What Are The Side Effects Of Predisone?

Posted on Sat, 14 Mar 2015

Question: I have poly mialgia rheumatica and have been on predisone since July of 2014. I started then at 15 mg and am now at 6 mg. While I have only put on about 7 lbs I do have the moon face and the swollen chest and waist. During the night in the last few weeks I am wakened by pains across my chest . I get up and after a few minutes I take my blood pressure. One time only it was 168/100 but usually is around the high normal range. I am now having the pain through my chest and it is 4:30 AM. My pressure reading is 131/110 with heart rate of 80. Is this caused by the prednisone do you think? Could it be angina? Should I be taking blood pressure medication along with the predisone? The additiona of any other drugs makes me nervous. I have seen the rheumatoligist only once on Sept. 10th of last year and do not see him again until March 9th of this year.

Answered by Dr. Benard Shehu (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
Diagnostic tests first,then antihypertensive drugs

Detailed Answer:
Hi,

I have gone through your medical history carefully and am sorry for the situation you are in.

If I was your caring doctor would advise to run further diagnostic tests to rule out angina and hypertension caused by prednisone use first:
- ECG
- stress test
- cardiac echo

Polymyalgia rheumatica itself can cause pericarditis that will be ruled out by the above mentioned tests.

I advise to monitor your bp on daily basis and record the results for further evaluation. If hypertension will be confirmed, I agree to start treatment with calcium channel blockers, diuretic and beta blocker. In this way your bp and heart rate will be stabilized.

All the best!
Dr.Benard

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar