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Beware of prednisone
I was diagnosed with Alopecia (it first began in the Ophiasis pattern then got better.. Then moved into Areata) over two years ago. When it was Ophiasis, my derm injected my scalp, and also prescribed topical steroids. My hair began coming back, and soon as it filled in, I started having gaping patches forming, resulting in my wearing wigs. It became too much to try to hide. My derm saw my frustration and began prednisone. 60 mgs/daily then slowly began lowering the dosage. Unfortunately, it didn't work. I ended up changing my lifestyle and diet. And I'm still not sure how, but thank god, it began working. I haven't had a patch in over a year and a half.
However, I developed Avascular Necrosis in my femur due to the prednisone. Many doctors view prednisone as a "cure-all drug" and prescribe it to many people suffering from autoimmune diseases as well as many other disorders and illnesses. I was never made Aware of the side effects and possible detrimental life-altering effects of he drug. I now have to undergo bone-graft surgery. It is my duty to tell all those currently taking or thinking of taking prednisone to be wary of the effects of this drug. If I had been made aware that it could and would affect my body in the way it did, I would have never ever. EVER . Taken it.
I know how it is to feel losing your hair and femininity and feeling self conscious all of the time, but turning to prednisone.. Ask your doctors before you ever consider taking it. Tell them everything about your lifestyle and ask about EVERY side effect of it before you go in it. Weigh the options. Taking the chance of possibly regaining your hair vs having your BONES DIE, deteriorate, and eventually leading to joint replacement, grafts, having plates put it into your body to prevent joint deterioration and collapse, just simply isn't worth it.
Please everyone, heed my warning. Prednisone may help you, (even though it did nothing for me), but truly consider EVER option and the possible consequences of taking prednisone before you agree to it.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Dorothy on
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43 years ago I was given a course of prednisone, not only did it do nothing for my alopecia, IT nearly caused my death because it made me suicidal and had my husband not been alert I would be dead. It is a horrid drug and I absolutely am beside myself that they gave it to my 28 year old daughter for psoriatic arthritis, it did nothing for her inflammation but stopped the weight loss she had finally begun to see after many years of being over weight. grrrr I told her not to take the drug, but she was desperate to stop the pain she has been in since Feb of this year and I might add still ongoing. Waiting for the arthritis meds to kick in, soon I hope.
Oh yes by the way, no one the doctor or the pharmacist bothered to tell me the possible side effects back then, and I would guess they still don't tell you, they hand you a piece of paper and guess you might read it and I am guessing not all side effects are listed just the major ones.
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Permalink Reply by Maddie on
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Mine never handed me Anything regarding the Sid effects. The pharmacist gave me a handout about it, but if I had known that 1. It would make me high as HELL and unable to work while on it, and 2. I would have to do surgery none off his would have happened. No one wants to talk about it. It's complete bullshit. I wish you and your daughter all the best XOXO
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Permalink Reply by scarredbeauty on
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Unfortunately i have lupus so steroids is standard. It does cause bone deterioration and A vascular. I have had my hip replaced with femur fracture and fused disc in my back. I too had injections. What has worked for me id azathorphine to slow T&B cells. Still dangerous Side affects. Very sensitive since i have SLE and discoid lupus so now i have my own hair brand.Beautifulhairx.com
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Permalink Reply by Momtoalopecia on
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Unfortunately sometimes we have to go through a dark time in our lives in order to help others. I know this has been the case with both my son and I. I'm so happy you had the heart to want to help others that have suffered.
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Permalink Reply by China DLB on
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DITTO... I too did Steroid injections for years (5-6 years) and ended up with Avascular Necrosis as well, which lead to a total left hip replacement due to a total failure in my left hip joint at the age of 51. I was, and fortunately now with my new hip am, very active and physically fit but I have had to give up some of the activities I used to do given an artificial hip. If I knew the side effects then I would have never done the injections. I stopped immediately once I knew side effects. Still have Alopecia Areata 15 years+ now that rotates around my head. Would love a cure but will be very cautious on what I try next.
