Is predinisolone steroids an effective treatment for a kidney ailment?
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Many people see the name prednisone and immediately think steroid use for muscle building.Yes,prednisone is used in diseases of the kidney.You are on a moderate dose and yes there can be side effects.Weigh this against not receiving.
At the age of 18mos.,my son developed a chronic kidney illness.Placed on prednisone 50mg. 4Xdaily,by mouth,I too was afraid.Discuss with your Dr. or your pharmacist
,either one is able to alleviate your fears or at least understand the drug better.
Today,my son is a healthy man.I thank God that this drug was available.That was 40yrs ago.Medecine knows even more today.
Doses are titrated according to each person's history and side effects vary.None of the side effects in themselves is life threatening and do stop after the drug is finished.Take care.
#1 NAN
02/08/07
11:30a.m.
Prednisone is a blessing and at the same time a nightmare. The side effects can be upsetting, but sometimes it is the best choice of drugs to treat certain problems. Hold on, grin and bare it.
Look at the link, follow the advice, that is all you can really do.
DIABEETUS
Steroids The Sleaziest of Drugs
Steroids are fast catching up with antibiotics as the most abused class of drugs in your doctor's black bag. There's no doubt that the discovery of steroids a half century ago was a major advance in medicine-a life-saver for those like the late President John F Kennedy, who suffered from Addison's disease, a disease of the adrenal glands causing insufficient hormone production. Steroids mimic the action of the adrenal glands, the body's most powerful regulator of general metabolism. John Stirling, director of the vitamin company Biocare, credits a very short course (three injections) of steroids with jump-starting his failing adrenal system after anaphylactic shock and saving his life. The problem is, like antibiotics, steroids appear to be a miracle 'cure'. Patients with crippling arthritis or asthma seem to be instantly better on steroids.The wheeze, the swelling, the pain go away. So doctors turn to steroids as the first, rather than last, line of attack for their anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effects.
As with antibiotics, what was once reserved for the extreme emergency is now being used on the most trivial of conditions. Steroids are now handed out as readily as antibiotics, even to babies, at the first sign of inflammation of any sort. The latest drug set to replace gripe water for babies with croup is a steroid (budesonide); hydrocortisone is included in the latest over-the-counter medication for piles. Steroids make up many OTC skin drugs, and are considered the drug of choice for asthma, eczema, arthritis, back problems, bowel problems like ulcerative colitis-indeed, for any and all inflammations or allergic reactions-and new uses are still being invented. The sole exceptionis Addison's Disease, where steroids act as a replacement therapy of cortisone, much as insulin is given to diabetics.
Far from being a wonder drug 'cure all', steroids cannot cure one single condition. All they do is suppress your body's ability to express a normal response. In a few instances, this type of suppression will give the body a chance to heal itself. But more often, the effect is immediate, devastating and permanent damage. And we are only now realizing just how quickly damage can occur. Despite what doctors say, that steroids only have side effects after many years of use, there is no such thing as a safe dose.
Studies show that steroids cause permanent, debilitating effects after a single dosage. With long term use, some of the more common side effects of steroids include changes in appearance, such as acne, development of a round or moon-shaped face and an increased appetite leading to eight gain. Steroids may also cause a redistribution of fat, leading to a swollen face and abdomen, but thin arms and legs. In some cases, the skin becomes more fragile, which leads to easy bruising. These take weeks to begin appearing.
Psychological side effects of steroids include irritability, agitation, euphoria or depression. Insomnia can also be a side effect. These changes in appearance and mood are often more apparent with high doses of steroids, and may begin within days. Injected Triamcinalone (see above), or oral dexamethasone seem to cause these changes less, but as they stay in the body an undesirably long time, rendering them second choices.
An increase in susceptibility to infections may occur with very high doses of steroids. Prednisone may also aggravate diabetes, glaucoma, and high blood pressure, and often increases cholesterol and triglyceride levels in the blood. In children, steroids can suppress growth. These effects are reversed once the steroids are stopped.
Prednisone helps the healing process faster but it is a nightmare where your sugar is concern,your sugar will shoot to the moon,Thet put me on it once and my sugar stayed in the 400 til i came off it i never took it again.Just keep check on you sugar levels.my dr failed to tell me that would do that ,I found out on my own scare the death out of me when I asked him about it he said oh yea I forgot to tell you
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