Prednisone?

Hi K.,

Both of my children (6 & 2) have taken it for episodes of croup. They only take it for one, maybe two, days. They had no side effects, but our doc said not to take it long term.

Hope your kids are okay!

M.

I absolutely, without a doubt, would ask for another medication. Giving your child a steroid this early can stunt their growth and yes, it does happen. My son was on this a couple of times (I didn't know any better) and he is very short now as a result. I am devastated. I wish I had asked my Mamasource friends for help.

I hope this helps. Good luck.
N.

All 4 of my children have been on it at some point. It is very safe to use.I would with out a question use it..Any med that you use have a bad but rare side effect..Good Luck!!

Prednisone is a tough drug for kids. My son who is 16 years old has been on prednisone for about 7 years now because of liver disease and colitis. He started with a dose of 30 mg per day. He even went up to 40 mg for a while. Now we finally have the liver disease under control and he is on a very small dose of .5 mg every other day. In the past he had symptoms from the prednisone such as joint pain, weight gain, what they call "moon face" (this was the most difficult for him since he was in Middle School and you know how mean kids can be), and his growth, as well as pueberty were all delayed. Since he's been on the lower dose he shoots up a couple of inches every couple of months and now looks average compared to other kids his age. His voice is changing and he's getting zits too - just like everyone else. I am thankful that Prednisone has been able to keep his liver healthy. So in the long run I'm happy that he took the prednisone, but I won't say it was easy - because it wasn't. Let me know if you have any other questions, if I know the answer I'll tell you. Good luck!

Yes, a few times. It was either that or not breathe, and we chose for her to breathe. She has reactive airway disease, which makes it very difficult for her to breathe at times, and the non-steroidal inhaler didn't quite do the trick when she was younger. Thankfully we didn't have to use it much, but sometimes "scary" drugs can be lifesavers and I thank God we had it at times. I am hoping that your kids/kid won't have to be on it long though. Prolonged use of steroids can cause problems. Take care!

Prednisone should just be used to "get you through the acute state. You did not mention the condition that your child is using predisone for - there are quite a few. Also, which child it is for. I have been on prednisone for my asthma and my friend's daughter (now 8) has been on it a few times (i.e.bronchitis & pneumonia) . I usually end up going on it once a year, sometimes twice - I get one of those intense upper respiratory infections. It's one of those medications that, when the dr. says you need it....it's necessary and I wouldn't think twice! If your dr. is suggesting a "burst" to get your child out of their acute state of their illness, then I would definitely do it. It will not stunt your child's growth in short bursts (5 - 7 days). You do not want your child on it long term. Yes, it is a POWER HITTER of a medication and should be taken exactly as prescribed, with food. If you read the side effects, I can see why you would be concerned. If your child has asthma, bronchitis, or a constrictive airway illness/disease, consider corticosteroids to control the condition and bronchodilators (long term and/or fast acting) while they are moving out of their acute state. If their condition is becoming more frequent or is brought on by some type of allergy, I'm sure you will go through the steps to determine the cause of the allergy. Symptoms will/may be: high energy, mood swings, insatiable appetite, possibly lots of dreams - some not good. Short term - rounded face/slight weight gain, you may not even notice. Personally, I hate taking it but, at the point that I need it, once I'm on it, I'm grateful to start moving out of an acute state so my other medications can do the rest of the work. Good luck and I hope your child feels better - it's hard to see them like this!