tjf0220 Posted April 22, 2021 Report Share Posted April 22, 2021 I am suffering a possible flare up from taking a round of prednisone and i’m trying to decide if i agree that this is an autonomic flare up or something else my doctors are missing. Has anyone ever had severe anxiety from digestion? eating any food or taking any medication? i can’t figure out what’s happening to my body? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted April 22, 2021 Report Share Posted April 22, 2021 Hi @tjf0220 - too had a severe flare from prednisone. Yes, digestion can cause anxiety. This is because when we eat the parasympathetic NS causes most of the blood to be diverted to the GI system. That causes - of course - less circulation to the brain etc., and can cause overcompensation by the sympathetic NS, causing anxiety, diarrhea, palpitations, tachycardia, chest pain and other POTS symptoms. It is very important to be mindful of what you do during a flare: I rest and avoid stimulation but do exercises in bed and get up every 30 minutes or so, do leg exercises to stimulate circulation, drink LOTS of fluids and increase salt ( if approved by cardiologist ) and wear compression hose. I was completely out of circulation during my prednisone flare, and the first time actually ended up in the hospital b/c I could not get up at all and took autonomic seizures. The second time I had one after Prednisone ( I now am not allowed to take it unless it is an emergency ) it was a bit less severe. Wishing you a quick recovery - hang in there!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf0220 Posted April 22, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 22, 2021 can i ask how long the flare lasted? mine has currently lasted 3.5 months and is still going. @Pistol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted April 23, 2021 Report Share Posted April 23, 2021 10 hours ago, tjf0220 said: can i ask how long the flare lasted? mine has currently lasted 3.5 months and is still going. @Pistol My flares usually last only a few weeks. I am lucky since I have a port and get home infusions, so I can get extra IV's whenever I flare, and that cuts them short. Before the IV fluids I lived pretty much in a constant flare. The Prednisone flare lasted a few weeks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallieAndToby Posted April 24, 2021 Report Share Posted April 24, 2021 On 4/21/2021 at 10:08 PM, tjf0220 said: I am suffering a possible flare up from taking a round of prednisone and i’m trying to decide if i agree that this is an autonomic flare up or something else my doctors are missing. Has anyone ever had severe anxiety from digestion? eating any food or taking any medication? i can’t figure out what’s happening to my body? I've been on iv steroids and oral prednisone and both made me insanely ill. Luckily when I stopped prednisone my symptoms went away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tjf0220 Posted April 25, 2021 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2021 they think it’s a possibility that the prednisone permanently changed something in my physiology. i’m pretty much living a nightmare every day of my life now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoGiuliana Posted Sunday at 11:22 PM Report Share Posted Sunday at 11:22 PM I am wondering if I am in a flare after taking one dose of prednisone. Seems crazy. I have had a bad cold and my dr prescribed antibiotic bc of worsening sinus infection, and also prescribed prednisone. I was hesitant to take the prednisone as I always am of any new med--and it didn't seem necessary. However since she said it would relieve inflammation and was severely congested, I took one dose. I had some symptoms that day that I think were caused by it including sweating and a high-ish heart rate. Because of that I did not take another dose. But now I am in a POTS flare. The flare could be due to the cold/infection but I have not ever had a flare up after a cold. Ugh. Appreciate any experiences with prednisone and flare ups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted Monday at 12:55 PM Report Share Posted Monday at 12:55 PM @MomtoGiuliana My autonomic specialist had warned me to not take steroids unless I am in a hospital setting because it could cause severe symptoms. In 2021 I was hospitalized for respiratory failure from COVID and then developed sepsis. I was put on steroids during this time and tolerated them surprisingly well. But of course I was very ill, so who knows? I think any illness can cause a flare in most of us, so it may be hard to tell what it was. Sinus infection is pretty hard on the immune system, so I imagine the infection alone may have done it. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you will feel better soon! Hugs! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MomtoGiuliana Posted Monday at 05:10 PM Report Share Posted Monday at 05:10 PM 5 hours ago, Pistol said: I think any illness can cause a flare in most of us, so it may be hard to tell what it was. Sinus infection is pretty hard on the immune system, so I imagine the infection alone may have done it. I wish you a speedy recovery and hope you will feel better soon! Hugs! Yes very true. This has been worse than COVID, for me, in terms of how long it has lasted and how poorly I've been feeling. I just can't shake the congestion--it's been 11 days. Thank you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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