Reversing Steroids Devastating Side Effects

Steroids drugs including cortisone hydrocortisone and prednisone carry a risk of serious, permanent and debilitating side effects. They suppress the body's ability to express a normal immune response and mask the symptoms giving the appearance of an instant miracle cure. Learn about safe and natural alternatives to steroids and to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAID.

Steroids Devastating Side Effect

The medical community seems to have a particular blind spot about these drugs, refusing to believe that steroids can cause the terrible carnage that the manufacturers have long admitted to. For over 30 years we've known that steroids can routinely cause over-activity of adrenal hormones, which produces Cushing's disease. They can also cause muscle wasting, hyperglycemia, water retention, bruising, insomnia, serious mood changes, menstrual problems, impotence, loss of libido, or even allergic shock and diabetes. (Source: Physicians Desk Reference).

Daily low doses of a commonly prescribed oral steroid, prednisone, can double your risk of hip fractures and cataracts, scientists reported today. Researchers have long known of the link between higher doses of oral steroids and dangerous side effects, but the new study shows the potential for side effects at much lower doses, says Dr. John B. Wong, an associate professor of medicine at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston. The problem is that prednisone and other steroid medications are critical in managing diseases in which inflammation plays a painful role, Wong says.

"Low-dose steroids are used commonly in a number of diseases, including patients with asthma or arthritis," he says. Prednisone also is used to treat Crohn's disease and other inflammatory bowel disorders. Wong stresses that people who are taking this medicine should not stop doing so based just on these new findings. "If patients are worried about the long-term side effects, I'd encourage them to discuss it with their doctors," Wong says. "The benefits of the medicine might clearly outweigh the risks."

The study tracked the progress of 4,993 people with rheumatoid arthritis for 15 years, monitoring their medications and subsequent health. Those who'd taken 5 milligrams to 10 milligrams of prednisone a day were twice as likely to break their hips and 2½ times as likely to develop cataracts as those who had taken no prednisone, the study says. And those who'd taken the steroid at these low doses for three or more years were 3.2 times as likely to develop cataracts as those who had not taken prednisone, it says. Findings are being presented today in San Francisco at a meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians.

Steroid abuse can lead to serious, even irreversible health problems. Some of the most dangerous among them include liver damage, jaundice (yellowish pigmentation of skin, tissues, and body fluids), fluid retention, high blood pressure, increases in LDL (bad cholesterol), and decreases in HDL (good cholesterol). Other reported effects include renal failure, severe acne, and trembling. In addition, there are some gender- and age-specific adverse effects:

• For men: shrinking of the testicles, reduced sperm count, infertility, baldness, development of breasts, increased risk for prostate cancer
• For women: growth of facial hair, male-pattern baldness, changes in or cessation of the menstrual cycle, enlargement of the clitoris, deepened voice
• For adolescents: stunted growth due to premature skeletal maturation and accelerated puberty changes; adolescents risk not reaching their expected height if they take AAS before the typical adolescent growth spurt.

Jeffrey Levy M.D. - "Corticosteroids (cortisone-type anti-inflammatory drugs) are the most abused and dangerous class of drugs. Not only do they not cure the underlying cause of the problem, they usually make the underlying problem, that is, the real problem, worse."

Fred Pescatore, M.D. - "Many of our most debilitating diseases can be traced to an inflammatory cause.." Inflammation contributes to more pain, disease, and disability than any other condition. Unfortunately, many people unwittingly eat foods that greatly contribute to inflammation.

Negative Effects of Steroid Use in ANIMALS

Steroids are among the most commonly prescribed conventional treatment for dogs with inflammation, but the danger and negative effects of steroids are often left on the sidelines.

