Prednisone is a steroid and it is also known as corticosteroid and it is useful in treating different disease but it has to be done under the surveillance of experts and doctors. It is commonly used to treat some type of inflammation and cancers. The work of the medicine first is to suppress the immune systems to reduce the reaction of the system to the disease. However, because it suppresses the immune system, the person who is using it is also at risk of getting different diseases that affect people with low immunity. This is why the overdose of prednisone has to be avoided at all cost. The side effects of the drug sometimes can be the same for both men and woman. However, there are others that are special for only women or men alone. The women who are pregnant have to ensure that they refrain from consuming this drug without the doctor’s consent.
Prednisone side effects in women:
Here are a few prednisone side effects that may harm a woman if she will not be careful about it.
- Changed menstrual cycle:
the prednisone has been found for interfering with the menstrual cycle of women. Women who begin to take this medicine, they complain about changed cycle most of the time and it happens when they take the medicine over a longer period. Women also complain that they begin to suffer with heavy bleeding, abdominal cramps, and upset stomach during their periods when they begin to take the drug.
– Since the drug also causes the changes in the hormones, the hormonal imbalances can lead to different emotional problems. Some women do suffer from extreme mood swings, increased anxiety and severe depression.
– The women who are pregnant are also are at a high risk of developing the prednisone side effects in women and both the mother and the baby can be affected by the medicine.
– Pregnant women can develop also hives or rashes and women also complain too much of stretch marks when they take the medicine.
– Because the drug is immunosuppressant, the women who take it can develop rashes, hives or itching
– Women can develop respiratory infection that may lead to problem in breathing, tightness in the chest and the swelling of the organs that make the respiratory system.
– Since the drug increases the hunger feeling, many women who take it feel the considerable increase in their appetite. And the kind of food they eat put them on the risk of gaining too much weight.
– Prednisone is also known to cause abdomen problems like tarry and black stool, diarrhea, stomach ulcers, vomiting and nausea. Sometime the bleeding in the intestine or stomach can also take place.
– Some women have also suffered chronic sleep disturbance, water retention and excessive sweating since the medicine interferes with the system of the individual.
– In some cases, the prednisone side effects in women can be in the form of the following:
- numbness or tingling in feet and hands
- abnormal fat distribution
- excessive hair growth
- unusual hiccups
- enlarged liver
Psychological Side Effects:
Some times, a person can also suffer some psychological side effects such as false sense of being well, personality changes, chronic stress with personality disorders. These are just few of the prednisone side effects in women.
If you or someone else who is taking prednisone develops any of these side effects, she has to see a doctor as soon as possible. The woman’s medical history will be analyzed together with the side effects that will be taking place then. The reasons why you have been given the medicine in the first place also have to be considered. The woman may need to undergo some tests to ensure if she does not have any other problem that may cause a risk factor at later stages. To be safe, it is advised to take the medicine that has been prescribed only and never to use the counter medicine.
According to the diseases that the woman needs to be treated, the prednisone will be given in different dosagess and the higher dosages are likely to cause the side effects unlike low dosages. The low dosages are given for allergies and inflammation. The moderate dosage is given as antiemetic agent or stimulant while high dosage is used with cancer. However, the women need to be cautious enough to avoid unwanted complications because of prednisone use and prednisone side effects.