The Steroid of the Devil

I haven't been on prednisone in a while and I still cringe when I think of it or hear the word.

Most people love prednisone. It seems to fix every problem, right?

Have poison ivy? Take prednisone.
Trouble with bronchitis? Take prednisone.
Inflammation in your bowels? Here's some more prednisone!

But anyone who has been on it for an extended period of time knows that it is The Steroid of the Devil.

You don't sleep - ever - maybe 2 hours a night and usually that is in 30 minute clips. There is simply too much on your mind. Always nervous. Everything is a major catastrophe.

And when you wake up, you need to change your clothes. Why? Because you have hot sweats worse than most menopausal women.

Oh and don't get me started on the hunger - might as well order a pizza while you are awake at 3am. I went from 130lbs to 180lbs. On my 5'9" frame I like to keep things around 150. Did I mention the weight gain was in about three months?

My face was so swollen my cheeks hurt. In my driver's license photo you can just about see my eyeballs. It looks like if you stuck a pin in my face water would come gushing out.

It also eats away at your bone density, and your mind. Mood swings? HA! Like a crazy person.

I will never take prednisone again. EVER. I have since found out that I am steroid-unresponsive. It only took 3 years of bouncing around 60mg to figure that one out...