Not complaining, just questioning: Longterm medication use makes most patients snappish

[blm]

to degrees that no one around them has ever experienced in the past. It is an adjustment for the patient and for those who are part of that person's life.

After a freak accident at a gas station in 2009 (where I was showered in the face with gasoline from a broken pump) I had to be on heavy doses of prednisone (steroids) daily for over 4 months due to the chemical burning of my inner lungs (chemical pneumonitis), nasal spray (with steroids), eye drops (more steroids), and inhaler (even more steroids).

It's difficult to sleep, your immune system is shot to hell, and you become snappish...commonly labeled as Pred-Head by many in the medical field.

Every time I felt ready to snap at someone, especially my daughter (known as baby blm to long time DUers), I had to consciously and with determined deliberation remind myself that it was 'just the drug' and to let the perceived aggravation pass. I stayed off DU for most of that time. I probably would have been in permanent combatant mode if there had been an election cycle at that time.

When we here at DU recognize the severe health strain that some of us have been or are currently going through and recognize some of the side-effects, can we reach out with second chances for those who seek forgiveness for the temporary lack of control? In some cases it really is "Just the drug."

[SharonAnn]

1. Yes, I felt the same effect with prednisone. Just plain grouchy and irritable.

Felt like I should wear a sign around my neck that said "I'm sorry, it's not your fault."

[jwirr]

27. I thank you for that discription. My severely disabled daughter took prednisone for years to try to

stop seizures. It never worked. What I am thanking you for is the knowledge of how she must have felt. She cannot communicate.

[still_one]

2. It depends on the drug. Millions are on anti hypertensive medications

Without personality changes

The example you gave prednisone is very potent and is literally a lifesaver for many conditions. Stopping such drugs must be done slowly and carefully or severe issues will result, which is why this should only be used under a doctors supervision

I hope things are going well for you now, and wish you the best

[blm]

4. Thanx - I recovered with some leftover lung damage. My concern is obviously for NYC_SKP

More than a few of us old-timers here noticed the drastic change in tone after severe health setbacks, and hope his dismissal will be just temporary and that he'll be met with understanding and forgiveness.

[KittyWampus]

35. Did you notice his posts after Sandy Hook? After Charlie Hebdo?

[blm]

39. no….actually, I am unaware there was a problem there….

but, I am also accustomed to being on opposite sides of issues with a number of members. I never felt the troll vibe from him.

[bigwillq]

3. I was on prednisone for two weeks

and it was awful.

It made me an entirely different person. Hated it.

[bravenak]

5. I was on steroids for a few weeks and it completely changed me.

I actually felt super aggressive and people said I acted weird/not myself. It messed with my self control a bit too.

[blm]

7. Imagine 2 months or 2years. I can't imagine past the 4 months I dealt with it.

My jaw was so on edge I truly felt my teeth were ready to explode out of my mouth.

I can't imagine what those who have undergone near-death health issues dealt with in regard to the longterm effects of such harsh medications.

Mine was bad enough. They have my sympathy…..and….my understanding…..and…..open arms.

[bravenak]

9. That must have been a trying time.

I truly sympathize with peopke dealing with serious illnesses. It must be very difficult.

[blm]

10. I feel positive that is the issue with the most recently banned member.

And I hope this board shows its heart.

Some will never understand the severity of the change unless they go through it firsthand. I hope this thread helps because people like you are sharing your own experience.

[bravenak]

11. I think so too.

And i hope we do show how empathetic we are today.

[BronxBoy]

14. I have been on prednisone on and off

for about 4 years.

The worst was when I was first diagnosed with my condition. I was on a heavy, heavy regimen for quite awhile.

One day I was leaving the house and any wife asked me about paying the mortgage. I totally went off on her, just really, really ballistic. As soon as I left the house, she called the doctor and said "Get my husband off this shit"

We still laugh about some of the shit I said and did while I was on it.

[blm]

18. That is classic 'Pred-Head'

heheh

[Horse with no Name]

58. or it's other name

"steroid induced psychosis"....



very familiar with that...lol

[blm]

61. lolol

.

[snooper2]

6. not weed, been on that medication for 20+ years...

[blm]

8. heheh…and THAT is why it should be legal…..everywhere.

; )

[bluesbassman]

29. Back in the day we called that being a Dead Head.

[blm]

31. and still do…..

; )

[Romeo.lima333]

12. already addressed

[blm]

21. can you expound on that?

.

[Romeo.lima333]

22. sorry for being cryptic my op said that i think that maybe nyc_skip was going thru the same pain

and that would explain his flame out. then i read the previous posts and saw it was already addressed so instead of leaving the repeat i took it out. sorry no offense meant to anyone

[blm]

23. I haven't seen other OPs about this.

Glad they were posted, though.

