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What happens if you stop taking steroid tablets?
Can steroid use be stopped abruptly?
What happens if you take too many steroid tablets?
What happens if you abruptly stop taking prednisone?
Can you stop taking steroid tablets without talking to a doctor?
What happens if steroid withdrawal goes unrecognized?
If you've been taking steroid tablets for more than a few weeks, you usually need to reduce your dose gradually. Stopping suddenly can cause your adrenal gland, which makes important hormones for the body, to stop working.
- Prednisolone
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- Prednisolone
- Overview
- Why do prednisone withdrawal symptoms happen?
- Symptoms of prednisone withdrawal
- When to contact a doctor
- Treatment and home remedies
- How to stop taking prednisone safely
- Why use prednisone?
- Outlook
- Summary
Prednisone is a steroid-type drug. When a person stops taking prednisone or other steroids abruptly, they may notice symptoms including lethargy, low appetite, weight loss, and a general feeling of being unwell.
Prednisone is a glucocorticoid — a type of corticosteroid — that doctors prescribe to treat swelling and inflammation. It relieves swelling, itching, and inflammation by suppressing the immune system.
Doctors should prescribe the lowest possible dose of prednisone to meet a person’s health needs. This is because of the risk of adverse effects.
When a person needs to stop taking prednisone, a doctor will recommend doing so gradually to prevent withdrawal symptoms.
Prednisone is a glucocorticoid, which is a synthetic steroid that works to mimic the effects of cortisol, a hormone that the adrenal glands produce.
Some people refer to cortisol as the stress hormone. However, cortisol does much more than manage stress. The body also uses cortisol to regulate the heart rate and blood pressure.
Without medication, the body naturally maintains a consistent level of cortisol.
However, according to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS), when a person takes prednisone for longer than a few weeks, the body will reduce the amount of cortisol it makes.
When a person suddenly stops taking prednisone, the body cannot immediately produce enough cortisol to make up for the missing drug. This results in withdrawal symptoms.
While the adrenal glands make most of the body’s cortisol, many different types of cells in the body have cortisol receptors.
When the body is not producing enough cortisol to compensate for the missing prednisone, a person can experience a range of symptoms while the body readjusts. This is known as adrenal insufficiency.
People who stop using prednisone after a long time may experience symptoms such as:
•muscle pain
•joint pain
•fatigue
•nausea
People who are using prednisone should check with a doctor before stopping or reducing their dose.
Anyone experiencing symptoms of prednisone withdrawal after reducing the dose or stopping the medication should consult a doctor.
Treatment for prednisone withdrawal focuses on managing the symptoms and controlling the body’s cortisol production.
Some lifestyle choices that can help manage prednisone withdrawal symptoms include:
•getting enough sleep
•using strategies to manage stress
•avoiding or limiting caffeine and alcohol
•eating a varied and nutritious diet
To stop taking prednisone safely, a person will need to reduce their dosage gradually. However, it is important to do this under the guidance of a doctor. A doctor will provide a person with specific instructions on how to stop taking the medication.
To help prevent prednisone withdrawal, a person can take the following precautions while using prednisone and during the taper period afterward:
•stick to the recommended dosage and not take more than the doctor prescribes
•taper the dose according to the doctor’s instructions
•avoid suddenly stopping prednisone treatment
When a person first starts decreasing the amount of prednisone, they may experience aching or tiredness. This is common. However, they should contact a doctor if these symptoms do not resolve over 7 days.
Doctors prescribe prednisone for numerous conditions, including:
•endocrine disorders that lead to low cortisone levels
•rheumatoid arthritis and other types of arthritis
•diseases that affect collagen, such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or lupus
•severe allergies and asthma
•some skin conditions, such as severe psoriasis
Symptoms are typically self-limiting and will resolve with time. People will recover from prednisone withdrawal once their body begins producing enough cortisol again.
However, the duration of symptomatic withdrawal will vary according to the dosage of prednisone the person was taking and the length of treatment.
Prednisone is a synthetic steroid that mimics the effects of cortisol in the body. When a person takes prednisone for extended periods, the body decreases the amount of cortisol it produces.
When a person stops taking prednisone, they can experience withdrawal symptoms until the body begins producing sufficient amounts of cortisol. Common withdrawal symptoms can include fatigue, muscle aches, and joint pain.
May 30, 2024 · What can happen if you suddenly stop taking prednisone after you’ve been on it a few weeks? You could go into withdrawal and have severe symptoms like fever, joint pain, or fatigue.
- Susan Bernstein
As a general rule, using large doses for a few days, or smaller doses for more than two weeks, leads to a prolonged decrease in HPAA function. Typically, there are no withdrawal symptoms with a 5-day moderately high dose burst of steroids. Thus, steroid use cannot be stopped abruptly.
Dec 21, 2019 · If you stop taking prednisone suddenly, your body can’t make enough cortisol right away to make up for the loss. This can cause a condition called prednisone withdrawal.
This is known as adrenal insufficiency. It's more likely to happen if you take high doses for a long time (especially tablets and injections) or if you regularly use different kinds of steroids at the same time (such as a steroid nasal spray and a steroid inhaler).
Jul 2, 2024 · If you abruptly stop taking prednisone or taper off too quickly, you may experience withdrawal symptoms, including: Severe fatigue; Weakness; Body aches; Joint pain; Nausea; Loss of appetite; Lightheadedness; Irritability or mood swings
