Anyone Take Methylprednisolone-corticosteroids?

[friday7]

I"ve been feeling sick for a few weeks..well extra sick;) and I've been going through my head trying to figure out if anything has changed lately to cause this and the only thing I can think of is I've been taking Methylpred for a few weeks. I'm not sure if this problems started before or after taking the drug..But anyway, I've been having GI symptoms. I feel really bloated and have lots of pressure in my arms and legs and chest. It sometimes gets worse after I eat.

I"ve had GI problems in the past. I even had an ulcer and have been on Prilosec for a few years. But I was almost to the point where I felt like that was in the past.

And now it' s back and it feels like all of a sudden. A few weeks ago I was okay and now I can't get to sleep because it' s so bad. I"m hoping it's not another ulcer..But at the same time I wonder whether the Methylpred could aggravate an existing ulcer? Nothing else has changed..I'm taking the same meds, eating the same things, taking my fiber pills etc. The only thing different is the Methylpred.

I've also been feeling lots of pressure in my head. And some loss of balance/dizziness. Again I've had this problem in the past but not like this and again this came on rather suddenly and more severe than I've ever had it. It's feels as if someone is squeezing my head.

Also I am hypothyroid. I read that for some reason you should talk to your doctor about talking Methylpred with Thyroid problems but it doesn't say why. In another site it said something about not absorbing the meds correctly..So I don't know if it's just that the thryoid meds won't be absorbed correctly or if it can cause side effects..It doesn' t really go into detail.

I have an appointment to see the GI doctor but not for two weeks. And I'm not sure if i should stop the Methylpred, cause i'm not sure if it could be causing any of this..I'm afraid if it is causing it I could be in a lot worse shape in two weeks.

I was just wondering if anyone else has been on the Med and what experiences you've had.

[Guest tearose]

After a sinus infection would not resolve with antibiotics alone I was put on methylprednesone. Besides the fluid retention problems and swelling of my entire body, I also was unable to move muscles as well. I felt rubbery. I recall being overwhelmingly tired too. Very foggy brained. I don't recall the GI issues at that time because we were focused on resolving the sinus infection. I hope you figure out the GI issues...

If nausea is partly a problem, you can ask about trying charcoal to settle the nausea.

[Noreen]

Everything sort of depends on why you were prescribed the methylpred. Which doctor rx'd it, at what dose, and for what reason?

There are many diseases for which it is prescribed which can also give you many of the symptoms bothering you. I was on corticosteroids for 6 years at doses ranging from 40 mg to 2 mg.

Corticosteroids are really not to be messed with without medical supervision. E.g. you can't suddenly stop a high dose after being on it for a period of time without dangerous results such as stopping your heart.

You have to check back with the MD who gave them to you.

[friday7]

After a sinus infection would not resolve with antibiotics alone I was put on methylprednesone. Besides the fluid retention problems and swelling of my entire body, I also was unable to move muscles as well. I felt rubbery. I recall being overwhelmingly tired too. Very foggy brained. I don't recall the GI issues at that time because we were focused on resolving the sinus infection. I hope you figure out the GI issues...

If nausea is partly a problem, you can ask about trying charcoal to settle the nausea.

Interesting. I'm not seeing any swelling, but I feel really bloated. I have used charcoal in the past for GI symptoms. I was thinking about that also..I hate that I can't see the GI doc for two weeks.

I've been trying to reach the doc that prescribed the methylprednesone but so far no luck.

[friday7]

Everything sort of depends on why you were prescribed the methylpred. Which doctor rx'd it, at what dose, and for what reason?

There are many diseases for which it is prescribed which can also give you many of the symptoms bothering you. I was on corticosteroids for 6 years at doses ranging from 40 mg to 2 mg.

Corticosteroids are really not to be messed with without medical supervision. E.g. you can't suddenly stop a high dose after being on it for a period of time without dangerous results such as stopping your heart.

You have to check back with the MD who gave them to you.

Sorry forgot to mention the reason I was taking them in the first place was due to inner ear problems. I"ve been having trouble with my ringing in the ear, feeling of fullness in the ear, some hearing loss, the usual symptoms I get when i get an ear infection or fluid in my ear. The ENT didn't think I had an infection but said to try to methlypred for two weeks and see if it helped. I'm on 4mg for ten days.