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Permalink Reply by montyone on
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Both of my sons have SLE and occasional AA. They have been on Prednisolone for a long time as at one stage SLE affected kidney.
Together with Prednisolone, immunosuppressants they have been on are so dangerous, so we are waiting for the blood test result to stabilize so that they can come off one or more medications.
I understand the frustration when doctors and pharmacists are too busy or lax to give enough information to give you the choice but not all the doctors are like that. My sons always read the papers with details of possible side effects. Do not think it wont happen to you! It does!
They are athletes and they take extra calcium + Vitamin D tablets and heaps of impact exercise that prevents bone deterioration.
I asked Dermatologist and Immunologist to report to each other so that they are both aware of prescribed medication and dosage. Every body reacts to medication differently and its very hard to adjust medications to suit different lifestyles and nutrition intake. That;s why forum like this is important so that we can make informed decisions knowing as much evidence available in different ways.
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Thanks for sharing the risks. I hope all works out well with your surgery. I was diagnosed with alopecia areata as a teen and ophasis 2 years ago. I finally lost all of my head hair. The "specialist" told me i was going bald, get a wig and walked out of the room. But before that, my general dermatologist tried everything including a few weeks of prednisone. The medication side effects for me were paranoia, sleeplessness and increased appetite. It disturbed me so the I asked to be taken off of it. I had to be weaned off. Just a few more side effects be wary of. It did not spark any hair growth.
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From the information I've gathered, it's mainly oral prednisone that have such adverse effects, I haven't heard of many effects due to injection..
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My husband was on prednisone for kidney disease as part of the anti-rejection protocol in place when he was transplanted. His transplant lasted ten years before it was rejected. He was put back on the list for another transplant and when they tried to wean him off the pred, they couldn't. He had to remain on a very small dose for the rest of his life. Prednisone does horrible things to the body; it made his skin very fragile, it affected his bones, plus caused a lot of other problems. But at the time he was transplanted, prednisone was part of the anti-rejection drug protocol. When he got back on the list for the last time, we were told that had changed. If you can at ALL avoid prednisone, DO IT.
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Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for this post, Maddie!! I was put on oral prednisone (20 ml/day for 2 months). It helped my diffuse alopecia areata hair grow back while I was on it. After going off the drug, my hair fell out again, and I developed even more patches. I very shortly became AU. Not only did the prednisone appear to make my disease worse, I then, out of the blue, developed high eye pressure and a type of cataract caused by prednisone use. NEVER EVER was I warned about the side effects of prednisone by the medical providers. I only learned that high eye pressure and sub-encapsulated posterior cataracts (a more aggressive form than regular cataracts) are a well-know side effect of prednisone. Now, I am facing cataract surgery and am being told by the medical care industry here (State College, PA) that I was not on a high enough dosage for a long enough time to develop any of these problems related to prednisone side effects. But I am puzzled as to why I am meeting people who were on the same dosage for the same amount of time as me, who also developed these exact same problems. I honestly believe that doctors who knowingly prescribe medications that have serious side effects have an obligation to inform their patients ahead of time. How can we as patients make informed choices if we do not have full and accurate information? If we are not informed ahead of time and suffer medical problems as a result, I believe the doctors involved should be sued at least for compensatory damages. Nothing will change until they are held responsible.
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Have you looked into malpractice lawsuits? I have a few friends who are currently investigating it. I forget the lawyer terminology they used, but there are a few that are very interested in taking my case for free (with 30% if they win.. But they wouldn't express interest in taking it unless they believed they would make money. There IS a way to have things made right due to the lack of information provided
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Permalink Reply by Michelle on
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Completely agree that steroids in general are bad news. I have had several bad reactions to different forms...steroid nasal sprays (gave me super anxiety), allergy shot in the hip (made a huge dent in my hip that took years to fill in and I had spotting for six months).
I have severe allergies and they are urging me to get another steroid shot for them, but I think the cure is worse than the problem.
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