anyone else have high anxiety from prednisone?

Boomer13

I don't think this is just my imagination, but I'm having a pretty severe anxiety reaction since starting prednisone a few days ago. It's horrible :shock: :x

It's taken me 24hrs to figure out it's the prednisone. I get irritable from pain, but not panicky like this. I remember an energy boost starting it last time, but not this. I was much healthier then, though. Hopefully, it'll settle down in a couple of days.

I'm by myself right with Mr. Boomer away so I may ask for some hand-holding from everyone. I'm not normally a wimp but, Wow, this and the recent increases in pain have floored me. I'm not even able to take my own advice....

Does anyone else experience this while starting prednisone?

stickywicket

I can't help re the pred, Boomer, but I'm a qualified hand-holder As for taking my own advice - not a chance

Boomer13

Thank you SW. It always helps to have a laugh.

trepolpen

for me it varies the side effects from the steriods , sometimes it makes me depressed but not always , depends on the level take & with under 10mg dont get it , talk to your GP if you are having problems

dreamdaisy

Prednisalone 'hops up' your whole system so yes, it can have this knock-on effect. I never felt that way but, as you know what is causing this (and you know it's a 'lie') then try gentle but deep breathing, relaxation exercises, calming music in the background (and I mean calming, not heavy metal), try to lose yourself in a good read (nowt scary) and I hope things settle soon. DD

lizzy100

yea i started to feel really anxious and awful on them, at one point i felt i like was going mad, like a psychosis or something. i couldnt sit still, my head was just buzzing, i felt like i was constantly on edge. hopefully lower doses would help you

DebbieT

Funnily enough I had a talk with my GP last week about this medication coz I've got a persistent chest infection with asthma. It can cause psychosis so you really ought to contact your Dr. She was very clear with me on this!! I'm not trying to scare you I'm just relaying wot she said. If I notice any change in mood, perception etc I was to ring them.

As ure alone I'd think it would be best to put any concerns to rest by having a chat with someone from ure team. I'm sure ure fine I mean to be on the safe side. Being home alone could well be all thats causing the high levels of anxiety!! Wot doesn't affect one time may another & as uve said uve been floored by the change in pain levels etc this really is a strong possibility.

I'm really sorry if I've upset or offend you or anyone else ... I couldn't live with myself knowing the possible side effects & not saying anything.

Massive hugs & I'm here to gladly hold ure hand.xxx

Kittkat

I had a severe anxiety attack on steroids thought I was in a bad dream wasn't good. Hope you get sorted soon

maria09

Hi
Good advice from DebbieT it can play havoc with your emotions to say the least
Try get to see your GP before the weekend
My daughter was on a high dose which was reduced weekly and she's just stopped she does now feel happier in herself now as she got quite down with it
Like with ant medication always read the leaflet enclosed they have to tell you the side effects even though some may sound nasty just so we know what to look out for
I'm free for pocket duties
Hope you feel better soon
Maria

dreamdaisy

Hi, how are things now? Are you coping OK? We're here if needed. DD

Starburst

Hi Boomer, how are you holding up? Prednisolone can send your system into overdrive with anxiety and insomnia being quite common, especially on higher doses. It should be used in caution with people who have a history of mental ill health. Do speak to the person who prescribed it and keep an eye on your mood. We are all here if you need to talk. x

Mat48

Hi - I haven't got a history of mental ill health but steroids send me off into bipolar land. I have some in my bag just now because I'm going away for a few weeks and am on lower amount of injectable Methotrexate so am feeling it. The GP would only let me have some on the basis that I phone her or my usual GP first to let them know I want to take it. I couldn't really see why she stipulated this but then I remembered my GP saying that he wouldn't want me on them apart from in an emergency. I went to see him on day 3 of Prednisolone with all my hair sticking up on end and very manic. It did settle down as I slowly came off it but it was quite frightening so I would definitely see your GP. Hope you are okay? Mat x

Boomer13

Oh my goodness how did I manage before I found everyone here?? !!

Thank you all so much for your support. It really is tremendously helpful. Tears are streaming just now......I'm very grateful.

Mat48 wrote:

my hair sticking up on end and very manic.

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
Mat, that describes it perfectly. Really something, I've never experienced anything like that before.

DebbieT: I'm certainly not offended; you are trying to help. Thank you for your input and caring

Ok well here's my update. I saw my doctor and told her what was happening. And, to my horror looked at the date on my prescription and it was over a year old!! I've taken the new one today and so far I'm feeling better. So Dr. thought maybe reaction was from deterioration of med. ??

I just have this problem throwing things out. I thought I'd use the old one up before starting the new prescription. Learning the hard way as usual........Kicking my own a**# right now and laughing out loud at myself.