"Steroids (also called prednisone, cortisone or the nondescript “allergy shot”) are the least optimal treatment choice, as they work by suppressing your pets immune system. Steroids actually turn the immune system off, which improves the symptoms remarkably fast but doesn't address the root issue of why your pets immune system is over-reacting in the first place. Not only can steroids have a negative effect on your pets liver, adrenal glands and kidneys, but suppressing your pets immune system with steroids also allows for opportunistic yeast and bacteria to grow on your pets skin, sometimes increasing the chances that antibiotics may be prescribed. Karen Becker DVM

"Sometimes when I look at the lists of things that corticosteroids do that aren't good for the patient it is hard to understand why we use them. But it is important to remember that they also have beneficial effects, as you have seen. As long as the beneficial effects are important and are providing an increased quality of life it seems reasonable to use corticosteroids. You just have to be careful to watch out for the pitfalls and adjust treatment plans accordingly." Mike Richards, DVM

Corticosteroids treat the inflammation, BUT NOT the root cause of the inflammation, which essentially means that the underlying cause is still present. Holistic veterinarians use natural supplements to relieve the animal's pain and inflammation. Many pet owners aren’t even aware of the fact that their dogs are receiving corticosteroid treatments, which means that many pet owners aren’t aware of the pile of side effects and the potential for leaving the main condition untreated.

The most common forms of corticosteroids prescribed to dogs are prednisone, prednisolone, triamcinolone, and dexamethasone. Methylprednisolone is also commonly prescribed. These are all what’s known as “synthetic corticosteroids,” which have an increased effectiveness and period of activity. These steroids are generally approved in pill format or through injections.

Non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) for pets are just as harmful as steroids.

"Corticosteroids ("steroids") such as prednisone are frequently used when treating allergic dogs and cats. While chronic steroid use has many potential side effects that can harm your pet." Dr. Shawn Messonnier, DVM

The biggest downside to steroids is they turn your pet’s immune system off. When the immune system is shut down, your dog or cat will have a very hard time fighting secondary infections. Traditional medicine for both people and animals is about treating symptoms with prescriptions – not treating the cause of those symptoms. It’s not uncommon for pet owners to be unaware the drug their animal is receiving is a steroid.

Veterinarians will frequently refer to a dose of steroids as an “anti-inflammatory shot,” or an “allergy shot,” or an “injection of cortisone.” If you’re not aware your cat or dog is taking steroids, or you’re not knowledgeable about what the drug can do to your pet’s body, you can end up shocked and distraught at the host of secondary side effects brought on by steroid therapy. Most disturbing to many pet owners is the discovery that the underlying disease process that created the inflammation is still there.

Christopher Day DVM - "Steroids and anti-histamines have been used with variable temporary effects, with the risk of side-effects. These drugs also render the horse ineligible for competition."

"You take your dog to the vet with a skin infection. Your vet gives your dog a steroid injection. The skin infection clears up. Later, you discover your dog has kidney disease. Is there a clear connection between the steroid injection and your dog's diseased kidneys? You don't know. But we do know that steroids are known to damage kidneys. We also know, from the drug manufacturers' own data sheets, that steroids can cause liver damage, brittle bones, diabetes, adrenal insufficiency, an inability to deal with stress, and damage to the immune system." Catherine O'Driscoll

Natural Alternative to Steroids FOR pETS

If your dog or cat is suffering from joint problems, arthritis or hip dysplasia, has trouble getting around, perhaps due to a sore leg or hips or a painful joint, NuVet Lab has made it their mission to help your furry friends when they’re sick and then keep them healthy for years to come.

Steroids, The Most Abuse Class 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 Rheumatoid 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 exceptions 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.

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.

Steriods cause Long-term damage: quick and dirty

• Osteoporosis can occur within a matter of months. Steroids cause 8 per cent reduction in bone mass after four months (Ann Int Med, November 15, 1993), the equivalent of the effect on your bones of having your ovaries removed. Even low doses of inhaled steroids (400 micrograms per day) reduce bone formation (The Lancet, July 6, 1991).
• Low doses (10-15 mg prednisone) for a year can cause cataracts (Surv Ophthalmol, 1986; 31: 260-2).
• Topical steroids may begin to cause eye damage or raise pressure after two weeks. Extensive visual loss can be caused by a 1 per cent hydrocortisone ointment, which is available OTC (BMJ, August 20-27, 1994).
• Rub-on steroids have caused Cushing's syndrome in children as soon as a month after treatment has begun (Arch Dis Child, 1982; 57: 204-7).
• Inhaled steroids slow growth in children after six weeks (Acta Ped, 1993; 82: 636-40. See also, The Lancet, December 14, 1991).
• Dr. Al-Bayati - "High doses of corticosteroids and other immunosuppressive agents cause AIDS"

Side effects that may be caused by the long-term use of steroids include cataracts, muscle weakness, avascular necrosis of bone and osteoporosis. These usually do not occur with less than four weeks of treatment.

