Kenalog-40 side effects

RosaD

Hi - I'm new to the site and trying to find out whether anyone has suffered adverse effects from being injected with Kenalog-40. I had an injection at the end of July into my big toe which only had the early stages of arthritis. It was designed to relieve pain.

Within weeks I suffered narrowing of the joint space and degeneration of cartilage. Neither my consultant nor his colleague have ever seen a case like mine before and can't explain why it's happened. I'm facing having the joint fused.

I can't believe I'm the only person this has happened to. So if you know of anyone else having similar experiences, I'd be so grateful to find out how they got on, what kind of treatment they ended up getting.

Thanks
Rosa

dreamdaisy

I think this is a steroid, yes? Sometimes they work and sometimes they don't, I've had many over the years (both into joints and in my backside, I have two kinds of arthritis) and never had anything resembling benefit, apart from one into my right ankle for my OA which was effective for around three months. Any form of arthritis is degenerative and progressive, but the rate at which these happen is as individual as us.

I don't speak from experience but I know that some on here have had joints fused, I hope they see your post. I wish you well. DD

RosaD

Thanks DD. You're right it is a steroid. I've been online and in the US, there are groups getting together to submit a lawsuit to the company for the side effects. For me it's that I didn't know I had arthritis when I had the injection, the consultant only mentioned it after things started going wrong. So it's all been a bit of a shock getting my head around it all. Particularly as I was really active before the injection (albeit with painkillers!) xx

theresak

I`m sorry this has happened to you - I haven`t heard of it before, I`m afraid.

I`ve had lots of steroid injections but my rheumy always injects depomedrone, not kenalog, as does my GP.

dreamdaisy

The fact that things have worsened for you is not a side-effect, it is what arthritis does. It seems unbelievable (if not unreasonable) that in the 21st century there is a disease which affects so many and for which very little can be done but that is the case. There are between eight to ten million arthritics in the UK, the majority of whom have OA. Americans are litigious by nature, probably thanks to their having to pay directly for treatment and so they demand results. Diseases do not necessarily respond to human demands.

It does take a while to adjust, especially if one has a healthy background. Healthy people catch a bug, go to the docs, get some meds and then get better but arthritis doesn't work that way. We go to the docs, take what meds we can and don't necessarily improve that much; it's not easy to accept or live with. Are any of your other joints affected? DD

LignumVitae

I'm sorry you've had this happen. Kenalog has long been my steroid of choice, has done me much good and caused me no major side effects.

stickywicket

I've only had steroids in knees, ankles and shoulders. I don't know which kind but the worst I've heard about the jabs is that they don't work not that they cause other nasties.

I think you must have had arthritis in the joint previously otherwise why inject it? It seems to me it's just the OA getting worse which is, unfortunately, what it tends to do.

weejim1961

After suffering for years with pain in knees ankles and hands, my doctor referred me to a rheumatologist. First thing I got was a kenalog injection in my backside and 2 days later I was like a new person pain down to a low level and even got asleep at night. Went back 6 weeks later and all the X-rays and blood tests showed I had Rheumatoid and Osteo arthritis. I was still doing great from the injection so came back 6 weeks later and got another kenalog as my joint pains had started to get worse as the previous injection was wearing off. Bingo was like a new man again for another 10 weeks, no side effects whatsoever from the injection. Unfortunately I slipped and fractured 4 ribs, so had to get a bone scan done and I have osteoporosis. Mainly due to taking steroids for my crohn's flare-ups through the years. So I wasn't able to get any more of the kenalog injections and got put on methotrexate instead. But out of the 2 of them I personally seemed to benefit more from the kenalog as i didn't have to take any other pain killers with it and i also get some side effects from the methotrexate. But at the same time we are all different as many other people have tried kenalog without it making a peep of difference to their symptoms.