[Romeo.lima333]

24. no they were posts inside your post. i didnt read the replies before i posted. so i wrote what i

wrote what i wrote then i read the replies to your post then changed mine.

[shanti]

13. how awful for you!

one of my sons was partying on the beach with some friends last saturday. he decided to go hunting for wood for the fire, but unfortunately picked up some poison oak and also threw some on the fire. the next day he was swollen like a balloon and miserable. now he's on prednisone, so i'll be on watch for any of the symptoms you described. i had no idea...

[blm]

16. It happens to MOST everyone who uses it.

Good luck - the more he is aware of what to expect, the easier it is to remain calm when those feelings start to take over.

[NutmegYankee]

38. Corticosteroids act like hormones.

I had to take some doses for medical conditions and can attest to the Grumpy phase.

[MissDeeds]

15. So sorry you had to endure this, blm

And thanks for your insightful, compassionate last paragraph.

[blm]

25. Live and learn, then help others.

,

[Rex]

17. Hell, if I drink a Red Bull it changes my personality! Have no idea why.

Chemicals can do strange things to individuals.

[Scootaloo]

26. Nyquil gives me all those fun side effects on the bottle

Nighttime seizures followed by three days of complete white-knuckle paranoia and stress.

[blm]

33. Wow - so far it never hit me like that.

Mr blm seems to like it, though.

[BlueJazz]

19. I totally agree with what you're saying. I've made a few remarks on DU that I wish I had not said.

I take Lexapro for mild depression. If I take TOO much, I tend to not know when to shut-up...but that's just a some-what-but-valid feeble excuse.
As far as the banned member is concerned, I hope they calm down, realize the mistake, maybe wait a week or two and kindly ask to be reinstated.
I would find that hard to turn down.

[blm]

20. After 14 years here many have become family, even though I don't do

the smalltalk thing enough to let them know it. ; )

[Ilsa]

28. I nearly moved into a hotel after two days of

Corticosteroid therapy for poison ivy. I was having to bite my tongue so often. Everything got on my last nerve.

[Nite Owl]

30. I've been on various doses

of prednisone for 8yrs. I feel much better taking it more energy,less swelling and pain but the side effects can be deadly.
I developed Diabetes 2, retain water, gained about 30lbs, and have osteoporosis.
I need to stop taking it but the the pain and swelling from RA will return and withdrawal is extremely unpleasant and takes a long time.
I started the decrease yesterday and actually went to sleep after breakfast for 3hrs this am. Never done that.
It's the drug you love and hate.

[blm]

32. Exactly. Works great…..BUT……...

.

[scarletwoman]

34. Thank you so much for posting this. I feel awful for NYC_SKP.

I have, in fact, noticed that his recent posts were getting increasingly hyperbolic, but I didn't put 2 and 2 together with the facts of his recent brain surgery.

I definitely don't think he deserved a total ban, I think a time-out would have been more fair. I have no idea what his home situation is - maybe he doesn't have anyone to give him feedback when his emotional reactions are over-the-top. We humans have a hard time recognizing when we're going off the rails unless there is someone holding up a mirror.

I hope the Admins will show compassion and reconsider.

[blm]

52. I've struggled with my health issues that pale in comparison to his,

so it was one of the first things I thought of when I saw the snappish tenor of some of his posts.

[KittyWampus]

36. Sometimes a troll is just a troll. Interesting to see an over the internet diagnoses

getting credit here.

The troll's weirdness goes back years. At least to Sandy Hook. Which was what…. 3 years ago?

[blm]

40. Kitty, I am submitting firsthand experience, as are others, and

also submitting that a longtime use of heavy medications for a vast array of serious health issues could have contributed to NYCS' disastrous behavior which seemed markedly different from his postings of earlier years.

Not all weirdness is trolling, though, I would submit that all trolls ARE weird. ; )

[UglyGreed]

37. Pain and lack of proper

medication could make one testy also.....just sayin"

[blm]

41. Oh - did I forget to mention the Oxycodone?

; )

[UglyGreed]

43. Was NYC taking

oxycodone? I had no idea he/she even had brain surgeries. In my case I was in a better mood when I had some pain relief, now I just whine on DU from time to time to distract myself from the pain. Hope I don't get banned

[blm]

44. He probably was - I cut back a lot myself so my body wouldn't become

addicted.

I can only guess what he has been going through with his much more serious health issues.

[UglyGreed]

45. I like to use the

word dependent, just sounds more respectable. IMO we have enough labels cast upon us

[blm]

50. heheh…..dependent sounds so………..dependent.

; )

[UglyGreed]

66. Addicted is

sometimes associated with weakness and at times criminal activity. Maybe we should use the term Discontinuation syndrome like they do for Antidepressants......

