Profuse sweating is driving me crazy, anyone help?

Hi Wendy,

I have been taking steroids for several years, off & on depending on severity of illness. The post referred to my latest reduction! It has taken me weeks to get to 5mg & this time my GP wants me to stay on a maintenance dose of about 4mg. It depends on whether my pain gets worse.

You are very lucky to have no side effects - does that mean none from the steroids at all, or only from reducing? The terrible sweating I have starts as soon as I begin taking steroids but usually becomes a lot less as I reduce. That is only one of the many side effects they cause me, others are abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, dry skin, hair loss, & on & on! I actually refused to take any more last time I managed to stop but had to resume because of unbearable pain - I had to use a walker & was contemplating a motorized wheelchair when the GP persuaded me to give steroids one more chance. I'm not sure now if I did the right thing but have to live with the consequences. I know not everyone is so badly affected, my cousin has no problems at all!

I was actually hoping that someone else might have the same problem as me, ie the sweating & redness & maybe give me some tips. The typical steroid "moon face" is not very attractive either - on the rare outings I used to make some of my friends did not recognise me!

Thanks for replying, I am glad you have no major problems.

 

Hello

My health issues with Chronic Urticaria was severe...quality of life was gone and was living in agony with pain and discomfort.  Prednisone is both good and bad to us.  It is giving me quality of life this past year with the cyclosporine...both not good to be on long term. I did experience moon face a couple of time if I came down too fast on the prednisone, also yes my skin is dry and noticed after going down more on the cyclosporine that I have been losing some hair :-( hopefully that will stop. Had a bone density test and now have osteopenia so I need to be better in taking calcium and Vitamin D.  I think I may need to stay on low dose of 3 mg for awhile...months maybe.....or longer.  Hopefully such a low dose won't do too much damage.  I do get some sweats sometimes but that could be post menapause.  As mentioned very very slow gradual going down 1 mg at a time and stay at that level for couple weeks or more each time...then go down another 1mg and so on.....that is what helps me.  I love my doctor she really knows what she is doing.

take good care!

wendy

Hi Vicki,

I hope your husband improves, seems like he & I are sort of in the same boat - having to put up with the side effects to help the illness.

Thanks for replying, it helps to know I'm not the only one!

yes! Patience IS very important.  Very slow going down on Prednisone.  Have you had any noticeable hair loss?

thanks

wendy

Hair loss isn't a problem for me - I didn't have much to start with I am a guy,so hair loss is a constant

Yes Wendy, I have hair loss each time I resume taking steroids. It's not very pleasant, or attractive! For me, the combination of hair loss & frizziness caused by the sweating is so unattractive it adds to the reluctance to be seen by anyone!

Thankfully, my hair returns to normal after stopping the meds. I don't know if that will be the case this time, as I will be on a low maintenance dose! Fingers crossed!

Hello

 I wonder why I am just now starting to lose some hair since I have been a such a low dose 3 mg for almost 2 months.  I have also been experiencing frizzy hair the past couple of months!!  Doesn't feel or look like my hair anymore.  I am due to continue this 3mg for a few more months.  Are you losing a lot of hair? I wonder why I didn't lose hair when I was on a higher dose.....unless it was because I was on Cyclosporine as well.  I'm slowly going off that and that is when I started to lose hair......how many mg are you on?

wendy

I've never had this problem Wendy. It could very well be the combination of the 2 drugs or just the cyclosporine. Have you asked your GP? It is strange that there was no hair loss on the high dose, which seems to confirm the problem being the 2nd drug but I would advise you to consult your doc.

I hope you sort this problem.

 

So when do you have hair lose.....on high dose or low dose?  Do you take any other drugs along with your prednisone?  When I was on higher doses of both prednisone and Cyclsporine I had no hair loss.

You said you never had this problem.......not sure what you meant. When you say you will be on a low maintanence dose....how many mg?

wendy

wendy,

hair loss usually starts soon after I start taking steroids, at any dose.On previous occasions I came off completely after tapering to 1mg for about 3/4 weeks. This time I am not stopping steroids, staying on low dose, probably 2.5 mgs. I had been hoping sweats would have stopped by now (5mg), but had a v. bad attack this morn, accompanied by dizziness & headache. There are so many variations in the symptoms we seem to have with this condition!

My hair loss seems to have eased now, not getting any worse. I really find the sweating to be the hardest to bear, it is so debilitating. I guess I will just have to endure it if I want the advantages of steroids!

Yes Prednisone has been a blessing for me.....I would be suffering if I didn't have these meds.  I think staying on a very low dose under 5 mg shouldn't be too bad for our bodies......I hope 🙂 Do you take calcium and Vitamin D to protect your bones.  I don't know your age but I am 64 so have to take care of them.  As mentioned I now have osteopenia .....don't know if it is because of Prednisone or just my age and not excersizing enough.  My hair loss is not bad...just noticed more hair on my comb and how terrible dry it is....as well as frizzy especially if weather is humid!.....ugh. If the very low dose works for you....maybe you should just stay on it for awhile.

I'm even older Wendy - will soon be 72!

I take vitamin D twice daily, also take some Holland & Barrett supplements including cod liver oil caps.Altogether my prescribed meds total 14 tabs per day for several conditions. I was also diagnosed as diabetic 2 years ago as a result of steroid use, don't need medication yet & don't attend diabetic clinic when told - I just cannot do anything outdoors until fibromyalgia/polymyalgia eases off. If I had known 5 years ago what was in store for me I think I would have given up then! 2011 was the year all my major problems started, & coincidentally the same year I stopped smoking! I had no problems when I was a smoker, no chest ailments etc. but as soon as I stopped I began to feel ill with several other complaints. It took a lot of will power to stay off in the first couple of years but I certainly haven't felt any benefit. 

As I said before, my best friends hardly recognise me now, what with sparse frizzy hair, round face, puffy eyes, fat tum & dry skin! Not a pretty picture!