GCA, Prednisone & Collagen depletion
Posted , 10 users are following.
I've been on Prednisone for 14 months and suffered numerous side effects, but the one that drives me around the bend, is the collagen depletion since the effects are so visual.
I've tried various moisturizers and try to eat the recommended food (who can eat that much food?!), but wonder if anyone has tried anything to help the situation successfully. I've read about hydrolyzed collagen peptide. Does anyone know anything about this?
I'm reluctant to ingest much else since I am already taking Potassium, magnesium supplements as well as a couple of other prescribed medications.
Gad---I've aged 15 years in the past 14 months. Approaching Mummy appearance!
1 like, 12 replies
Silver49 Babazaga
Posted
I don't know the answer but I use a moisturiser and don't feel it makes any difference but perhaps it would be worse if I didn't. I'm hoping it will improve when I'm off the steroids.
celia14153 Babazaga
Posted
Hi - you don't say how old you are which also has a bearing on your skin. . I was put on low dosage HRT for a prolapse which has skin benefits as lack of oestrogen leads to dryness and loss of elasticity. HRT helps with that. I also use Environ products which are ace for the skin. In my mind, from your description, you are a walnut but I bet it's not as bad as you think 😄
Babazaga celia14153
Posted
Everyone,
Thank you for your input. Indeed, age definitely plays a major part in skin deterioration which I expect, but everyone agrees that this was a speedy aging! I will discuss HRT with my doctor next week. And for the record, I'm 79. The moonface is slowly subsiding---I'm at 3 mg and hoping in a couple of weeks to get to 2 mg. If I ever get to 0, it was then that I might be able to do HRT. But the 0 feels like a longshot . GCA symptoms are very much like many of the side effects of Prednisone so I hope what I'm experiencing are the latter and not the former. Has anyone successfully achieved 0?
Again, thank you all for your thoughtful remarks. This site has been a wealth of useful information.
EileenH Babazaga
Posted
I know quite a few who have attained zero - and there is a thread on here from people off pred. Some had GCA.
https://patient.info/forums/discuss/zero-prednisone-discussion-450915
Babazaga EileenH
Posted
Eileen,
Thank you very much for the sites. I've copied them and filed them with my GCA info. It will be interesting to communicate with people who've gone into remission---everyone's goal!
margaret89358 Babazaga
Posted
I'm like Celia I was and am still on HRT. I have just recently gone up to 20 mg after talking to my GP, after a flare, if anything I have the moon face so any wrinkles at the moment have all but disappeared. My husband likes my moon face, even though I do not. I'm sure you haven't aged, just be kind to yourself. PMR is enough to deal with without us srutinising ourselves and maybe seeing what isnt there's there. Take Care .?
celia14153 margaret89358
Posted
Yes - no-one told you about full moon face! Although my family say they can't see the difference! Not sure that's a good or bad thing 🤔🌝🌝🌝
snapperblue celia14153
Posted
When I was on a higher dose of prednisone, I entered chipmunk cheek territory. For those who are not from North America, chipmunks are small striped rodents, very cute, with pouches in the cheeks for carrying food. After stocking up on seeds at a bird feeder, their cheeks stick out so far that the head is 2 or 3 times the normal width.
The fat pads in my cheeks were so thick that, when I smiled, they rose up and bumped into the bottom of my eyes.
I was somewhat self-conscious about this until my brother (after first denying that he noticed a difference) told me it gave me "a more youthful appearance!" And it was true- and I have not missed the wrinkles that were smoothed-out by all that cheek fat!
In so many ways, prednisone "gives with one hand and takes with the other!" I am so grateful to be rid of the agonizing pain of PMR, I try to take whatever prednisone gives me with good cheer.
celia14153 snapperblue
Posted
Love that! My brother said we were all in the same boat now we're in our seventies - and he's the dishy one in our family - brothers can be great! Thanks for the fun description and the reminder that moon face can disappear when Pred is reduced 😄👍🏻
EileenH snapperblue
Posted
ClaireJG snapperblue
Posted
Hi snapperblue
I can identify with: "The fat pads in my cheeks were so thick that, when I smiled, they rose up and bumped into the bottom of my eyes". That happens to me!
I've heard people say "chipmunk cheeks", but as Eileen mentioned, we say "hamster cheeks" in the UK because our little pet hamsters do the same thing with their food pouches.
I was in our hospital lift/elevator a while ago and shared the lift with a small child who was studying his face in the mirror, then he turned to me and said, "I look like a chipmunk!" He was clearly on a large dose of steroids as he had massive cheeks. Bless him.
snapperblue EileenH
Posted
I'm sure there is an international committee that reconciles medical terminology that differs across national boundaries. They will no doubt address the "chipmunk cheek"/"hamster cheek" divide at some point.