You didn't tell me this shit would make me psychotic!

The BBQ Pit
#1

With arthritis from a horseback riding accident two years ago, I’ve had some issues with serious pain - I’m always hurting, and I’ve been taking different kinds of medications, both steroids and painkillers, off and on for the past two years. Because my new medical insurance has just kicked in, I’m planning to go see an orthopedist, but I can’t do that yet because I’m trying to get my records transferred.

So, I called my longtime doctor in my hometown last Friday and requested something to help me through until I was able to get into the orthopedist - he called in the steroids I’ve taken before - he knows my condition well enough that he can do that, and has no problem doing it for me until I get into the orthopedist. Peachy - everything will go swimmingly. Or so I thought.

He called in a different course of steroids for me, some that I’ve never taken before. Just a five-day course to reduce the swelling and help ease the pain a bit. Having taken steroids before for the same short courses, I figured I’d be fine - I’d be ravenous and lose my taste buds, but those were all the side effects I had before, so why would now be any different?

Whoa. Not fucking quite.

I realized something was amiss about four days ago when I turned into a raving, psycho, crying lunatic. I have gone wacko on my fiance about fifteen times a day. He looked at my funny one night, I burst into tears, slammed into the bedroom and went to bed. He says he was just asking if I wanted to go out to dinner.

I’ve been unable to control what goes from my brain to my mouth all week. The oddest things have come from my head, and unfortunately, they’ve made it out. I completely flipped on my boss several days ago, with whom I get along beautifully. He knew something must have been wrong because he let it go, luckily. My office-mate has been ready to kill me (although she tells me it’s okay…we get along very well, so I’m not too concerned). I’ve been constantly crying over everything - I was reading bits and pieces of the Paraguay grocery store fire story to mr. avabeth last night, and I started sobbing in the middle of it. I was listening to Fiddler on the Roof on the way to work yesterday and cried because Tevye disowned Chava for marrying a Catholic.

At that point, I decided to look up the med on the web because the inset I got from the pharmacy said nothing about these symptoms - it said the usual stuff - moon-face, hunger, sleeplessness, etc. I figure I’m just having a bad reaction, and there are no other symptoms than the ones listed.

Then I find this:

“Personality changes might be noted by the patient or family members (difficulty sleeping, feeling of well-being, sadness, meanness or psychosis).”

PSYCHOSIS?? Fucking PSYCHOSIS? That’s a fucking side effect and your inset doesn’t list it???

Shouldn’t that be the first thing it tells you?? “This medication may cause you to go abso-fucking-lutely INSANE and attempt to kill everyone around you.”. Not at the very tail end of the motherfucking list, or not at all??

Luckily, I took my last one yesterday morning, went to bed at 7 PM last night (after mr avabeth ordered me to do so when I lost my mind on the grocery store fire story), and I’m feeling about 90% better this morning - I think they’ve begun to drop out of my system. And I’ll never take them again - I will specifically request NEVER to be prescribed this medication again because I don’t want to be locked up in Bellevue for the rest of my life.

So Walgreens Pharmacy - FUCK YOU for not listing that immediately on the side effects. I’m not blaming the pharmacists, just the dumbasses who create the information packets within the prescriptions. I think ‘psychosis’ and ‘personality changes’ are a LITTLE fucking more important than ‘sleeplessness’ and a ‘moon-face’.

I’m feeling so much better today that I feel like the past few days have been a very horrible, terrible dream. I can actually smile without crying now. I feel normal again. And seriously, I understand that pharmacists dispense a lot of medication in one day, but would it really be so hard to hand me my prescription and say “Oh, by the way, this one might make you feel like becoming the Son of Sam, but it’ll pass, don’t worry.”?

Ava

#2

Prednisone?

#3

Decadron. I’ve heard Prednisone is similar, though.

All I know is that I’d rather be in pain than take these ever, ever again.

Ava

#4

I had to take steroids on and off for several years due to Ulcerative Colitis and it’s a miracle drug, but those side effects are horrible. I, too, was VERY emotional. I also couldn’t sleep worth a damn because I was so jittery and got the dreaded moon-face. I gained about 80 pounds over the course of a few years, which I couldn’t shed, even with diet and exercise because I would have to take the steroids again when I would get sick.

I had a gastric bypass last year and lost all the weight, which also put my UC into “remission”, so I haven’t taken steroids in over a year. But I remember how miserable it was.

Not fun. I feel ya. :frowning:

#5

My wife has been taking Prednisone for years. She was psychotic before she ever started, and I can’t see any difference now.

#6

vunderbob, vunderbob, vunderbob. :dubious:

That’s what my co-worker told me yesterday, too. Hmmm…

:smiley:

NuttyBunny, I’m glad to know that my emotions were at least justified - I was starting to worry that it really was me going crazy. Glad you don’t have to deal with them anymore! And congrats on the weight loss!

