• Effectiveness

  Major (for Bell's palsy)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for difficulty eating)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for facial pain)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for facial paralysis)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for nerve pain (neuralgia))
• Side effects

  Mild (bad taste in mouth)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 5 mg Daily

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Slight (for Bell's palsy)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for facial pain)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for facial paralysis)
• Side effects

  Moderate (bad taste in mouth)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 5 mg Daily

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for bronchospasm)
• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for asthma)
• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for influenza (the "flu"))
• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for pneumonia)
• Side effects

  Mild (fluid retention (edema))
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: As needed

Advice & Tips: Currently I just take 20 mg the day before and after my IVIG. I receive 40 mg the day of the infusion as premedication.

• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for pneumonia)
• Side effects

  Mild (fluid retention (edema))
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 20 mg Daily

• Effectiveness

  Major (for Addison's disease)
• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for rheumatoid arthritis)
• Side effects

  Moderate (diabetes type 2, weight gain, acute renal failure)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 5 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: Prednisone has long (30 years worth) been my "nasty but necessary" treatment for my Rheumatoid Arthritis. It has caused me innumerable side effect problems, including 100lbs of weight gain, the dissolution of my previous marriage, Diabetes II, renal (kidney) failure, etc... Going off of it at various times has made me extremely ill, at least 3 times resulted in my hospitalization. For many years, this was the only RA treatment that functioned consistently and allowed me to continue living my life at least somewhat normally.

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for arthritis pain)
• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for Crohn's disease)
• Effectiveness

  Slight (for inflammation in joints)
• Side effects

  Severe (mood swings, insomnia (less than 2 hours sleep), weight gain, dry skin, excessive thirst (polydipsia))
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 10 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: This is low cost but the side effects are worth considering. For short term use not an issue. For long term however, it has weight gain and insomnia, anxiousness, and need to taper of slowly or major withdrawals an issue. It seems for me it is no longer as effective from long term use.

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  None (for myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome)
• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for polymyalgia rheumatica)
• Side effects

  Severe (flushing, feeling feverish, wired, tachycardia (fast heart rate), elevated blood pressure, stretch marks, moon face, weight gain, blurry vision, bruising, rash on face)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 1.25 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: Down to 1,25 mg since five days. The day after I woke with face rash that worsened during the day and the day after. Try to treat with lavender oil and coconut oil. A little better. Have always had perfect skin. Read somewhere that it might well be effect of tapering, happened to others too. More pain, especially in the thighs (that's why the GP thought it was PMR), weaker, stiffer, feel like I might fall when walking the rest of the day if I take a short walk (300 m) earlier in the day. On the plus side: moon face and double chin visibly reduced. Can't wait to get off completely next week.

• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for polymyalgia rheumatica)
• Side effects

  Severe (flushing, feeling feverish, wired, tachycardia (fast heart rate), elevated blood pressure, stretch marks, moon face, weight gain, blurry vision, bruising)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 2.5 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: Turns out I never had PMR. Very difficult to come off. Suddenly easier when came down to 5 mg than earlier (from 40, started being difficult at 27,5 already). Positive: very strong nails, but that is the only one. The side effects are difficult. Especially sad for all the big and ugly stretch marks everywhere that will remain. Looking forward to getting rid of the moon face and the pred belly.

• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for polymyalgia rheumatica)
• Side effects

  Moderate (flushing, feeling feverish, wired, tachycardia (fast heart rate), moon face)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 40 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: At 40 mg I am far from well (still weak, unable to stand for long and can't walk too far), but I have started to wake up rested in the mornings the last week or so, not in too much pain, less flu symptoms, and am able to think properly (calmly and methodically) for the first time in 19 years. The side effects seem to come a few days into new or elevated dose, stay for a week or two and then lessen as the body adjusts.

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Slight (for rheumatoid arthritis)
• Effectiveness

  None (for systemic lupus erythematosus)
• Side effects

  Mild (rashes (redness, swelling))
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for rheumatoid arthritis)
• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for systemic lupus erythematosus)
• Side effects

  Mild (rashes (redness, swelling))
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 10 mg Daily

• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for multiple sclerosis)
• Side effects

  Moderate (skin thinning, abdominal bloating)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 20 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: I was tapering from Dexamethasone to no steroids.

