Aahh...yes, that much
loved, but much more hated drug.
Our "friend" prednisone.
I decided
to include this page to help others as well as myself deal with prednisone.
Here is
some information about it:
What is
prednisone?
Prednisone is a steroid
drug. It is similar to cortisone, which is made in the adrenal glands.
The drug has anti-inflammatory effects in the body which is the desired
action. It is used to treat a variety of ailments such as Crohn's Disease,
lupus, asthma and other lung diseases, skin conditions such as eczema,
joint diseases, types of arthritis, cancers, immune blood disorders, and
eye diseases.
What are
the side effects?
Glad you asked. See, prednisone
can be wonderful, but it has its drawbacks. With prednisone, the most annoying
side effect for patients generally is the puffiness in the face and neck
that can occur. Increased appetite and weight gain are very real problems,
especially for females. The drug may cause some mental changes and, particularly,
may worsen an underlying depression. While major side effects are unusual,
a serious one is a condition called osteonecrosis. This causes weakness
and even fracture of the hip or shoulder which would require major orthopedic
surgery.
For prednisone, the following
are the observed side effects:
Minor:
weight
gain, facial swelling, nervousness, acne, rash, hot flashes
Major:
depression,
unusual fatigue or weakness, blurred vision, abdominal pain,
bloody
or black stools, infections, painful hips or shoulders, osteoporosis
To help
prevent osteoporosis, please make sure you are getting enough calcium.
I recommend
taking Viactiv chews.
Viactiv,
I love you, you come in three wonderful flavors:
Milk Chocolate,
Mochaccino and Caramel...
Food
Management with Prednisone
Recipes