Avascular necrosis of bone, usually associated with high doses of prednisone over long periods of time, produces hip pain and an abnormal MRI scan. It occurs most often in the hip, but it can also affect the shoulders, knees and other joints. Caught early, the joint can be saved by "decompression" by an orthopedic surgeon. Once full developed, Avascular necrosis is painful and often requires surgical joint replacement for pain relief.

Steroids reduce calcium absorption through the gastrointestinal tract which may result in osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones. Osteoporosis can lead to bone fractures, especially compression fractures of the vertebrae, causing severe back pain. Calcium, at least 1500 mg of the calcium carbonate form or equivalent, should be taken.

There is also a relationship between steroids and premature arteriosclerosis, which is a narrowing of the blood vessels by fat (cholesterol) deposits. In general, there is a close relationship between the side effects of steroids and the dose and duration of their use. Thus, a high dose of steroids given over a long period of time is more likely to cause side effects than a lower dosage given over a shorter period of time.

"Furthermore, my investigation revealed that the majority of AIDS patients suffer from metabolic and endocrine abnormalities [1]. The high prevalence of adrenal insufficiency observed among AIDS patients provides strong evidence that AIDS in these patients is caused by the use of corticosteroids" Mohammed Ali Al-Bayati Ph.D Toxicologist, and Pathologist

Dr. Al-Bayati discovered that the steroid treatments, Prednisone and Azathioprine had completely destroyed my immune system and were the culprits that were not allowing my bodily systems to repair themselves. In essence my HMO gave me the appearance of medication induced "Aids."

Topical corticosteroids are often prescribed intermittently for short-term reactive treatment of acute flares and supplemented by emollients. Reactive treatment with corticosteroids offers rapid and effective symptomatic relief for acute flares. However, there are considerable safety concerns associated with their use, particularly when they are applied continuously. Potential adverse events are primarily cutaneous (principally skin atrophy, but also telangiectasia, hypopigmentation, steroid acne, increased hair growth and rosacea-like eruptions), but there may be systemic effects (suppression of the hypothalamicpituitary- adrenal (HPA) axis, growth retardation, increased risk of glaucoma cataract and Cushings syndrome).1620

Effect of Prednisone on Mood and Memory

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.

Corticosteroids are essential for life and an integral part of the stress response. However, in excess, corticosteroids can be associated with a variety of effects on the brain including hippocampal atrophy and even neuronal death, mood changes, and declarative memory impairment. The magnitude of mood change in patients receiving prednisone is reportedly associated with previous lifetime corticosteroid exposure, consistent with a sensitization or kindling process whereby greater effects are observed with repeated exposure.

To our knowledge, the effect of multiple corticosteroid exposures on mood and memory has not been previously examined prospectively in animals or humans. In this study, 30 human volunteers, with no history of systemic prescription corticosteroid therapy, were given (in random order using a crossover design) two 3-day exposures of prednisone (60mg/day) and one of identical placebo, with 11-day washouts between each medication exposure.

Steroid Abuse in Today's Society

Once viewed as a problem strictly associated with body builders, fitness "buffs," and professional athletes, the abuse of steroids is prevalent in todays society. This is an alarming problem because of increased abuse over the years, and the ready availability of steroids and steroid related products. The problem is widespread throughout society including school-age children, athletes, fitness "buffs," business professionals, etc. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates that more than a half million 8th and 10th grade students are now using these dangerous drugs, and increasing numbers of high school seniors don't believe steroids are risky. Another study indicated that 1,084,000 Americans, or 0.5 percent of the adult population, said that they had used anabolic steroids. These are just a couple of examples of how widespread the problem has become.