So, I think it's a pretty low dose, but I would definitely not stop any drug suddenly..I did that once when I was a teen and experienced terrible withdrawal symptoms.

I just wonder if it can have anything to do with what I've been feeling lately cause it started around the same time I started the meds..could be a coincidence..I'm just looking for a reason for this sudden onset of GI symptoms after having such a long break from them..I was doing fine for a few years with only minor symptoms..And then all of a sudden about two weeks ago, I start getting really bad GI symptoms.. So far the only thing that's different is the pills..Well I'm calling the doc and telling him I want to stop the Mehtylpred just in case it could have something to do with it.

[Noreen]

Corticosteroids can irritate the stomach. I was told to always eat something with the pills.

Hope you are feeling better soon.

[nmorgen]

I can't take any type of steroid. My body swells, especially my face and neck. My internist in the US said I looked like a person with Cushings. I had horrible stomach pains and it caused my liver enzymes to become high. If it hasn't helped with your ear problems I would definitely ask to be taken off. Maybe you can call an pester the GI's office and get in to see him sooner. I hope you start feeling better.

[friday7]

Corticosteroids can irritate the stomach. I was told to always eat something with the pills.

Hope you are feeling better soon.

Thanks..Well my stomach is sensitive to begin with, and I don't really know if I ate something when I took the pills. I still couldn't get in touch with the doc that prescribed them.Well I'll make sure to take them with food until I get a hold of this guy and tell him I want to go off. thanks.

[friday7]

I can't take any type of steroid. My body swells, especially my face and neck. My internist in the US said I looked like a person with Cushings. I had horrible stomach pains and it caused my liver enzymes to become high. If it hasn't helped with your ear problems I would definitely ask to be taken off. Maybe you can call an pester the GI's office and get in to see him sooner. I hope you start feeling better.

Yeah it hasn't helped with the ear problems..if anything it's worse cause now I've got this crushing headache. So there's no reason to continue.

The GI 's office already knows I want to get in right away..the best they can do is call me if someone cancels. I've been eating just soup the past few days which has helped a little..I don't know why but whenever I get GI symptoms it helps to eat soup.

[comfortzone]

Steroids can be such a trip. I've taken prednisone several times for lots of different reasons - usually a burst and then a taper....to help whatever issue is bothering me. They cause a voracious appetite in many folks and I'm one of those. It cause high energy levels where I feel like super woman....but it also causes insomnia and can cause irritability. It can tear up your stomach as you note. ENT's often have good reason to try steroids when there's odd things going on with the ear. I knew one patient that had a sudden onset of hearing loss that never returned on one ear only. She went to urgent cares whose docs all tried antibiotics etc.....well she never had an infection and lost valuable time for treating this 'sudden loss of hearing' syndrome - where the treatment of choice was/is steroids. Usually they are short term and very helpful ... and some docs like ENT's have uses for them that are above what the general public usual knows about. You can take a steady same amount daily if it's not too high and end without a taper - but much of the time you will taper off of them ... So it may be 70, 60, 40, 20, 10, 10, 5, 5 -- things like that......It knocks out your own production -- and you taper off of it so your own system wakes up again and starts making what it needs....thank goodness we have them - sometimes they save people from untold miseries with rashes and itching, allergic reactions, pain and inflammation etc.

[Lizzegrl]

Steroids are not to be messed with. I have been on and off varying doses for years. Generally side effects can be slower bowel motility, anxiety, sleeplessness, bursts of energy with mood swings, and when I hit a certain level - poof - moonface, major swelling, water retention, weight gain and increased appetite. Some of them can hit out of the blue even after you have been on them a while.

Never ever stop taking them cold turkey, because your body has to be allowed to ramp up its own production again. Higher doses can really impact the body in a variety of ways long term, so docs have to really weight the cost/benefits. I was recently told that my high dose levels have probably cut years off my lifespan, but since the alternative for me is likely resp. arrest, it isn't a question of lifespan, it is staying alive now!

As an aside, 4 mg is a low dose in my scope of things. If you haven't seen an impact, talk to the doc about it and your side effects. Don't just stop!