Prednisone
For the past four months or so, I’ve been battling a particularly nasty episode of sciatica. For those not in the know, the sciatic nerve is the longest nerve in the body, traveling roughly from your butt to the bottom of your feet on both sides of your body. Sometimes it gets inflamed, other times it gets jammed between joints. In either case, it hurts a lot.
This is the third time this has happened to me in the past four years. It begins with a slight ache in the lower back, and inexorably travels down the legs and worsens. Sometimes it’s on the right side, other times on the left. Sitting is painful; sciatica interrupts sleep and in general makes life miserable. It’s also exhausting, as is any chronic pain.
Neither over-the-counter meds or non-narcotic prescription painkillers have any effect. Specialized exercises help a little, and so would Percodan or Percocet, but I don’t take opioids.
What does help is a drug called prednisone, a prescription steroid that, taken in increasingly large doses, is both a pain reliever and an anti-inflammatory. The trouble with prednisone, however, is that it has multiple side-effects, one of which is to raise the body’s glucose level. This is not good for a person like myself who has otherwise-controllable Type 2 Diabetes. A year ago I ended up in the emergency room because the prednisone had raised my glucose level to roughly that of a box of Domino sugar cubes. I was on an IV for seven hours before the level diminished to an acceptable level. Then I was put on insulin for three months, injecting myself every morning.
The other thing prednisone does is reduce the body’s production of cortisone, the natural anti-inflammatory we all produce. This is not good either.
According to the Mayo Clinic, prednisone can also cause:
• aggression
• agitation
• blurred vision
• dizziness
• fast, slow, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
• headache
• irritability and mood changes
• numbness or tingling in the arms or legs
• pounding in the ears
• shortness of breath
• trouble thinking, speaking, or walking
• troubled breathing at rest
• weight gain
My new doctor was unhappy with my prednisone consumption. She suggested another drug with far fewer side-effects, and told me it was time to detox, which is what, unhappily, I am doing now.
So why am I writing this blog? Because prednisone is a very popular drug and my research shows most people who take it have no idea of its darker sides. It is commonly misprescribed by physicians who order it for their patients but suggest it be used much like an as-needed painkiller, which is wrong.
I’ve also found most users have no idea that the detox period can last from weeks to a year, and has some side-effects as well,. These include severe fatigue, weakness, body aches, joint pain. lightheadedness, and nausea. The only positive side-effect, a loss of appetite—has unfortunately not manifested itself, at least not for me.
All this to say prednisone may be a good drug, but it’s also chancy.
If you’re taking prednisone for any reason, do some research if you haven't yet done so. There are other, less dicey drugs that will make you feel better quickly without making you feel worse in the long run. Ask your doctor.
This is the third time this has happened to me in the past four years. It begins with a slight ache in the lower back, and inexorably travels down the legs and worsens. Sometimes it’s on the right side, other times on the left. Sitting is painful; sciatica interrupts sleep and in general makes life miserable. It’s also exhausting, as is any chronic pain.
Neither over-the-counter meds or non-narcotic prescription painkillers have any effect. Specialized exercises help a little, and so would Percodan or Percocet, but I don’t take opioids.
What does help is a drug called prednisone, a prescription steroid that, taken in increasingly large doses, is both a pain reliever and an anti-inflammatory. The trouble with prednisone, however, is that it has multiple side-effects, one of which is to raise the body’s glucose level. This is not good for a person like myself who has otherwise-controllable Type 2 Diabetes. A year ago I ended up in the emergency room because the prednisone had raised my glucose level to roughly that of a box of Domino sugar cubes. I was on an IV for seven hours before the level diminished to an acceptable level. Then I was put on insulin for three months, injecting myself every morning.
The other thing prednisone does is reduce the body’s production of cortisone, the natural anti-inflammatory we all produce. This is not good either.
According to the Mayo Clinic, prednisone can also cause:
• aggression
• agitation
• blurred vision
• dizziness
• fast, slow, pounding, or irregular heartbeat or pulse
• headache
• irritability and mood changes
• numbness or tingling in the arms or legs
• pounding in the ears
• shortness of breath
• trouble thinking, speaking, or walking
• troubled breathing at rest
• weight gain
My new doctor was unhappy with my prednisone consumption. She suggested another drug with far fewer side-effects, and told me it was time to detox, which is what, unhappily, I am doing now.
So why am I writing this blog? Because prednisone is a very popular drug and my research shows most people who take it have no idea of its darker sides. It is commonly misprescribed by physicians who order it for their patients but suggest it be used much like an as-needed painkiller, which is wrong.
I’ve also found most users have no idea that the detox period can last from weeks to a year, and has some side-effects as well,. These include severe fatigue, weakness, body aches, joint pain. lightheadedness, and nausea. The only positive side-effect, a loss of appetite—has unfortunately not manifested itself, at least not for me.
All this to say prednisone may be a good drug, but it’s also chancy.
If you’re taking prednisone for any reason, do some research if you haven't yet done so. There are other, less dicey drugs that will make you feel better quickly without making you feel worse in the long run. Ask your doctor.
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