Sudden death on steroids

Steroids, even in low doses, can kill or maim. The common thread in the following cases was that the drugs weren't used for long periods but had a swift and devastating effect. Steroids gave James Hart osteoporosis in three months and killed him inside of one year. In July 1994, James Hart was diagnosed as having fibrosing alveolitis, a lung disease. A body-dye scan at the time showed that he was otherwise healthy, with every other organ besides the lung in good shape. Up until that spring, he'd been a keen golfer, playing a full round twice a week. He was given oxygen therapy at home, plus 12 tablets of 5 mg of prednisolone per day. The drug was intended to give his body a boost, to help him gain weight. Within a month, however, James's weight increased dramatically, bloating out of all proportion. His skin became very thin and his arms and hands were discolored purple, bruising at the slightest touch. Although the steroids weren't alleviating the lung problem to any degree, and the dosage was halved within a month, James suffered terrible mood swings, and soon developed a misshapen neck and back, usually termed buffalo hump, a well-known side effect of steroids.

Five months after he'd started on steroids, James was crippled and incapacitated, with pain to his back and ribs; eventually, his family discovered he had a broken vertebrae and damaged rib-cage due to osteoporosis. He was no longer able to go to the toilet on his own, and a month later, he'd contracted diabetes and developed a liver problem.

By early June 1995 he could no longer eat due to mouth and gum ulcers, which were slow to heal. A month later-exactly a year after he'd started on steroids-James died of liver, pancreatic and kidney failure. When he was dying, his family could not even hold his hands, because it would damage his skin and cause blood vessels to leak. On his death certificate, the lung disease was not considered the major cause of his death.

Steroids killed nine-year-old Lexie McConnell after only five and a half weeks. In August 1993, Lexie was diagnosed as having toxoplasmosis. The consultant put her on 80 mg per day of prednisolone. Immediately, she suffered severe side effects, huge weight gain, terrible pains, holes in her tongue and black stools. After nearly a month, at her parents' pleading, the doctors quickly lowered the dosage to 60 mg, 40 mg, 20 mg. In excruciating pain, Lexie was taken to a hospital, where it was discovered she'd contracted chickenpox. Four days later, she died. A few years later, another eye specialist declared that a simple course of antibiotics could have cleared up her infection. The above excerpt is from Ursula Kelly's site

"For years I had been a "junkie"--addicted to prescription and over the counter drugs. used oral and topical anti-inflammatory corticosteroids for 9 years to suppress my eczema/psoriasis. The steroids' side effect nearly killed me and did nothing to cure my eczema. The side effects caused me to swell-up like a balloon and triggered terrible mood swings from deep depression to nasty outburst our rages. Functioning of vital organs such as my liver, kidneys, lungs and spleen were nearly shut down and I thought I would die." Shirley

Cortisone is Western Medicines most common treatment for skin ailments

The ingestion of cortisone or the application of cortisone cream begins the vicious cycle of degeneration. Cortisone actually compromises skin integrity and suppresses the body's natural ability to heal. Skin, being the largest organ of the human physiology, is fundamentally linked to all systems of the body. The use of cortisone, whether external or internal, causes adrenal depletion and thus the domino effect begins, eventually forcing the reactions into the lungs the internal skin of the body. Western medicine focuses so predominantly on the symptoms of a disease and rarely addresses the core issues, especially in the case of a miasmic response.

An important step in initiating the healing process is to offer the client the opportunity to understand that their skin condition is their body's way of expressing unresolved emotions through their skin. By assisting the client to connect with and acknowledge these emotions and encouraging them to verbalize their feelings, the body can begin to heal. Cleansing the large intestine and then the liver and gall bladder with herbal support and dietary management to avoid the triggers, as well as implementing ways to neutralize the stress that triggers the underlying emotional response, are key strategies in the health regime. The practitioners prime focus is to first inform the client of the process involved and then to fully open the miasm with homeopathic support. If the life force and immune system of the client are low, then it is very important to support the blood chemistry with appropriate foods and herbals. In particular, the reduction of stress will assist the miasm to deactivate." Understanding Eczema and Psoriasis for a practitioner.~ Brian Knight

Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs NSAID

HOUSTON --(May 20, 2003)-- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may damage more of the intestine than previously thought, according to images taken by a swallowable, capsule-size camera pill used in a Baylor College of Medicine study. According to the study, announced today at the Digestive Disease Week 2003 conference in Orlando, capsule endoscopy detected NSAIDs-related injury in the small bowel, an area of the gastrointestinal tract unreachable by other diagnostic tools such as endoscopes. The tool detected small bowel erosions in 62 percent of NSAID users compared to 5 percent of non-NSAID users.

