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Prednisolone - side effects - bruising/thin skin

Posted , 25 users are following.

Guest
Guest

Hello again -

I have been treated for PMA and Temporal arteritis since last January and am currently on 7 mg/day of prednisolone with a view to trying to reduce 1mg every 4 weeks as suggested by the rheumatologist. I am 71.

At present the worst side effect for me has been easy bruising and thinning of the skin. The slightest bump or friction on shins and arms produces dark purple bruises due to subcutaneous bleeding. Also - even a mild scrape (eg from a cardboard label on trousers which I was trying on in a shop) can cause the skin to break and bleed. My rheumatologist tells me that this will improve as I reduce the dose but this does not seem to be happening. What are other people's experiences of this? Do I have to get down to a much lower dose before I see an improvement or will this problem persist even when I (hopefully) manage to come off the steroids?

I would be grateful to know what other people think.

Purple cat.

3 likes, 68 replies

68 Replies

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  • Porgi
    Porgi Guest

    Posted

    Hi Purple Cat I've got PMR and  tI bruise very, very easily, I've only got to knock myself slightly and my skin tears and bleeds, like you even a mild scrape damages me. I have to be very careful opening a package. Plus my hair has gone from being very thick and curly to being very thin and wispy, and I seem to lose a lot of it. I'm 69 coming up to 70 and until I was put on Prednisolone  just over a year ago people thought I was a lot younger than my age - partly due to being on HRT - but I'm still on it and seem to have aged terribly. Now I'm off pred I'm hoping my skin and hair will eventually recover.

  • Porgi
    Porgi Guest

    Posted

    For some reason my reply to Purple Cat has appeared in the middle of another discussion so I'll try again.

    Hi Purple Cat I've got PMR and  I bruise very, very easily, I've only got to knock myself slightly and my skin tears and bleeds, like you even a mild scrape damages me. I have to be very careful opening a package. Plus my hair has gone from being very thick and curly to being very thin and wispy, and I seem to lose a lot of it. I'm 69 coming up to 70 and until I was put on Prednisolone  just over a year ago people thought I was a lot younger than my age - partly due to being on HRT - but I'm still on it and seem to have aged terribly. Now I'm off pred I'm hoping my skin and hair will eventually recover

    • EileenH
      EileenH Porgi

      Posted

      Purple Cat posted the thread at least 7 years ago Porgi.  And your posts both appear together at the end of a very long discussion.
  • ray_30442
    ray_30442 Guest

    Posted

    I suffer with COPD and fake large doses of prednisolone when I have an attack and I get the same problem with my skin as your dose comes down it will improve 

    Also be careful as prednisolone have caused cataracts in both eyes

    • lodgerUK_NE
      lodgerUK_NE ray_30442

      Posted

      "prednisolone have caused cataracts in both eyes"

      If only we were told that it is brightness and sunlight together with the pred than can cause the cataracts to grow.

      Luckily for me, when diagnosed with GCA and a visit to my optician (I already had glasses) she immediately insisted on Re-actolite Rapide lens and Night Vision glasses for driving.  I already had the start of cataracts before GCA came along. 11 years down the road,  (5 with GCA then remission) no change in Cataracts.

      I did not know why she insisted, till an Optician, whose Mother had PMR, came along and gave a talk at a Support Group meeting and he told us all about the inter-action.

    • Porgi
      Porgi ray_30442

      Posted

      I've been off Prednisolone since last November having been weaned down a milligrammes a month but my skin is still very thin and bruises and tears easily. I thought like you it would improve as the dose dropped but 4 months on it still hasn't. I never had this problem before.

    • angela94441
      angela94441 lodgerUK_NE

      Posted

      Go to an eye surgeon/specialist and have lens implants! Go to the top, opticians are not who you need.I have had them for about 25 years [I must have been one of the first in UK!], as I had cortisone cataracts aged 50, which were not laser treatable, as in the centre of my eyes. I have never looked back, and only need reading glasses for reading in the evening......I am 76,,,,,
    • Porgi
      Porgi angela94441

      Posted

      I've had lens implants as the steroid caused cataracts. I'm hoping to have punctate plugs inserted soon

    • Porgi
      Porgi angela94441

      Posted

      I've had lens implants as the steroid caused cataracts. I'm hoping to have punctate plugs inserted soon

  • angela94441
    angela94441 Guest

    Posted

    Even if I have an itch on a forearm [legs not so bad, but skin shreds off easily], huge 3cm x 5cm reddish purple bruises appear....however, I am surprised by the minute doses of prednisolone you have been taking. I have been used to doses of 60mg tapering off every 3 days by 5mg for iritis [eye problem] and ankylosing spondylitis,, which I have been taking at least once or twice a year for the last 45 years.....I don't think you should worry about such a small dose. NB I have lived in Sri Lanka for the past 13 years, so the sun has probably exacerbated the skin thinning, and I am 76.

    Don't worry, and wear trousers and long sleeved shirts is my advise. Women have more sartorical dress problems!

    • Porgi
      Porgi angela94441

      Posted

      I do wear trousers and long sleeved shirts. I've recently been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, the rheumatologist says it was misdiagnosed as polymyalgia so no wonder mother showed in the blood tests for inflammation done by the GP

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