Ava

#7

I had to take Prednisone recently for a pinched sciatic nerve. That two-week stretch corresponded with an avalanche of “Holy shit, Lib, what the fuck has gotten INTO you?” posts from all sorts of people. (A couple of them still haven’t gotten over it.) I was on one hell of an emotional roller-coaster. So, to borrow from President Cigar, I feel your pain.

#8

Not for use by pregnant women, or those who may become pregnant, people with certain types of heart disease, or dog owners or people who live next to dog owners.

#9

I knew there had to be an excuse. (And I’m not saying that badly, I read those posts, and I knew something MUST be going on - even if I don’t necessarily always agree with you, now it makes total sense - I’m glad to know there was an underlying reason, and believe me, I totally understand how you could end up off-the-wall - I sure as hell did. I tried to stay away from posting anywhere for the most part until I stopped taking these - it was hard, though. I wanted to post the most inane stuff - more inane than usual, even.)

Now I’m just still really, really hungry and craving a sandwich from Chik-Fil-A with pickles - I haven’t had one of those in several years.

Ava

#10

Damn. That sucks. It’s cool that you have a lot of people who know you well enough to realize this wasn’t normal…

Oh, and for the record…

That happens to a lot of people.

#11

A couple of years ago I went to see my girlfriend, and was surprised to find her falling-down drunk. I mean, I’ve seen some loaded people before, but she took the cake. Which is funny, because she doesn’t drink, and her breath didn’t smell. A few hours later, while babbling about something, she suddenly said “Wow, was I just acting really weird?” Come to find out, progesterone can have psychotic side effects.

#12

I had a similar reaction to Accutane.

When my mom called me on my freakish behavior, I screamed “What is the big deal? Pam (my sister) is a bitch every goddamn day and nobody makes a big deal out of THAT!” in her face!

“That,” my mother replied calmly, “is just Pam’s personality. This is not YOUR personality.”

I didn’t finish the course, because my mom and sister would either have killed me or been dead themselves. :eek:

Sorry you had to go through that, but hopefully it gives you some comfort to know that your boss, coworker, and fiance at least recognized your behavior as abnormal for you. :wink:

#13

I should add that in my girlfriend’s case, the psychosis lasted a few hours, then turned itself off click, like a light switch. It was very temporary. You might want to find out if the steroids do that.

#14

I thought that this was going to be another thread on American Politics.
rimshot

#15

Actually, it’s been over 24 hours since I’ve had my last one and I am feeling 150% better, thank God. We just went out to lunch and my fiance said it was like a new person - I wasn’t going off on him for no reason. (Not like I would anyway, but still;) - I always tell him if I’m mad, I probably have a good reason for it:D).

auntie em, that shit is BAD - my mom’s best friend’s daughter took it, and she scared me. She’s the most mild-mannered, sweetest woman I’ve ever met, and she turned into Madonna on acid. Her mother dropped them all down the sink because it affected her so badly.

I’ve just never had a medication affect me QUITE like this before.

Ava

#16

I thought he was Orthodox.

Sorry to hear about your problem though; I have a (mild) paranoid/moody reaction to Ibuprofen and it really sucks.

#17

Ugh. That’s the one I was just prescribed to take for 3 days when my migraines get out of control. I’ve taken Prednisone with no problems before except sleeping problems, though, so I’m hoping it won’t cause problems.

I’m glad you’re feeling better now.

#18

Avabeth, a whole bunch of us have been there, too.

The first time it happened to me was the worst - on subsequent “must have steroid” episodes I knew what was coming and could beef up my support systems (I guess) and realized I wasn’t going crazy, it was just a side effect like the never-satiated hunger and the fluid retention.

So lots of {{{{{hugs}}}}} and you should feel MUCH more yourself as soon as that stuff is out of your system.

#19

I’m glad you’re feeling better, avabeth. One of my little pugs had to take prednisone for a long time for skin allergy problems, and I guess it affects dogs much the same way as it does us. Her personality changed, she got a definite moon face (although on her it looked cute), and she became as hungry as a lumberjack.

Hey, is this the same stuff that athletes take to bulk up, but it makes them go all wonky with a hair-trigger temper?

#20

It didn’t seem to make me psychotic until about 3 1/2 days into it - so hopefully, you’ll be okay! I’ve never heard of it for migraines, but I know with mine, I’ll try anything once. Don’t worry - 3 days shouldn’t be bad at all.

Mangetout, you’re probably right about the Orthodox - I always just interchange the two. And I usually do cry at that part, but man, I’m not supposed to sob at it. But I heard her scream “Papa!” and the waterworks just started flowing.

I appreciate all of the support - I honestly can’t believe how much better I feel today. Now if the puffy face would go away, I’d be even better.

Ava