Cortisone (in all it’s forms) can be a wonder drug or a curse. Previously for me (17 yrs ago) it sent me to a psych ward. TODAY it has eased my backpain to the point where I can move again…and that was via eyedrops for an unrelated condition 
Tell me of your experiences…
I get cortisone shots 3-4 times a year for pain caused by a herniated disc. Frankly I couldn’t function without them.
I have been living with rotator cuff tears in both shoulders for decades. A cortisone shot every once in a while, like a year or two apart, helped me avoid surgery for a long time. Then, in December 2016, I fell and totally blew out the left one. Cortisone made the time between the injury and the surgery bearable. It’s a wonder drug.
I’ve had cortisone injections twice, once in my shoulder and once in my knee. It was amazing in the shoulder and allowed me to bridge the time between injury (labral tear) and surgery with only minor reduction in function. In the knee (cartilage worn away, bone spurs, arthritis) it did absolutely no good.
Sometime in the 80s, my wife was being treated for fertility problems. As part of the work up, I was examined and had blood work, including a test for spermatozoa antibodies, for which I had a sky high titer.
I was put on a high (immunosuppressive) dose of prednisilone. It was horrible. I was confused, depressed, irritable, sad, melancholic, angry, plus I had to pee every half hour or so. Coincidentally, we were vacationing on Assateague Island in a tent. I would wake up every hour with an urgent need to urinate. I’d dress and spray with DEET, then run to the latrine. Worst vacation ever. In pictures from that vacation I’m not recognizable due to my constant scowl.
When we returned home and my meds were finished I had my test repeated to see if my titer came down at all. It was negative, which the doctor explained was impossible. The first test was in error, and he told me he did not mind being named in my lawsuit, as he would in turn sue the lab. I was just happy to be done taking the steroid.
I have arthritis. Most of the time, it’s controlled by medication, but every once in a while I’ll overdo it and wind up with a sore knee (like right now). If it’s bad enough to go to the doctor about, I’ll usually get a Medrol dosepack. 90% of the time, that will clear things up.
I’ve been living with torn rotator cuffs for years as well. Cortisone shots are not the panacea they seem at the beginning. In one respect, they are a double-edged sword. Pain serves a function in our bodies, it lets us know something is wrong. If you completely take that pain away, you take away the ‘reminder’ to not do things that make the pain worse. It can be easy to forget you aren’t injured and do things that worsen the injury (which you won’t really know is happening because you can’t feel it). Also, repeated injections in the same area will lessen the efficacy of the medication. When my shoulders were at their absolute worst (about a decade ago) I was getting cortisone injections in my shoulders every 4 months, which is the shortest timeframe allowed between injections in the shoulder (larger areas, like the knees, can receive injections more frequently). It got to the point where the injections were having no effect whatsoever.
20 years ago I had my first and only cortisone shot. About a week before an important vacation, while playing basketball I felt a snap in my big toe’s knuckle joint. Extreme pain, it was very hard to walk. The doc, a podiatrist, thought it was some calcification that broke free, IIRC. I told the doc about my upcoming vacation and he shot the knuckle with some type of steroid. I have no idea what he gave me but it was great, a fantastic treatment that gave immediate and complete relief. I never felt any pain or discomfort ever since that shot, to today. It was great!
Every year or two I will end up with an asthma flareup that turns into bronchitis, sending me into hellacious bronchiospasms. A couple days of oral steroids, and I am usually good as new. And have a horrible case of the munchies.
I was working on a farm standing in murky water, cut my shine. It became infected, at the cellular level ( cellulitis ) Dr put me on a steroid~~My chart now states “No Steroids” I was out of my mind, anger, crying , seizure, suicidal, if not than wanted to kill someone. Put on 20 lbs in 2 1/2 weeks. The infection cleared ~But took me awhile to be me again. I’m that 1 in 5 billion that experiences these side effects
No you’re not (the one in 5 billion I mean). Weight gain (it’s actually fluid retention) and mood changes, even to the point of suicidal thoughts are EXTREMELY common. The only reason I actually connected the steroid drops to the alleviation of my severe back pain yesterday was that I burst into sobbing tears for no apparent reason while working in the afternoon. And a little lightbulb went PING!
I’m seeing the doc tomorrow to see what he recommends, but at least for 24hrs now I have been pain-free…so I’ve had at least a temporary reprieve.
Glad you’re OK now though.
I had a cortisone injection in my elbow yesterday afternoon what started as tennis elbow has progressed to a partial tear in tendon. I was warned it would hurt a bit, so was a bit nervous, the nurse explained the procedure (was ultrasound guided) and I felt ok. The injection hurt like hell, I screamed, then afterwards I felt like I was going to faint, had a little rest and went home. I was expecting instant relief as the injection contained local anaesthetic, i figured the anaesthetic was a dud batch as I was in more pain than before. I was wrong, the anaesthetic wore off and I’ve never had something this painful in my life.
Am now on endone and hoping this post injection pain will go away very soon.
Sending pain-relieving wishes from across the big ditch.
Funnily enough, I’ve been on Endone for weeks now for the backpain which took a slight edge off but I was still essential a cripple.
Ugh. When I was first dealing with my whatever-the-hell immune issues I have (dXed with Behcet’s, PCOS, ankylosing spondylitis, and at least 3 kinds of arthritis, plus probable MS), the first few weeks of prednisone were a blessing. I felt alive again, less pain, I could move and do things, and some of the weird skin issues cleared up. As time went on (a very short time, like 2 months), I got grumpy, never slept at proper times, pain issues came back at least somewhat, and I was gaining weight like mad, and in weird places (upper arms and belly, disproportionately), while losing muscle mass. I went from a lean dance instructor to a frowsy Walmart lady in months. I’ve been off the steroids for almost a year now–when I said “no more”–and I haven’t been able to cut even a pound of the weight yet, and I’m in constant bone/nerve pain. It’s so nice that the FDA is on top of opiates so that people like me who are constantly writhing in agony don’t have to deal with addiction. :rolleyes:
The other major experience I’ve had with steroids is injections in my heel the past two years, since I’ve now developed plantar fasciitis (probably because I’m fat now). It worked ok the first few times (alleviating pain and swelling for at least 3 weeks), but the last time I went to have it done, the new doc in the group couldn’t perform the injection. She dug around my foot with the needle for an agonizing few minutes, and once she settled on a spot, the injection wouldn’t release in my tissues…too swollen? I don’t know. I mean, she was choking the syringe and nothing was coming out, and I was bawling, and no alternative was provided after that didn’t work. I haven’t been back since…and now I’m even more super sedentary because I can’t walk 4 steps without wanting to crumple up. And my ankles aren’t working properly anymore…
So, in sum, steroids can be a great temporary fix, but that’s all. I recommend that if you have to go through that, that you insist on being informed on what other measures you can take during/after so that you’re using your “cheat code” time wisely.
Thanks** Kambucta**:).
Can anyone give me any advice or anecdotes on post injection pain? Apologies if this is considered threadshitting, please let me know if it is.
I saw Dr today and he advised that it is dependent on the individual but I want some light at the end of this pain tunnel.
If it helps, when I got injections in my feet (that were fully performed), there was no additional pain. Or at least none I noticed compared to the excruciating pain from just walking about from the day before. I didn’t even notice any injection irritation because the overall experience was relief. 