Main article: Antidepressant discontinuation syndrome
Antidepressant discontinuation symptoms were first reported with imipramine, the first tricyclic antidepressant (TCA), in the late 1950s, and each new class of antidepressants has brought reports of similar conditions, including monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs), SSRIs, and SNRIs. As of 2001, at least 21 different antidepressants, covering all the major classes, were known to cause discontinuation syndromes.[125] The problem has been poorly studied, and most of the literature has been case reports or small clinical studies; incidence is hard to determine and controversial.[125]

People with discontinuation syndrome have been on an antidepressant for at least four weeks and have recently stopped taking the medication, either abruptly or after a fast taper.[126] Common symptoms include flu-like symptoms (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headaches, sweating), sleep disturbances (insomnia, nightmares, constant sleepiness), sensory/movement disturbances (imbalance, tremors, vertigo, dizziness, electric-shock-like experiences), mood disturbances (dysphoria, anxiety, agitation) and cognitive disturbances (confusion and hyperarousal).[126][127][128] Over fifty symptoms have been reported.[129]

Most cases of discontinuation syndrome last between one and four weeks, are relatively mild, and resolve on their own; in rare cases symptoms can be severe or extended.[126] Paroxetine and venlafaxine seem to be particularly difficult to discontinue and prolonged withdrawal syndrome lasting over 18 months have been reported with paroxetine.[125][130][131]

With the explosion of use and interest in SSRIs in the late 1980s and early 1990s, focused especially on Prozac, interest grew as well in discontinuation syndromes.[132] In the late 1990s, some investigators thought that symptoms that emerged when antidepressants were discontinued, might mean that antidepressants were causing addiction, and some used the term "withdrawal syndrome" to describe the symptoms. Addictive substances cause physiological dependence, so that drug withdrawal causes suffering. These theories were abandoned, since addiction leads to drug-seeking behavior, and people taking antidepressants do not exhibit drug-seeking behavior. The term "withdrawal syndrome" is no longer used with respect to antidepressants, to avoid confusion with problems that arise from addiction.[126][133][134] There are case reports of antidepressants being abused, but these are rare and are mostly limited to antidepressants with stimulant effects and to people who already had a substance abuse disorder.[135] A 2012 comparison of the effects of stopping therapy with benzodiazepines and SSRIs argued that because the symptoms are similar, it makes no sense to say that benzodiazepines are addictive while SSRIs are not.[136] Responses to that review noted that there is no evidence that people who stop taking SSRIs exhibit drug-seeking behavior while people who stop taking benzodiazepines do, and that the drug classes should be considered differently.[137][138]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antidepressant

Just sayin"

[blm]

67. Sounds WAY better.

.

[olddots]

42. so many people have crashed and burned here

I have three times plus the net is a drug that has many side effects .When we can see each other we cut each other more slack.

Imagine DU as a video enhanced format that couldn't be hacked ,can we do that ?

[Jamastiene]

46. I had the opposite effect when I was on Pred.

It made me go from incredibly grumpy because of the pain, to very mellow, because I wasn't feeling the pain any more. It really helped me and made me more agreeable to be around at the same time too. My family said they wished I could stay on it forever, because it helped the old pre-intense-daily-pain me come back.

[blm]

47. That's the first I heard of that, but then, I was on other stuff for pain.

What type of inflammation were you fighting at the time?

[Jamastiene]

48. I have De Quervain Syndrome in

my wrists. It was for my left wrist at that time, which is the most painful one. My doctor never gave me anything for the pain. They just kept telling me to ice it, but the ice never worked. When he gave me a round of Pred, it made it much better and my mood went from super grumpy to happy go lucky and just free of that pain. Unfortunately, when the Pred treatment ran out, he said no more. So, I ended up having to get a Cortisone shot.

Now, the Cortisone shot hurt like hell. They stuck the needle in and put the stuff in there. I could see it going into my wrist. I have very small wrists and hands compared to the rest of my body. The Cortisone shot went in like a very thick putty almost, from the look and feel of it. I could see it through my skin when he put it in. It made it hurt, not worse, but in a different way along with the De Quervain Syndrome pain, for about 2 weeks. After that, it started getting better. Plus, they immobilized that entire arm and hand. I couldn't move it at all. They especially said to avoid using my thumb. I work taking care of my quadriplegic aunt. That really isn't an option, because that is an "on call" kind of job, where if she's gotta go to the bathroom or needs medications for the throat spasms and lots of other stuff she needs, I gotta jump and go. I had to work around it as best I could.

The doctor that gave me the Cortisone shot (in another part of the big hospital complex we have here) told me I was going to hate him for the next two weeks, but that it would get better after that. He was right. I honestly wondered why anyone would subject themselves to that, but when the relief came, it was like the relief I got from Prednisone, but lasted much longer.

It still comes and goes though. Right now, it isn't as bad as it was, but it is back. It is in my left wrist worse than my right, same as before.

