Side Effects of Prednisolone

Prednisolone is a chemical compound used as a replacement for hydrocortisone (an important steroid hormone produced by adrenal cortex (adrenal gland)) which helps to regulate our body functions. The hydrocortisone is a very important hormone, the lack of which may lead to our death.

Causes of Hydrocortisone Deficiency
The hydrocortisone hormone production in our body reduces due to several reasons. Production of hydrocortisone hormone is affected in people who are suffering from Addison's disease (a disease that affects adrenal cortex gland), in people who are suffering from problems related to pituitary gland that fails to produce ACTH hormone (ACTH hormone stimulates production of hydrocortisone hormone by adrenal cortex gland), in people who have birth defect, congenital adrenal hyperplasia or in people whose adrenal gland has been removed by surgery.

Prednisolone is used as a replacement for hydrocortisone hormone in people who have hydrocortisone hormone deficiency. The dosage usually is not more than 5 mg per day along with some other supplementary medications as prescribed by the doctor.

Side Effects
Prednisolone is primarily a steroid and does affect our health in a positive as well as negative manner. If you are taking dosage of prednisolone, you should keep enough information noted with you (you can obtain a card that gives all the information your doctor will need about a medicine you are taking before he/she prescribes you any other medicine) in order to make it available to doctors if you are about to change or in case it's an emergency.

The side effects include:

• Steroids are known for their unpredictable effect (stress, well-being, anxiety, depression, restlessness, etc.) on mood. People who are suffering from mental illness or those who are having weak mental health are at the highest risk of experiencing mood swings.
• Steroid also causes chemical imbalance in our body and changes sugar levels in blood, along with change in other chemicals such as calcium, potassium, water, etc.
• Increased hunger and weight gain (obesity, buffalo hump in which mass of fatty tissues gets collected behind the shoulder blades) are well-known side effects experienced by people taking steroid dosages.
• Weakened healing ability of body and increased susceptibility towards infections are observed. Steroids affect the healing mechanism which leads to a slow down in healing ability of the body.
• Also seen are swollen breasts due to deposition of fat.
• High dosages of steroids (or even a smallest dose of steroid for those women whose body/metabolism does not support steroid at all) may lead to problems related to menstrual cycle in women. They may experience irregularity in menstrual cycle occurrence or no menstrual cycle occurrence at all.
• Due to high dosages of steroids, along with the deposition of fatty tissues on the outer part of body and increased obesity, patients may also develop rounded-shaped patches ('mooning') and purple-colored scratch like linings on the skin due to damaged blood veins that resembles a medical condition known as Cushing's Syndrome (Cushingoid).
• In many cases, people undergoing steroid related treatment complain about eye related problems such as increased pressure of fluid within the eye balls which is also known as intraocular fluid pressure, wearing away of outer cover of the eye (the outer cover becomes thin and susceptible for various eye related infections) and some people complain about development of cataract in their eye, etc.
• The steroid may also interfere with the other medicines that the patient is taking and cause serious trouble for him/her. For example: if a person is undergoing heart, brain or any vital organ related medication, then intake of steroid can lead to medical conditions such as increased blood pressure. Some problems in the patient may increase due to the use of steroid and other medications at the same time. People undergoing treatment for inflammation may face stomach and digestive system related problems if they start taking steroids.
• Some people complain about increased hair growth on the entire body, bed wetting at night, headaches, decrease in bone density, etc.
• Dizziness, vomiting, insomnia and acne are other symptoms that are experienced.

There can be some more side effects related to the steroid (prednisolone) treatment other than the ones mentioned above. It always depends on the physical and mental condition of a patient as to which side effect he/she may experience once the treatment begins. The side effects of steroids given above are either avoidable or recovery from these side effects is possible with the help of an altered diet, exercises and supplementary medications. It is very important to consult an experienced physician before using any type of steroid.