Prednisone for Fibromyalgia

So let’s pretend you have a chronic neck or back pain, Fibromyalgia or another condition that has a lot of inflammation and swelling that goes along with it.  So your friendly MD puts you on Prednisone to help it…what’s the big deal?

Well, basically what Prednisone does is decrease inflammation while depressing your immune system.

Common Side Effects according to www.drugs.com include difficulty sleeping; feeling of a whirling motion; increased appetite; increased sweating; indigestion; mood changes; nervousness.

This increased appetite, frequently leads to weight gain.  People who have fibromyalgia or who are in chronic pain also commonly have depression symptoms. Weight gain can increase those depression symptoms.

There are other more severe side effects to prednisone include severe allergic reactions (rash; hives; itching; difficulty breathing; tightness in the chest; swelling of the mouth, face, lips, or tongue); appetite loss; black, tarry stools; changes in menstrual periods; convulsions; depression; diarrhea; dizziness; exaggerated sense of well-being; fever; general body discomfort; headache; increased pressure in the eye; joint or muscle pain; mood swings; muscle weakness; personality changes; prolonged sore throat, cold, or fever; puffing of the face; severe nausea or vomiting; swelling of feet or legs; unusual weight gain; vomiting material that looks like coffee grounds; weakness; weight loss.

Prolonged use of prednisone can cause adrenal glands to atrophy and stop producing cortisol. 

That’s not good!  Patients are often told not to stop taking prednisone suddenly. The dose has to be tapered gradually to allow the adrenal glands, which have atrophied, time to recover. If not, the person could put themselves into an adrenal crisis (e.g., nausea, vomiting, shock).

What to Do Next

So if you are put on any medication for any reason continue to seek the cause of the condition.  Especially if it is a drug as dangerous as Prednisone.

Do not just continually rely on a medication to cover up the effects but seek the cause.

If you have Fibromyalgia or Chronic Pain, please continue to read about NUCCA and seek answers.

It’s your body and your responsibility.

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