My brother is on his way to stay with me for a few days, so that'll be welcome company. Thank you all for hand-holding & PD.

xxAnna

dreamdaisy

Never, ever take meds that are out of date. Unlike food (which may look, smell or taste odd) meds don't change anything which we can sense. I know that the expiry date refers to the last day of that month - after that I take mine to the chemist for disposal. DD

Boomer13

Very good advice, DD. I feel like a bit of a fool and I definitely know better :oops: :oops: . Should have thrown the darn stuff away. Somehow, it still seems not very long ago that I filled it. Time just races by for me.

It's the kind of mistake you only make once...

DebbieT

Oh lordylou, Im glad the Dr has now made you realise the perils of out of date meds, it's live & learn in this instance luckily!!

I'm glad ure brother is coming for a visit Take care & remember we're here if needed.xxx

dreamdaisy

I know there's a theory that time is a measured thing but I reckon that's borrox. It flies when you're having fun, crawls whe you're not and generally accelerates as one ages.

You cannot throw meds away, you take them to a chemist for proper disposal. I'm glad that you are feeling OK with the new stuff. DD

Boomer13

Yes absolutely. Sorry I was careless in my typing there. All meds diposed of properly back to pharmacy.

Boomer13

Well I'd like to say it's much better and that I could blame the expired meds, but I started having problems again today. I'm wondering if I'm just more sensitive now that I'm on mtx and plaquinel too. Going back to see doctor again tomorrow and so happy I have company here now

catt

Oh dear its a good few years since I was prescribed prednisolone but I clearly remember that it must be used under supervision, built up and ended gradually.

Steroid infusions administered in hospital sent me completely manic - I went from being helped to walk into the ward to running around all night.

These are just my personal experiences but I hope they help you in your decision making. In the battle to cope with our condition we are prescribed some very powerful drugs = treat them with caution.

Best wises catt

Boomer13

Thank you catt. It's reassuring to know others have similar reactions.

It can go away anytime. As manic as I feel, I'm also exhausted and really can't think straight :? Yikes.

dreamdaisy

What dose are you taking? I never went higher than 20 but I remember people on here who were taking 40, 50 or 60 and they were feeling like :shock: . I hope you are OK. When is your brother arriving? ((())) DD

As5567

Boomer13 wrote:

I don't think this is just my imagination, but I'm having a pretty severe anxiety reaction since starting prednisone a few days ago. It's horrible :shock: :x

It's taken me 24hrs to figure out it's the prednisone. I get irritable from pain, but not panicky like this. I remember an energy boost starting it last time, but not this. I was much healthier then, though. Hopefully, it'll settle down in a couple of days.

I'm by myself right with Mr. Boomer away so I may ask for some hand-holding from everyone. I'm not normally a wimp but, Wow, this and the recent increases in pain have floored me. I'm not even able to take my own advice....

Does anyone else experience this while starting prednisone?

I have felt like this once while on steroids, but that was only when I was cutting down the dose too quickly, the only other mental health sort of side effect I get is that they make me very angry and the slightest thing can set me off......great drug but so many side effects to look out for. Going to your doctor was the right thing to do.

DebbieT

I'm sorry it wasn't as simple as expired meds

I think you need to have a chat with ure Dr today. Ure post was in the early hours so I'm hoping wen you put tomorrow it was actually today??

Please let us know how ure doing Anna, Also, has ure brother arrived yet?xxx

maria09

Hi
Hope you are not suffering too much today
Have you got an appointment with your GP?
I have a pet hate when it comes to out of date drugs and knowing exactly what meds you are on that you know why you are taking them and the side effects ( its the nurse in me!)
But no lectures you have certainly had a really tough tough time with your steroids
Hope your doc can help
Be kind to yourself and enjoy time with your brother
Maria

Boomer13

Thank you all again for continuing to offer support.

I saw my doctor again today and we had a good talk. In an exceptionally articulate moment I managed to state how feeling this manic & irrational combined with my normal state of illness/pain mental fog was making me a potential hazard to myself.

In a double bonus, I think I may have finally been able to convey the severity of my symptoms overall; huge for me as I am a chronic understater of these things.

While I'm still feeling horrible, I guess the positive is that it's not worsening.

Dr. suggested reducing the dose by half to see what happens ( I was hoping to just stop it altogether!!). So I'll try that. It's good to add to all your comments about care and handling of prescriptions that just because you haven't had a particular side-effect once doesn't mean you can't have it the next time. This was news to me. Tired of all my prescription "soup" right at the moment and the disease too.

Thanks for reading and for all your care and warm wishes. My brother is here now so I will be having a brief visit and then husband is home after the weekend so I'll have lots of "keepers" around. This is the first time I've felt like I needed one of those..... :shock: Will be having them double checking what I'm doing now for a bit. Hopefully there will be some fodder for laughter later in all of this....

Looking forward to getting some sleep eventually and being much calmer.

Anna