A lot of humans read yesterday blog and laughed, and laughed and laughed. But, really, prednisone is a serious business. Mom has been on steroids since before I came to live with her and Dad. (That's a good story, too, but needs to wait until after I go get rid of the cat in the window...)
Ok, now that I've taken care of the important business of guarding the house, let's get back to the topic of prednisone. You'll notice that the words "Love" and "Hate" are used - those are strong words, indicating an elevated level of feeling. Mom very rarely uses the word "Hate" - it's not in her working vocabulary. (I on the other hand really hate that cat in the window. I think it has to do with that whole cat/dog rivalry that's as old as time itself).
Love is a word that Mom uses frequently. She loves her mom (Mom Z), and her husband, (my Dad!), Aunt Carolyn, Uncle Ron, Lynn, Katie...ok, she's LOVES the people in her life. Of course, she adores ME (and Tipsy and Shadow, too - but really..ME).
Steroids tend to bring out those diametrically opposed words - which isn't surprising as one of the primary side-effects is MOOD SWINGS. Happy/Sad, Pleasant/Angry, Content/Disgruntled - it's like flipping a switch. This unpleasant and baffling side effect doesn't need a trigger - it just happens. And, the higher the dose, the worse and more frequent the mood swings. In fact, a lot of people who take steroids for a long time need to take anti-depressant to cope with this rotten side effect. So, you have to take a pill, to help with the side effects of the first pill(s).
I could continue writing about these side effects, but let's let pictures and charts do the talking. Although I generally am the featured canine here (it IS my blog) after all, I invited Tipsy to help me. She's a love bug, so I let her have the LOVE column.
****DISCLAIMER**** This is not a complete list - just the most common ones that effect people who take prednisone for a long time let's say over 6 months or - like Mom - three years and counting. Side effects can be mild to extreme (like mom again). The ones listed below seem to the ones that Mom finds to be the most egregious.
No comments:
Post a Comment