to work. Naproxen seems to have little effect.	Apparently suppressed my immune system and allowed all the "old demons" to come raging in! Started with 60 mg / day and tapered, but begged off after six out of seven days ... simply couldn't handle it anymore. I wouldn't wish this drug on my worst enemy ...	M	60	6 days		7/22/2007
1	alergic reaction to antibiotic	6 day supply plus intraveniously at urgent care. Horrible, extremely uncomfrotable scary side effects even 6 days after being off of it. Rapid heart beat, facial flushing, tingeling skin, high blood pressure, heartburn, muscle spasms, insomnia, anxiety, foggy thinking, could not even drive at times I was so out there, the rapid heart beat is the worst, scary!	I went to urgent care for the alergic reaction. The doctor gave me prednisone intraveniously, 6 potassium pills and a shot of Benedryl. He instructed me to take an additional 6 prednisone pills six hours later, in the evening then to take the rest on a scale down basis each day for six days till I am at 0. 6 pills,5 pills,4,3,2,1. When I was in urgent care my blood pressure was through the roof. It's not normally like that. The side effects from the prednisone did not start until I began to scale down the doses. It's now 6 days after being off of them and as I write this my heart rate is 120. My blood pressure is almost normal at this time, but it's been fluctuating each day from 161/98 to 135/80. I should have not been given this drug, I'm sure Benedryl would have worked fine. I will never take this again. Anyone who is at your doctor and they suggest prednisone...please ask some questions first. I asked the doctor about side affects and he and the nurse just made some jokes	F	52	6 days		11/18/2008
1	lower back bulging disc pain	While on prednisone, I felt mentally very happy, but was always very wired - had severe insomnia. BUT, it worked great to relieve the inflammation and severe pain in my disc.	I took prednisone on 2 occasions, spaced about 8 mos. apart. Both times, even though I was only on it a short time (9 days and 6 days), and tapered the dosage, I still had withdrawal symptoms (low fever, anxiety, etc.) The second time, the withdrawal symptoms were unbelievable- weakness, fatigue, racing pulse, waves of heat throughout my body, total insomnia- this lasted for weeks, even though I was only on the prednisone for 6 days, at a moderate dose of 30mg tapering to 5mg. I will never go on this stuff again.	M	49	6 days		12/16/2005
1	SLE - Sjogrens Syndrome	Just like the previous comments, I, too, experienced HUGE appetite increase, headaches, blurry vision, sleeplessness, dizziness, memory loss etc, etc.	My Dr placed me on this to help with my RA due to the Lupus but I'm going to ask to be weaned off of it next week. The side effects are worse than not taking it. They seem to be getting worse on a daily basis as well. Severe headaches for days now but Doc wants to see me before starting a reduction to better control the stress of weaning off of it. Frankly, I wish I hadn't started it. I'm taking 15mg, plus 400 mg Plaquenil, 2400mg Ibuprophen, Prilosec (dry mouth and swallowing problems) and baby asprin. ALL daily. At what point does it all get to be too much "cure" for the "ailment?"	M	58	6 days		2/7/2007
1	asthma	moody, sad, 10 lb. weight gain,arthritic pain in hands and knees, back pain, but the out of control asthma was much better. Given the side affects I will never take this drug again, will opt for a different therapy.	I would think twice about taking this medicine, only in life or death situations would I tell someone to take it.	F	40	6 days 20 mg 2X D		5/23/2010
1	Uterine Swelling	Withdrawals after only 5 days of taking it and trying to get off it landed me in the ER last night. Trying to taper off as fast as I can. Puffy "moon face", profuse sweating, nausea, pounding heart, uncontrollable blood sugar swings (both up and down), gained 10 lbs in five days (didn't think that was physically possible!), bloated stomach, tremors, sudden high blood pressure...	Unless this is to save your life, don't touch this stuff or you'll end up like so many other people. They're not kidding about this drug. I've dealt with side effects before but this stuff is downright dangerous. If you're hypoglycemic or diabetic, find an alternative. Please be safe everybody...	F	36	6 days		2/1/2010

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Average rating for drug: 2.4. This page is printer-friendly; use landscape print with background color turned on.

Key to ratings: 5-Very Satisfied: this medicine cured me or helped me a great deal. 4-Satisfied: this medicine helped. 3-Somewhat Satisfied: this medicine helped somewhat. 2-Not Satisfied: this medicine did not work to my satisfaction. 1-Dissatisfied: I would not recommend taking this medicine.

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