OT prednisone side effects on GI system?

[DarknessEmbraced]

I just wanted to update on how I've been doing. I was on prednisone and azithromycin for 5 days in March for a trachea infection, then another 5 days earlier in May for an asthma flare up due my allergies. My asthma flare up never stopped so my family doctor has put me on a prednisone taper for a month. I take 50mg for 3 days, then decrease by one pill after 3 days and so on. I can use my symbicort not only as a preventative medication but now as a rescue inhaler. I'm on reactine, singualir, avamys corticosteroid nasal spray as well and use saline nebules in my nebulizer. My family doctor said that I'm on all the medication they can give me. She's worried that I might have to be on prednisone the entire allergy season. She's referred me to a pulmonologist but since there's only one here there could be a 6 to 12 month wait to be seen. I've never been on prednisone for so long. My question is to those who've been on prednisone for long periods: Did prednisone affect your GI system? I've heard it can make me more hungry and can be hard on my stomach.

[Ron50]

I am a long term survivor, over 16 years after stage3c into 6 nodes. I had the usual 5fu but every second week it was enhanced with levamisole. It was banned in 2001 in the US for sometimes fatal side effects. Levamisole is commonly used as an anti-parasitic in animals and is quite effective. The animals are lucky they usually only get a tablet or two when reqd. I had 234 tablets over the 48 weeks I was on chemo. Levamisole is once again a health problem in The US as it is being used by drug dealers to cut cocaine. It is having dreadful side effects on drug addicts. Many people have told me that levamisole was not the cause of my long term side effects but that and my opinion that it was are pure conjecture. My most serious problem is nephrotic syndrome of the kidneys. I lose up to seven grams of protein a day thru my kidneys. I have had three kidney biopsies. None have been able to dx my problem and it remains an auto immune disease of unknown cause or type. My first nephrologist decided it was minimal change disease and for 18 mos had me on a daily dose of 75mg of prednisone. It was not MCD and prednisone did not help. As a matter of fact after I was weaned off it I was diagnosed with type two diabetes. Not only diabetes but I suffered the full list , moon face ,hump back , calcium loss and osteoporosis. Luckily it did not effect my eyes and It was lucky that I was already taking up to 80 mg a day of somac (proton pump inhibitor) or I would have been having gut problems. It is a dreadful drug. I have been recorded as having 10299 premature ventricular and atrial ectopic heartbeats a day. Another possible effect of prednisone. I now take cyclosporine which is a very powerful imuno suppressant . Every now and then my nephrologist asks me to take a week of 5mg of pred as I have what appears to be auto immune hepatitis. Between cyclo and pred my elevated liver functions drop quickly. I also have asthma and psoriatic arthritis and supposed to have ankylosing spondylitis though the latest gp suspects that the mess and pars fractures at the base of my spine may be due to spinal injuries early in my life.I am supposed to use symbicort as a preventative for asthma. I try not to and use ventoloin at bed time to get me thru the night along with the cpap machine. I don't like pred and I try not to use it. Ron.

[DarknessEmbraced]

I'm sorry for all you've suffered Ron. My asthma is so bad that if I wasn't on all of my medications including symbicort, I wouldn't be able to function. I'm hoping that I won't have to be on prednisone longer than a month. I'm glad it's a tapering dose this time as opposed to the 50mg a day of prednisone that I've already had twice this year. I already have osteoporosis due to parathyroid disease. I've had both parathyroids on the left removed. I see my endocrinologist sometime in August. I may need a third surgery to remove another enlarged parathyroid gland. Prednisone is a double edged sword. On the one hand it has many side effects which can become quite severe but on the other hand it has helped me to be able to breathe. Ventolin alone isn't enough for me unfortunately. I haven't had to take the maximum dose of symbicort and hopefully won't have to. So far with prednisone I've noticed that I sweat some especially at night and my hands/face are a little puffy.

[Ron50]

You have my best wishes DE I have lived all of my life with chronic asthma. My mother suffered very badly as did my brother for many of his early years. With my kidney problems I suffered pulmonary oedema and with sleep apnea in rem sleep my O2 levels drop below 80% . I know what it is like to wake at night not being able to understand why I am breathing but not getting any benefit from it. Fortunately cpap has helped with that but that feeling of panic still lives in my mind. I even bought a generator so that if the power ever goes off for a prolonged period I can still run the cpap. Best of luck for the future I know that they are doing an enormous amount of research on asthma here in Australia , here's hoping some of it will pay off for you and your fellow sufferers, Hugs Ron.

[DarknessEmbraced]

Thank you Ron, I really appreciate that. I'm glad that CPAP has helped you. Sorry to hear your mother and brother also have asthma. Yes, I hope that one day they find a cure for asthma. I'm hoping that I can find an expectorant pill that doesn't contain a cough suppressant. Mucinex isn't sold in Canada. I'd rather use a pill because syrup coats the back of the throat. Hope you rest well tonight, Ron!*hugs*