I had a cortizone injection in each knee on Oct. 2nd and it has been wonderful, but do you know how often we can have this done? I did not ask the rheumy. My next appt. is in January, 2008. Now and Then, I have them occasionally in my shoulders for bursitus, and in my back for muscle spasms. I know you can't have then often but I'm not sure how long in between times. They sure are a Godsend though
My Rheumy will inject the same joint quarterly, if need be.
Side effects aside (ha), isn't it just the best feeling to go from pain to "normal" in a matter of minutes? The last time I had my wrists done, I exhaled deeply and said to my Rheumy, "Ahhh...Blessed Relief!". He smiled and said, "Thats why they call it the miracle drug".
I don't mean to drift from your initial post but I've done some extensive reading on the subject of prednisone and wonder why many of the posters here state that they are trying to wean off of the pred? What is it about this particular drug's side effects that make it any more potentially dangerous than any DMARD, biologic or other anti-RA med? Just curious.
K.
Katalina,
I stopped taking pred because I developed diabetes (my doc says it was steroid induced) and it was causing my white count to go really high...... not to mention I gained 40 lbs!!!!
Hope this helps!
Prednisone has nasty side effects. It really is something that needs to be take 'as needed'.
In the case of prednisolone, the longer you are taking it, and the higher the dose, the more likely you are to have problems. Your doctor will take this into account and will keep you on the lowest possible dose that keeps your disease under control. However, very often steroids are necessary to control disease, so it is a question of carefully weighing up the risks and benefits of continuing on them. If you are on very low doses of steroids you may never experience any problems.
The most common side-effects are weight gain, a round face, thinning of the bones (osteoporosis), easy bruising, indigestion, stomach pains, stretch marks and thinning of the skin. Muscle weakness, changes in mood (e.g. feeling depressed) and cataracts can occur, and prednisolone can also make glaucoma worse. Steroids may occasionally interfere with the menstrual cycle.
The blood sugar may rise, causing diabetes, and if you have diabetes you may require a change in the treatment of your diabetes.
High doses of prednisolone can cause a rise in blood pressure. If you suffer from epilepsy, then it is possible that prednisolone could make the epilepsy worse.
Taking prednisolone can make you more likely to develop infections. If this happens or if you have a fever you should report to your doctor. Signs of infection can be disguised by prednisolone. So if you feel unwell or develop any new symptoms after starting prednisolone, it is important to tell your doctor or rheumatology nurse. If you have not had chickenpox but come into contact with someone who has chickenpox or shingles, or if you develop chickenpox or shingles, you should report to your doctor immediately as you may need special treatment. This is because chickenpox and shingles can be severe in people on steroid treatment. Therefore you may require antiviral treatment.
In children, taking steroids can suppress growth. However, some of the conditions for which steroids are prescribed can also affect growth.
Pammy, is their a difference between prednisone and prednisolone?no they just call it that here in aus
Prednisone changes into prednisolone in the liver. It's just another way of giving the same medication.
Katalina
Pammy listed the side effects of prednisone. The thing is almost everyone gets a side effect from long term pred use. The number is virtually 100%. and unlike the side effects from many of other drugs the side effects of pred are long term and in many cases permanant. Though the "powers that be" say that 5mg a day is a relatively safe dose for those who need it. Prednisone has its very necessary place in treatmnet of inflammatry arthritis. we just have ot use it wisely
Now & Then
you can have 3-4 injections spaced 3-4 months apart into a single joint per year. In some very acute cases you can have the injections closer together but still not to exceed the total number. Too many injections too close together can cause bone deathe and destroy the joint
Thanks everyone. Guess I will have to wait for that AHHHH feeling a bit longer.Hi,
I just had a cortisone injection into the joints where my toes joint my feet. I actually find it makes the pain worse for a few days as it bruises the area but then it just disappears - it lasts almost a year for me and that was the third I've had. I had them last Thursday and just now able to walk on that foot again. It's a bit of a funky swirl of colours with bruising at the moment but I know it will work and I'll get no pain from those joints for about a year. My feet still hurt a bit in other joints but at least I can manage to get about a bit! Bring on the cortisone! But I have been warned I can't have too many more as the skin is getting really thin (I've got a pale patch, it looks like I splashed bleach on my foot) and the tissue under the skin is also a bit funny - it's like a bit of a dimple.
I'm glad it's working for you - you need to check with your Dr as the frequency you can have them is individual.
KT