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Steroid Psychosis?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 8/25/2010 10:30 PM (GMT -5)
Wow! Thanks for posting this. Although I've read about "mood swings" due to the prednisone, I didn't realize they could be full on psychotic episodes.

However, this explains a lot: I have found myself freaking out over the silliest things, and really calm about things that would normally set me off. This morning I freaked out at my poor 10 year old, and felt like the official winner of the "Worst Mom Award" for the rest of the day. I had totally forgotten about the fact that I have 30 mg of prednisone working it's voodoo magic in me.

Thanks for the reminder. I think all of us on the pred' can use the occasional reminder to chill out and step back sometimes.

Hope you get your meds sorted out and leveled off soon. Big hug.
Posted 8/25/2010 10:50 PM (GMT -5)
I had residual steroid psychosis after I tapered off prednisone. It lingered, itching non stop, anxiety, craziness.

Ask about Zyprexa, its an anti-psychotic. In high doses its used for schizophrenia, in low doses its a mood stabilizer. It helped me a lot. I might add I'm bipolar, which gets excacerbated by pred. But just ask a psychiatrist about this drug for your circumstances...

The psychosis did go away eventually
Posted 8/26/2010 8:34 AM (GMT -5)
Oh, wow, yeah that was not a fun month for me... I'm doing much better mentally now though! :o)
Posted 4/6/2013 2:12 AM (GMT -5)
Ugh Just Ugh, I went through the same thing you are going through, it was awful. I ended up with a pysc. doctor giving me seraquil to reverse the effects I was having, I could barly talk in sentences I was rambeling, pacing, highly panicky. You need to seek some help from somewhere and if you are feeling like harmiing yourself go to your nearest hospital and tell them what is going on. I wish you luck and welness with all you are going through. My pyscosis is unfortunatually irriversable, now I get the pleasure of living with this the rest of my life taking medications to counter react what prednisone did to me. Let me know how things go for you. Be well.
Posted 4/6/2013 2:25 AM (GMT -5)
Just to add to all that read my post. I had UC for 24 and 1/2 years. I tried every drug they made. They do have this test that they can do to tell if you are resistant or non resistant to any of the medications they put you on. Just so happens that mine was a non resistant strand and nothing they ever gave me or woud give me would ever helped. I am in year three of having my whole colon removed after many painful years with UC. If you have had or are still having problems with UC after years of medications , they don't offer to tell you about this test, please ask for it tokeep from going through many years of unnessary pain. It is called a promethesis test <hope I spelled it right> it may save you many years of pain and going through all the medications that tear your body down. I hope I was of help to someone with this post. I had pancolitis, proctitis in the most severe form, in 24 years never went into remission. Good luck to you all out there battleing this disease, I wish you well.
Posted 1/8/2015 10:32 AM (GMT -5)
Taking Entocort for c diff related lymphocytic colitis. I have only been on Entocort for 11 days. I take 300 mg Trazodone plus tamazepam for sleep. I take .05 mgs of Ativan for anxiety 4 times a day and Effexor for depression. I was on these drugs before the addition of Entocort. Since taking the Endocort I am only sleeping 4 and a half hours a night. My heart pounds, I can't relax and I am not functioning well. I take my steroids early in the morning and I start to feel relief from all the side effects in the evening. I make myself sick thinking about how well I'm going to sleep or if I'm going to sleep at all. Going to the GI tomorrow to discuss getting off the steroids as I had steroid psychosis several years ago and don't want it to get to that point again. Anyone else know where I'm coming from and what has worked for you? Please help!
Posted 1/8/2015 11:00 AM (GMT -5)
Finney that's horrible! From a dose pack? Holy cow! I am going on 4 weeks post taper, and still feeling psychologically ragged, but just don't want to go on another drug. Prednisone is so dangerous...I really thought I was going to die on that drug. Did you have fatigue issues?

Thanks for posting!
Posted 1/8/2015 11:08 AM (GMT -5)
suchapunim, my late FIL had steroid induced psych problems. The only way he dealt with it was to avoid steroids.

Entocort is not supposed to cause systemic side effects to the same degree as prednisone, especially after only 11 days. What is your dose? Are you finding it helps your colitis? What part of the colon is affected by the inflammation?
Posted 1/8/2015 11:12 AM (GMT -5)

zengrrl said...
Finney that's horrible! From a dose pack? Holy cow! I am going on 4 weeks post taper, and still feeling psychologically ragged, but just don't want to go on another drug. Prednisone is so dangerous...I really thought I was going to die on that drug. Did you have fatigue issues?

Thanks for posting!



the fin girl only appeared once z - in 2010 -
Posted 1/8/2015 1:06 PM (GMT -5)
Oh I see was this a repost by a Mod for our info or what?
Posted 1/8/2015 1:25 PM (GMT -5)
No, it popped up because suchapunim posted a new comment right before yours.
Posted 1/8/2015 3:24 PM (GMT -5)
First of all, prednisone can cause mood swings, anxiety and weird feelings some call "energized bunny" feelings BUT, steroid psychosis is a very uncommon condition. The symptoms mentioned above do not constitute steroid psychosis. You have to have paranoid, super-suspicious thoughts and behavior, voices and bizzare behavior to qualify for psychosis.
Any mental symptoms caused by steroids are TOALLY reversible once the steroids are tapered off or stopped.
For mild mild swings, anxiety meds are prescribed, sometimes (rarely) anti psychotics in low dose such as Risperidone are prescribed for a few days only as this type of condition is temporary. It never becomes permanent. I had mood swings and axiety and was given low dose of xanax and prozac and I was a happy camper within 3 days. All mood swings/anxiety totally went away after steroids were tapered.
Posted 1/8/2015 6:19 PM (GMT -5)
Steroid psychosis is a serious matter that necessitates immediate medical attention. Always contact a medical professional as soon as possible if you suspect that your mental well being has been severely compromised.
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