[blm]

49. Funny how different human beings can be. Cortisone shots never worked on me -

yet work wonders for most people.

Wishing you the best, J_. If you ever feel overwhelmed let us know here. Apparently there are many shared experiences amongst us.

[Jamastiene]

53. I hope you can get relief too.

Pain is not something that is easy to live with. It can change a person from happy go lucky to grumpy. I've seen that.

[Horse with no Name]

59. I've taken prednisone for many years off and on

and my experiences have always been fine until the last couple of years.
I truly dread having to take it now...it makes me feel so bad that I am not sure the ends justifies the means anymore.

[kcr]

51. Yes, I have personal experience with this.

I won't go into details but it was a pretty rough patch. It helped to realize that it was the prednizone talking. It's harder on the internet because we don't know what's going on with the other person and we don't have that personal connection either. But I agree with you and it's just a good philosophy in general.

And man, what an ordeal about the gas station. I hope you're fully recovered.

[libdem4life]

54. After two head injuries...car accidents (not my fault)...I lost my ability to sleep. Everything

else seemed to heal fine. And since I'm opposed to taking medication and have had the fortune of good health, I was terrified of dependency on sleeping meds. I almost lost my mind with sleep deprivation while raising a young son who didn't sleep...later diagnosed with ADHD. (Not a winning combination)

I was in therapy, and finally my psychologist insisted that I be medicated and sleep. So he and the psychiatrist agreed, and I was prescribed 2...one very potent, one for getting drowsy. Since it will never heal, I'll be on them for the rest of my life, but it has definitely made a difference in my tolerance level, to be sure. Of course there's that other thing called age...now Social Security age. But females in my family live to almost 100..that's a long time to take these pills.

Not sure whether it is the condition (brain malfunction) or the medication...one of which is usually only prescribed for a few weeks...but I'll be on it for the rest of my life. The way I put it is that I'm addicted to sleeping a whole night...still wake up one to two times every night...but knowing help is on the bed stand ramps down the panic.

Thanks for sharing...you can't believe the "ideas" I got for sleeping before the meds. One was to run around the block before bedtime...(in the city in the dark, right,)

[blm]

55. wishing you the best….we're here to listen if you need understanding audience.

There is also a forum here at DU.

[libdem4life]

56. Thank you. Which forum?

[blm]

62. Go to Health Forum - there are a number of sub-forums.

.

[libdem4life]

63. Thanks.

[Horse with no Name]

57. Agreed. I have had some pretty signficant health issues over the last few years

culminating this past year. There were times I was so horrid I didn't like being around myself....due to the medicine as well as the effects of the medicine on the condition and sometimes just the condition itself.

I feel to a large degree that the majority of my issues are behind me, but on occasion, they do rear their ugly heads.

But I know for a fact from being a nurse....anytime you have head injuries or brain injuries, those will almost always present long-term issues for the person who suffers from them, despite the fact that they might be fully functional otherwise.

With that being said, we have no idea who sits behind these keyboards. I would venture to say that the few DU'ers that I have on my personal FB page are pretty shocked to actually get to know who I am....and I suspect that is the way for many.

I personally recognized that spending a lot of time here, coupled with the illness that I have been going through, wasn't a very good combination so I made myself scarce and will most likely continue to do so.

I am fortunate to interact with Skip outside of DU. It has been a pleasant surprise to see the person on the other side of this anonymous keyboard. I can assure you that he isn't at all what he is being accused of.

This type of medium does not always present the best side of ourselves. That should be something that is taken into consideration into most of our dealings on these types of message boards.

[blm]

60. Thank you for posting this. I've thought there was more to the story

than what we witnessed.

I appreciate your post very much.

[Nac Mac Feegle]

64. Prednisone: the greatest drug that ever gave you a buttload of side-effects

There are tales of people gaining 300 lbs and winding up in padded rooms.

And it's one of the best, preferred treatments for some conditions.

One of which I happen to be 'blessed' with.


The wife mentioned something about mood swings being common with it, and I said; "Great one more thing for me to put up with."

She replied "You have to put up with?"


Hopefully they can start cutting the dosage in a month or two.

You gain weight just breathing on this stuff. I'd lost a lot of weight because I was unable to eat, and now it's all come back, with a vengeance.

There HAS to be some thing else, for FSM sake.

[Horse with no Name]

65. there are a couple of things you can do

of course talk to your doc about them first.
First of all, never take it in the evening if you want to sleep.
Any dose of steroid, because of how it works, can be taken as a single dose or divided doses. Most of it is physician preference.
I personally take mine all at once usually around 8 am because that is the best time due to normal circadian rhythms and your body can best utilize it and metabolize it. If you do divided doses, taking it around 8 and again around at noon and then around 6 or 7.

Here is a really good abstract regarding it. Good luck.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3475279/