Guest guest Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 This does not sound right at all, to me. 1) Prednisone is a drug, period - NOT a treatment to increase energy. It is a miracle drug in many ways, but also has a " Mr. Hyde " side that is NOT to be trifled with. It works great for asthma, severe eczema, arthritis, anti-rejection. However, there are significant side effects in high dose long term usage that can be very difficult to manage. From http://www.transweb.org/reference/articles/drugs/pred.html Sodium retention Increased appetite Increased fat deposits Increased acid in your stomach Increased sweating, especially at night Increased hair growth Acne on the face, back, and chest Bone and muscle problems Growth problems in children Eye problems Increased sugar in the blood Increased sensitivity to the sun Delayed wound healing Decreased ability to fight infection Thrush (Candida) growth in the mouth Eye problems refer to cataracts. It also includes insomnia and mood swings. 2) Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but my recollection is that steroids have been found to have little or no benefit for PSC. They have been found effective for AIH (and maybe PBC?). IMHO, this sounds more like experimenting than treatment. You are absolutely correct to ask for confirmation. Personally, with what I know I would look for a different Dr. Arne 54 - UC 1977, PSC 2000 Alive and (mostly) well in Minnesota -----Original Message----- From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Barbara Webber My dr is suggesting steroids for my energy - I'm not really wanting to do that because I have diabetes already and it will really impact that, plus I like to do as much natural and herbal as possible...what are your experiences with steroids - helpful, difficult? Thanks Barbara in land necrotizing pancreatitis '98, now chronic pancreatitis psc '98, diabetes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 This does not sound right at all, to me. 1) Prednisone is a drug, period - NOT a treatment to increase energy. It is a miracle drug in many ways, but also has a " Mr. Hyde " side that is NOT to be trifled with. It works great for asthma, severe eczema, arthritis, anti-rejection. However, there are significant side effects in high dose long term usage that can be very difficult to manage. From http://www.transweb.org/reference/articles/drugs/pred.html Sodium retention Increased appetite Increased fat deposits Increased acid in your stomach Increased sweating, especially at night Increased hair growth Acne on the face, back, and chest Bone and muscle problems Growth problems in children Eye problems Increased sugar in the blood Increased sensitivity to the sun Delayed wound healing Decreased ability to fight infection Thrush (Candida) growth in the mouth Eye problems refer to cataracts. It also includes insomnia and mood swings. 2) Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but my recollection is that steroids have been found to have little or no benefit for PSC. They have been found effective for AIH (and maybe PBC?). IMHO, this sounds more like experimenting than treatment. You are absolutely correct to ask for confirmation. Personally, with what I know I would look for a different Dr. Arne 54 - UC 1977, PSC 2000 Alive and (mostly) well in Minnesota -----Original Message----- From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Barbara Webber My dr is suggesting steroids for my energy - I'm not really wanting to do that because I have diabetes already and it will really impact that, plus I like to do as much natural and herbal as possible...what are your experiences with steroids - helpful, difficult? Thanks Barbara in land necrotizing pancreatitis '98, now chronic pancreatitis psc '98, diabetes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 This does not sound right at all, to me. 1) Prednisone is a drug, period - NOT a treatment to increase energy. It is a miracle drug in many ways, but also has a " Mr. Hyde " side that is NOT to be trifled with. It works great for asthma, severe eczema, arthritis, anti-rejection. However, there are significant side effects in high dose long term usage that can be very difficult to manage. From http://www.transweb.org/reference/articles/drugs/pred.html Sodium retention Increased appetite Increased fat deposits Increased acid in your stomach Increased sweating, especially at night Increased hair growth Acne on the face, back, and chest Bone and muscle problems Growth problems in children Eye problems Increased sugar in the blood Increased sensitivity to the sun Delayed wound healing Decreased ability to fight infection Thrush (Candida) growth in the mouth Eye problems refer to cataracts. It also includes insomnia and mood swings. 2) Someone correct me if I'm wrong, but my recollection is that steroids have been found to have little or no benefit for PSC. They have been found effective for AIH (and maybe PBC?). IMHO, this sounds more like experimenting than treatment. You are absolutely correct to ask for confirmation. Personally, with what I know I would look for a different Dr. Arne 54 - UC 1977, PSC 2000 Alive and (mostly) well in Minnesota -----Original Message----- From: [mailto: ] On Behalf Of Barbara Webber My dr is suggesting steroids for my energy - I'm not really wanting to do that because I have diabetes already and it will really impact that, plus I like to do as much natural and herbal as possible...what are your experiences with steroids - helpful, difficult? Thanks Barbara in land necrotizing pancreatitis '98, now chronic pancreatitis psc '98, diabetes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 11, 2006 Report Share Posted May 11, 2006 A & J M wrote: > This does not sound right at all, to me. > > 1) Prednisone is a drug, period - NOT a treatment to increase energy. AMEN!!!!!! I agree wholeheartedly with Arne. The idea of using prednisone to increase your energy is like using a hand grenade to kill a wasp. Yes, it will do the job, but will leave you in the midst of so much other damage (side effects) that you've got to wonder who in their right mind would recommend such a course of action. Remember the tasmanian devil on the old bugs bunny cartoons? OK, that's your body on prednisone -- a whirling dervish with an insatiable appetite, wild-eyed and snarling at the slightest provocation. It's a miracle drug when you genuinely need it, but 5 years of it (to control Crohn's) left me with osteoporosis, 125+ lbs of excess weight, cataracts, and a lasting fear of ever needing to take it again. DON'T TOUCH IT UNLESS YOU REALLY HAVE TO HAVE IT!!! Regards, Carolyn B. in SC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted May 12, 2006 Report Share Posted May 12, 2006 I second everything that everyone else said – steroids are not to be taken lightly. We won’t use them anymore for Suzanne. She has become “steroid dependant”, then after on them awhile she becomes “Steroid-refractive”. Right now we are going through testing for a possible allergy that may be interfering with the management of her IBD. We now suspect that it was always present, but the steroids were masking it so we never saw it before. Suzanne lost her entire junior year of high school because of not being able to manage her IBD and now we find a possible third variable. It’s frustrating that we did not find this earlier, but as I stated the steroids probably prevented us from finding this earlier. STAY AWAY from steroids (and seek a second opinion with an eye to changing doctors). LINDA (Mom of Suzanne, 17; IBD 1/04; PSC 3/04) One side effect is that it can mask other health problems going on. 30, UC 1/01, PSC 5/05 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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