• Effectiveness

  Major (for gastrointestinal bleeding)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for Crohn's disease)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for Crohn's flare up)
• Side effects

  Moderate (anxious mood, shaky hands, insomnia, hunger, weight gain, mood elevated or improved, feeling of heart pounding)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 60 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: Expect weight gain and nervousness, for sure... probably insomnia too. Never go off of the medication without TAPERING the doseage down. Once you start tapering down and your flare-up has subsided, you can take more of the doseage in the morning than in the evening. In fact, once I get down to 40mg/day I take one 20mg tab as early in the morning as possible and then the other 20mg tab around noon. After a few days of this, I start sleeping better (though sometimes it is still hard to get to sleep). Taking melatonin or other herbal sleep remedies can help at night, as well. If I do happen to get tired during the day I take advantage of it and nap. The anxiousness just sort of comes with the territory. For me, it goes away once I'm down to about 20mg per day. It is bearable because I know the reason and I know that I'd rather be anxious than bleeding to death from Crohn's disease. :P I have noticed that this time my mood seems to be much better than usual. Even when I don't feel physically very good, I seem to have a positive mental outlook, which is super rare for me.

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Major (for gastrointestinal bleeding)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for Crohn's disease)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for Crohn's flare up)
• Side effects

  Moderate (anxious mood, mood elevated or improved)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  A little hard to take

Dosage: 60 mg Daily

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Major (for systemic lupus erythematosus)
• Effectiveness

  Moderate (for inflammation)
• Side effects

  Severe (facial swelling/puffiness, weight gain, high blood pressure (hypertension), fluid retention weight gain, bruising)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 24 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: BP is high..need to taper down

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Major (for systemic lupus erythematosus)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for inflammation)
• Side effects

  Moderate (facial swelling/puffiness, weight gain, high blood pressure (hypertension), fluid retention weight gain, bruising)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 24 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: This drug is a double edged sword. It has controlled my symptoms better than any other drug. But the long term usage (8years) has suppressed my adrenals to the point that they make the taper very difficult. I am at 25 mg. and going to try a very slow taper of .5mg/month. Any faster and the withdrawal symptoms are so difficult. I will talk to my doctor this week about whether I need to add methotrexate before attempting the taper. The less prednisone I take the more pain med I require.

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Major (for systemic lupus erythematosus)
• Effectiveness

  Major (for inflammation)
• Side effects

  Moderate (facial swelling/puffiness, weight gain, high blood pressure (hypertension), fluid retention weight gain, bruising)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Dosage: 20 mg Daily

Advice & Tips: This has been the only drug that has improved my quality of life. It is the biggest help for pain. BUT...I was put on it and not tapered off until my body had become totally dependent and my adrenal glands suppressed for too long and will not work now. I personally believe I now have adrenal insufficiency from being on prednisone way too long. I am hoping the appt I have with a new Rheumatologist will provide some fresh approach and answers. IF I taper down more than 1/2mg over 1-2 weeks I have a major flare. Can not think, hard to function and move. Right now I am on 20mg.

• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for systemic lupus erythematosus)
• Side effects

  Severe (weight gain, mood swings, abdominal bloating)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Advice & Tips: I will no longer take Prednisone at any dosage. It makes me feel like I'm losing my mind. Extreme weepiness, depression, anger. For me, it is awful.

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for systemic lupus erythematosus)
• Side effects

  Severe (weight gain, mood swings, abdominal bloating)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for systemic lupus erythematosus)
• Side effects

  Moderate (weight gain, mood swings, abdominal bloating)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Advice & Tips: Wane down carefully as prescribed. I started with 20 mg daily last month, and after 2 weeks, went to 15 mg for 4 days, then 10 mg for 4 days, and I will get to 5 mg.

Cost: < $25 monthly

• Effectiveness

  Can't tell (for systemic lupus erythematosus)
• Side effects

  Severe (weight gain, mood swings, abdominal bloating)
• Adherence

  Always
• Burden

  Not at all hard to take

Advice & Tips: I hated being on Prednisone, and was never able to see if it had positive effects because I stopped after a couple months. The bloating, weight gain, and moodiness were too much for me to handle. I gained 10-15 pounds while taking it (which is quite extreme on my petite 5'2'' frame). Also, my mood swings were uncontrollable. The drug wasn't for me, and possibly because I was put on too high of a dosage. Because of my bad experience, I never take steroids, unless it is a 1-time injection to help my immune system beat a cold.