"More than 100 million prescriptions for NSAIDS are written annually in the United States," said Dr. David Graham, lead author of the study and a professor of medicine and molecular virology at Baylor in Houston and chief of the gastroenterology section of Houston VA Medical Center. "The study shows that the patients who take NSAIDs regularly have an increased risk of small intestinal mucosal ulceration and bleeding."

In response to a peripheral infection, innate immune cells produce pro-inflammatory cytokines that act on the brain to cause sickness behavior. When activation of the peripheral immune system continues unabated, such as during systemic infections, cancer or autoimmune diseases, the ensuing immune signaling to the brain can lead to an exacerbation of sickness and the development of symptoms of depression in vulnerable individuals.

These phenomena might account for the increased prevalence of clinical depression in physically ill people. Inflammation is therefore an important biological event that might increase the risk of major depressive episodes, much like the more traditional psychosocial factors.

According to a study published in Nature, a key step into how the immune system powers inflammation has been discovered by Klaus Ley, M.D., a scientist at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology. The study focused on neutrophils - important immune cells which play a vital role in many diseases.

Boosting Your Glutathione Level as Holistic Alternatives to Steroids

The various types of inflammation all have several things in common. The most important, they are associated with disease and injury. Often times inflammation can be treated by boosting intercellular glutathione. Boosting glutathione (GSH) can be accomplished by increasing dietary intake of cysteine and the GSH co-factors. Over 78,000 clinical research papers on glutathione/GSH have been published since the 1980s and they reveal that people who suffer from systemic inflammation and chronic degenerative diseases like cancer, Alzheimers, MS, Parkinsons, and the other diseases listed earlier all have one thing in common -- low levels of glutathione/GSH in their body.

Omega 3 fatty acids: The Natural Anti-Inflammatory

A groundswell of nutrition conscious doctors and veterinarians are recommending their clients to supplement their diet with a daily dose of flaxseed oil. These doctors are finding remarkable results in clearing up skin conditions, relieving arthritic and inflammatory pain, as well as improved overall health. Flaxseed oil and other healthy oils, rich in Omega-3 fatty acids play an important role in immune anti-inflammatory responses. Supplementation with omega-3 fatty acids can restore the body's balance and mitigate the effects of inflammatory factors. Fish oil and Flaxseed oil are the best source of omega-3 fatty acids.

Joseph C. Maroon MD - "Did you know that the root cause of serious chronic diseases such as heart disease, Alzheimer's disease, cancer, arthritis, and asthma has been identified as chronic inflammation? Although numerous studies have confirmed these findings, few physicians are aware of or consider the fact that the battle against inflammation is at the forefront of the fight for health and well-being of the global population. Authors Joseph Maroon and Jeffrey Bost have set out to reverse that trend with "Fish Oil: The Natural Anti-Inflammatory."

The effects of MSM on Rheumatoid Arthritis almost Mimic that of Cortisone

MSM, a natural form of organic sulfur found in all living organisms, is present in body fluids and tissues. It is part of the amino acid chain. Without the presence of the proper amount of MSM in the body, the amino acids will continue to build the glands but fail to produce the correct enzymes, so animals and people are then prone to unnecessary illnesses. MSM is an important dietary supplement for people and animals.

Stanley W. Jacob MD - "In a double-blind study of MSMs impact ondegenerative arthritis, he found that patients who ingested 2,250mg of MSM a day for six weeks felt an improvement in their pain reduction by 82%, on average."

