Prednisone side effects

I found myself in a health situation where I was perscribed the drug.

I had a very bad allergic reaction to it. At the time I was in ~4:20 mile shape. I had a nice stomach and build beforehand.

I woke up one morning with red spots all over my torso. It puffed up my lean parts and essentially was stripping my torso muscle. Although I immediately stopped taking it I feel as though my week or two of exposure had very long term effects. Although it was the last thing on my mind my friend noticed that my calf muscles completely depleted over the month too.

I did eventually gain weight. I probably acquired a mild form of cushing syndrome which makes weight gain inevitable and makes weight loss extremely difficult. I did lose that weight but it's very hard to keep off. In the present day I have striated skin in my lower stomach area which is a result of what happened then.

Proceed with caution and dont take it for too long. I should have stopped sooner but was in a situation where I was damned if I did and damned if I didnt. Be very observant as to how it is effecting your body and any slight reaction you dont feel comfortable with, stop. Find something else to take instead.

Prednisone can temporarily lower testosterone levels and really play hell with speed work and racing while you're taking it . Make sure you follow the instructions for gradually stepping down dosage as you finish your course and don't be shocked if you see a temporary drop in performance. If you have a crucial race coming up, you may want to take something else.

I have had to use this drug off and on for decades for my asthma. Long-term side effects include what was mentioned regarding weight gain. A short-term course may do a bit of the same. When I'm taking the tablets, I get revved up but tend to get super hungry and also urinate frequently.

However, the worse short-term danger is getting injured as the prednisone makes you susceptible to muscle tears. I had a very serious tear in my elbow (inside portion) several months back when I lifted something at an awkward angle while on a short-term prednisone burst. I could feel and maybe even hear the tear. Fortunately, it didn't require surgery and healed up on its own. I imagined what if that had been my Achilles tendon or knee? My advice is to NOT do speed work while on this drug.

Another side-effect of prednisone is psychological. After you have been on it for several days, you might have strange thoughts and paranoia. My doc sometimes prescribes up to 50mg per day doses which then taper down. You might not be able to handle such large doses and may need to adjust per your own body's sensitivity.

I'm taking 50mg for five days, 40 for 4, and so on tapering down. I don't want to suffer through more of this poison ivy, but I also don't want to be gaining weight or tearing muscles. Is my dosage high enough and long enough to cause side effects?

Took it for serious health treatment. I didn't like how it disrupted my sleep. If you take it, try taking it in the morning, and follow the taper off it.

No weight gain for me almost a year on it as I tapered down from 70mg I believe. It is related to muscle weakness, so be careful with dynamic type training. My docs advised against weight training, or explosive lifting anyway. Some advocate for modest strength training to offset losses in strength. Talk with the doctor about it.

Good luck!

I took it for a week three times as part of chemo (the P of CHOP-R). Felt really good taking it, but gained 10 pounds, because my appetite was great. No other side effects; went on with my usual workouts, although I scaled down my speed work.