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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Can Long Term Use Of Prednisone Cause Depression And Stomach Problems?

Thank you... my friend was prescribed predisnone for poison ivy almost two years ago... it is making him ill, losing his eye sight, purple bruises all over, his skin is so thin it breaks easily.. He is 55, smokes, is being treated now for hypertension, has panic attacks, depression, stomach problems, all these sound to me like they might be caused by long-term predisnone??? Could this be possible? He has horrible rash on his hands and arms, elbows, never had that before either.. it won t go away even with all this predisnone in his system. Is there something else he could use, or should he be taken off of it completely? I m very concerned about his overall health. Thanks again. Mary Brown
posted on Wed, 16 Jul 2014
Twitter Tue, 26 Aug 2014 Answered on
Twitter Wed, 27 Aug 2014 Last reviewed on
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Internal Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Hi! Declining vision, hypertension, mental changes, skin lesions, stomach problems - you just wrote the fact sheet of prednisone side effects. Your friend needs to be assessed as soon as possible for the rationale of continuance of prednisone. If
the drug is not needed it should be tapered off , under supervision. It is often a longish process and requires patience & tenacity both on the part of the patient & the doctor. As far as his overall health is concerned he should be encouraged to quit smoking too. All the best!
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Can Long Term Use Of Prednisone Cause Depression And Stomach Problems?

Hi! Declining vision, hypertension, mental changes, skin lesions, stomach problems - you just wrote the fact sheet of prednisone side effects. Your friend needs to be assessed as soon as possible for the rationale of continuance of prednisone. If the drug is not needed it should be tapered off , under supervision. It is often a longish process and requires patience & tenacity both on the part of the patient & the doctor. As far as his overall health is concerned he should be encouraged to quit smoking too. All the best!