I have been tapering off of prednisone for a few months. I am at 7mgs. Last week I got a cortisone injection in my knee(and aspirated) and about a week after I got it I haven't been able to take a good deep breath. It feels the same as when I tapered off of prednisone too fast. If anyone has had a similar thing happen to them please tell me, I appreciate it.

Can't answer directly, but wanted to hug you for the knee stuff and the breathing stuff. Maybe increase your daily pred by a mg or 2 for a couple of days, then restart the taper?

I would put in a call to the Dr. Steroid shot's on top of the Prednisone could be the cause but I would still call.

Thanks guys,
& thanks for the hugs. Hugs to you too.

I have watched a couple friends struggle with steroid side effects, and in particular one has complained about short breath when there is too much cortisone in her blood. If she continues to take cortisone it gets even worse, with panic attacks and severe insomnia. She has sworn off all steroids now, after the last bad reaction.

Thank you SJLC, I would like to swear them off too. I had a hard time with my heart racing and shortness of breath after a cortisone injection,it's awful. I won't do it again, I amgoing to write myself a note and have my husband give it to me incase I get tempted to have another one in my knee. I am hoping by fall to be off prednisone for good, 1 mmg a month otherwise the breathing gets weird. I wish I never strted taking the stuff, I didn't know better at the time, I had done little to no research and I was at 10 in pain with a newborn.Anyway I will learn from this and hopefully never get another cortisone injection as long as I live.

It's strange how cortisone can be life-saving for some people and miserable for others... and for still others, it is both at the same time!

Prednisone is definitely like that for me. I feel absolutely wonderful on short courses of it, but almost the moment I come off I feel bad again. For me its the worst possible teasing - it gives me a hint of what life could be like if I had decent antiinflammatory treatment, but wthout a diagnosis I am stuck with antiinflammatory gel and codeine and that really does very little. There are times when I really feel that I would rather have a couple of really good years on regular pred and wreck my body with it, than stay in the state I am in now. I don't think I'd ever do that because I value life too much, but it is just so tempting.

Cemc,

You are smart to stay off of it. I have always been at a pretty low dose, but it is hard to taper down and it takes months and it messes with your mood too. I get grouchy when I tpaer or increase it too much. I didn't know it can mess with breathing too, I tapered too fast recently and I paid for it, I could not take a deep breath for 3 days, I had no idea what was wrong with me. Then I realized I tapered too many mgs in a matter of a few days.
Take care!

When my girls were small they called my Pred pills my "grumpy pills".