Can prednisone make you short of breath and wheezy? Have PMR

Sorry kassie to hear that things are a  little rough for you at the moment. You may be experiencing increased PMR symptoms because you are smack bang in the middle of an infection. You say that on Tuesday evening you experienced many symptoms and you can't pinpoint what it was that set it off. Well, very often we don't just get the flu or a cold or an infection, it is in our body for days and it does not openly display itself until our body can no longer fight it off. You say that for some days prior to this you felt out of sorts, well that would fit in to the fact that your body already had this infection and was trying with all its might to fight it off but eventually couldn't.

i have never suffered from shortness of breath and wheezing whilst on preds but I do know that others have and I believe it is registered as a side effect of the drug.

i would definately take the antibiotics and up your preds, the Dr is requesting that so that the additional preds help get the flare under control leaving your body to help fight off the infection.

all the best, christina 

Kathy,

It sounds like your doctor is treating you for brochitis or pneumonia. Wheezing occurs because of irregulaities and narrowing in the passage ways of your lungs secondary to infection and inflammation. Inflammatory markers, ESR and CRP, will increase with the inflammation.

I do not think that the problem is prednisone. Pred is used to treat patients with bad asthma.

The lung infection will aggravate your PMR and I think your doctor properly raised your pred does for a week. As your lung problem improves (2-3 weeks) you should be able to decrease the pred dose and get back to your normal level over a modest period of time.

Charlie 44644

A chest infection can raise CRP to 60 and higher. It sounds as if the GP heard something - my daughters and granddaughter get high pred for asthma.

Start with that approach and go straight back if you get worse - if it is at night or the weekend call the emergency services or go to A&E.

Yes, the PMR probably IS worse - but as likely due to a severe infection as anything else.

And yes, pred can cause breathing problems - nut pneumonia/bronchitis is even worse.

 

Hi Kassie

I have been on 60mg Pred since last July (apart from 3 months trying to taper down) and my physio says she can hear me coming before she sees me!

I have been very breathless since early on in the treatment. The wheeziness came on gradually and is very noisy now. 

I was told about the main side effects when I started Pred and read about the breathlessness/wheeziness on the pred leaflet.

During my 3 month try to taper, breathlessness & wheeziness significantly improved. After a flare & back to 60mg, it's back to where it was!!

Hang on in there. All the best.

Have had a similar experience. Developed bronchitis at the beginning of January and it has never completely gone - it keeps recurring with the inevitable anti biotics. Am now left with the cough plus ear infection. Don't know if it really helps to hear that someone else suffers in a similar way, but I wonder if the tendency to 'hold on' to infection is a by product of the lowering effect of the prednisolone? Hope you soon feel better.