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Could Imuran and Prednisone cause breast pain? Help

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 4/17/2015 10:48 PM (GMT -5)
I know this sounds silly, but you never know until you ask. I am a 53 years old and have been suffering with irritable bowel disease for over 20 years. After undergoing a Colonoscopy I was diagnosed with Crohn's (Ileocolitis) in February 2015. My doctor started me on Imuran 100mg and Prednisone 40mg. Since starting the medication my breast and nipples have been sore and feel swollen, I hate taking my bra off because it hurts for my clothes to touch them. There isn't any way that I could be pregnant since I had a complete Hysterectomy in 1999. Has anyone else ever experienced this?
Posted 4/17/2015 11:02 PM (GMT -5)
Hmmm.... Well, I don't think its the Imuran. I've never heard of anything like that happening with Imuran. Now the prednisone... Maybe? I Know for me, when I am on a high dose of prednisone for a while I get "moonface" and my face gets puffy. Also sometimes in addition to my face getting puffy I feel bruised or tender from my face all the way down to below my collar bones. So, not quite the breast area, but maybe it could affect you that way?

A doctor might not say that it's likely, but who knows? I would guess if it's anything, it's a hormonal issue or the prednisone.
Posted 4/18/2015 12:24 AM (GMT -5)
Maybe the prednisone, since it can affect hormones a bit? But I would ask your doctor and then make sure there aren't any tests they want you to do to rule other things out.
Posted 4/18/2015 9:29 AM (GMT -5)
Prednisone does affect your hormones, so my best guess is that is the culprit. How long do you have to stay on the Pred? If it is a quick taper, you can wait to see if it subsides; otherwise you might want to call your doc. Welcome to the forum btw!
Posted 4/18/2015 11:23 AM (GMT -5)
Thank you all for your responses. I did contact my doctor's office (spoke with her nurse) and they said they had never heard of this side effect. I have started to taper down on my Prednisone (20 mg), but I'll be on it for several more weeks. I did not know that it affects your hormones that makes a lot of sense. I have become very moody and having problems with concentration, memory and clarity. Prednisone is a awful drug, I can't wait to get off of it. It seems the side effects are worse than the actual disease itself.
Posted 4/18/2015 12:33 PM (GMT -5)
Oh yes, I call prednisone the "devil drug." Mood swings and irritability are a very common side effect, as is "brain fog."

Prednisone mimics the hormones that are produced in the adrenal gland, so your adrenal gland stops producing as many of them. This is why you need to taper - your adrenal glands need to time to realize they need to start making the hormones again. Some of the hormones that the adrenal gland makes include adrenaline (part of why prednisone can cause insomnia or make you feel tense), hydrocortisone (which regulates how the body distributes fats, hence the weight gain), aldosterone (which regulates water and salt balance, hence the moon face), and sex hormones (which could be part of why your breasts are tender, like if you were pregnant or menstruating). There are many others as well, all of which explain the prednisone side effects.

This website is helpful in understanding what all the adrenal glands produce:
http://www.endocrineweb.com/endocrinology/overview-adrenal-glands
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