Mental and Behavioral Effects of Prednisone | Arthritis Information

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http://www.sjhc.london.on.ca/sjh/programs/mental/survive/st8d.htm
 
Prednisone: This drug is notorious for causing mental side effects. It doesn't matter whether the team gives it to you by pill or intravenously. (When given intravenously, it is known by other names.) The higher the amount that you are given, the more likely it is to cause mental changes. Table 8.4 lists the types of problems that can occur with prednisone. These changes may be noticeable to you or to those around you. Depending on how severe or persistent the symptoms, the team may or may not have to treat these side effects.

Table 8.4: Mental and Behavioral Effects of Prednisone

irritability, emotional sensitivity, restlessness, sleep disturbance, erratic emotional changes, overactivity, talkativeness, inability to settle down, racing thoughts, distractability

or

low mood, tearfulness, loss of energy, disinterest, loss of enjoyment

or

disorientation, erratic behavior, unusual beliefs, extreme fear, severe agitation

joonie2009-07-04 15:10:18I am a raving lunatic with severe anger problemson prednisone and it doesn't take a very high dose 10mg or above - below 10mg I am just somewhere between hell on wheels and and bitch - It helps and sometimes I have to use it but I just warn everyone to stay away (far far awayLOL) 
Hugs and good vibes to all.Oh anything over 10mg I get just plain whacky. And very short tempered and get annoyed really easy. Sometimes even on 10mg of pred I am that way. But when I was on 15mg....Look OUT![/QUOTE]
 
Bob! That is alot of pred! But hopefully soon you will be able to cut that down to a low dose when the Orencia kicks in.
 
How is the Orencia going for you anyways?
 
Much hugs to you. Hope you have a good coming up week.
right now i take 40 mg a day
and im always super irratible and i always seem to have mood swingz lol
one minute i might be happy and a few minutes later i could be crying lol
 
now when i was takin 90 mg a day, that was when things were REALLY weird
Oh my! 90mg!
 
I hope you can come down on your pred doseage too, Star.
 
 

i did lol

it was 90 mg
 
im only on 40 mg a day now
 
90 mg a day was when my fevers were going to 105 every night
Oh wow! 105 temp.
 
I remember always having temps when I was a kid. I missed a lot of school and went home early most of the time, because I had temps.
 
I remember one time I was sent home from school, because I had a REALLY high temp. I remember my mom putting me in a tub of cold water and then not being able to sleep with nothing but a sheet even though I was freezing. Then the next day I went to the Doctor and they could not find any reason for my high temp the day before.
 
I also use to get tonsilitis alot when I was a kid. I LOVED the antibiotic they gave me for it. I was always willing to take it. It tasted yummy!
 
Well... hopefully you will be able to reduce the pred even more real soon.
I am finding it convenient to blame all my inconsistencies of prednisone!  Oh Bob. So how are things going other wise. I was sitting around trying to figure out if I have a higher tollerance to pred than Joonie or ohno or maybe I am so moody to begin with that I do not see the difference. LOL I notice more of a difference when i am coming down on the dosage. Tapering can make me have some real old fashion temper fits. Rage I guess it is called. Several years ago I was talking to my ex on the phone bad idea to begin with. I was on a dose pak. I kicked the door real hard. Really stupid because I still had stiches in my knee from surgery. A couple of years ago I thought I broke my thumb slamming a cabinet was on a 60 mg taper down every three days. I guess objects made of wood really bother me when tapering on to much pred. Turned out that my thumb just has RA in it. Just started flaring at the same time I attacked the cabinet. I am not on a drastic taper just once a week I taper down so I do better that way. Have been crying more. Just the thought of gaining all of that wieght back upsets me. really it is good pred gives me tears. My eyes really needed some good old fashion tears. Those drops do not work near as well. Bob I would hang out with you but I better wait till I get off the pred. I would want you to be safe. yeah joonie
i think when i see my doctor july 20th, he'll lower it more
he wants to stop it completely, but he sayd u gotta go slow
or else u can have some problems
 
yeah for like 3 weeks my temp was going from 102 to 105
every night for almost a month
lol
I never use to notice I got a little whacky, until it was pointed out to me. Or When I would just snap at people around me, then I knew something was wrong.
 
I do tend to notice that I am a little whacky after my infusion. I get solumedrol 25mg of it thru my IV. I noticed that it makes me whacky too.
I was as high as 100mg daily last August.  I've been up pretty high since then but have been very slowly working my way down.   Star, I sure hope you don't have to be on that high dose as long as I have been as it has totally wrecked me both physically and mentally.   The muscle weakness is the worst but I can't tell if it's from the RA, the prednisone, or a bit of both.  It seems that when the RA gets worse so does the muscle weakness.  I've only had one Orencia infusion so it's too early to tell but I'm not holding my breath.  I think my RA has been let go for too long to ever see any disease control again.Your still with us Bob and that's good..
I know someone that was on high does of 100mg and suffered tendon damage that was put down to the high dose of Pred.

Up again....Well bob, I hope the Orencia works for you and soon.
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