Ronald M. Lawrence MD - "I've been practicing medicine for 50 years, and in all those years I've never seen a substance like this" Lawrence says in The Journal of Anti-Aging Medicine a peer-reviewed scientific journal, published Lawrence's preliminary study results last July. Arthritic cartilage has only one-third the level of sulfur concentration of normal cartilage - perhaps that is why MSM has been so effective in treating arthritis. But researchers don't know for sure if MSM is beneficial for arthritis because of its sulfur content or because of its anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. Unlike aspirin, which offers immediate pain relief "MSM takes three to four weeks before you have noticeable changes Lawrence says, "except in rheumatoid patients - they have felt differences in just one day, and certainly by three or four days." According to Jacob, Lawrence and Zucker's forthcoming book, MSM can be a natural remedy for: osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, tendonitis and bursitis, muscular soreness and athletic injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, post - traumatic inflammation and pain, heartburn and hyper-acidity, headaches and back pain, allergies."

Excerpts from a Holistic chat member:

• "I've had acute ulcerative colitus for 6 years. A few years ago the disease got really bad and the combination of compromised intestine and prednisone (yuck) caused me to get a secondary disease, leaky gut, which is essentially a floating inflammation looking for a home. Within 7 days I went from normal to being so swollen with rheumatoid arthritis that my husband had to sit me up in bed, carry me to the bathroom, and I even got a handicapped thing for my car. I heard about MSM a few times; one college track star was taking it for shin splints, and some post office workers were taking it for repetitive stress syndrome. My understanding of it is that it's a substance that's in your bone marrow, part of regrowth, and as you get older, you produce less of it. It's odorless, no side effects, no contraindications, and your body will urinate out what it doesn't use, so it's hard to take an overdose. I started taking it and I'm positive it's 90% of the cure of my arthritis. I have ZERO symptoms of arthritis now. I recommend MSM to anyone in a state of bone or joint reparation."
• "MSM is awesome stuff. I am going to start using it again. Even though I am on AIDS drugs and they make my hair thin out, while I was on MSM for a few months my hair grew in quite thick. When I stopped using it my hair started falling out like crazy again. So, that is why I'm going to start up on it again. My girlfriend uses it for her year round environmental allergies and finds that it works better for her than allergy shots. This is good stuff for sure. Not to mention how nice it makes one's skin look!!"

"When flutist Eugenia Zukerman developed a rare lung disease and began taking the powerful drug prednisone as part of her treatment, she was subjected--with little choice and less preparation--to a barrage of side effects: intense mood swings, bloating, changes in her hair and skin, gastrointestinal problems, and more."

Cats are more resistant than dogs to the effects (and side-effects) of corticosteroids.

The most common side effects associated with the use of corticosteroids are increased drinking, urinating and appetite. These effects are less noticeable in cats than dogs but weight gain does seem to accompany the use of corticosteorids in cats pretty frequently.

Prednisone and other corticosteroids may cause other side effects, as well. Hairloss, dullness or thinning of the hair coat is occasionally seen in cats. Thinning of the skin and increased susceptibility to skin infections may occur. Panting is commonly seen in dogs as a side effect of corticosteroid use and is seen less frequently in cats, as well. We have had a couple of feline patients who developed diarrhea as a side effect of prednisone usage. Ulcers are reported to occur sometimes after corticosteroid usage but I don't recall seeing this problem in any of our patients.

Generalized immune suppression can occur, particularly at higher corticosteroid doses or with frequent administration of corticosteroids. This is the side effect that we worry the most about in cats, as there is some evidence that corticosteroids can make it possible for dormant feline leukemia virus or herpes virus infections to reappear. It is a good idea to watch carefully for signs of illness when it is necessary to use corticosteroids in a cat and to report any signs of illness to your vet as soon as possible.

Corticosteroid may lead to an increased incidence of pancreatitis in dogs but I am not sure if this problem occurs in cats. Use of cortisones makes it harder to control insulin dosages in diabetic pets and they may even help to induce diabetes in susceptible pets.

In people, corticosteroid induced psychoses are reported. I honestly think that this occasionally occurs in pets but have no real scientific data to support that belief. Still, if your cat starts hiding out all day, is more aggressive, or exhibits any recognizable behavioral changes it would be worthwhile to report them to your vet.