should I be avoiding steroids?

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cookiegal
cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
edited June 2014 in Lymphedema

Not for body buildingEmbarassed

But in asthma and other meds.

My weight has been roller-coaster lately, but I ate light and exercised this weekend and gained 3.5 pounds. I figured it could be asthma meds which I have not used in a year or two.

If it can make me puff like that it can not be good for my arm. But it would be darkly funny if I died of an asthma attack since I was worried about LE. (I am just kidding, mine is usually mild.) 

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  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited November 2011

    Cookie, if you need your steroids for your asthma--take them! I took my pulmicort all through rads. I've only (knock on wood) needed prednisone a few times, but when I did, I was in rotten shape.

    The inhaled steroids have a minimal systemic absorption--my allergist tends to like pulmicort as his wife got adrenal suppression on flovent, but overall, it's minimal.

    If you only use them every couple of years, I'd vote for using them when you need them.

    Steroids decrease inflammation and we know LE is tied to inflammation, but they do cause weight gain and fluid retention--but only the oral ones, and most asthma docs seem to do a prednisone burst these days (40 mg for a few days.)

    I've been fighting my weight too, and it's soooo frustrating.

    The World Health Organization categories of asthma all state that even at low category, flares can be significant... 

    Kira 

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  • Sher
    Sher Member Posts: 540
    edited November 2011

    Kira, what about injected steroids for arthritis?  Does/can this have an affect on LE?

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  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited November 2011

    Sher, they're different, as the trauma of the injection may lead to a flare and they can cause infection, and if they're not careful--skin atrophy, tendon rupture. But, if you need an injection to relieve intractable pain, pain is a trigger for LE.

    Cookie was asking about her asthma steroids, and they're usually inhaled--very small dose, and if you flare, a few days of oral prednisone.

    Technically, they're powerful anti-inflammatory medicines, so there might be some benefit for all we know.

    It's the trauma of the injection and infection risk I'd worry about if you got a shot in your "bad" side, but plenty of women on these boards have, and have done really well.

    Kira

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  • Sher
    Sher Member Posts: 540
    edited November 2011

    Thanks Kira.  This is confusing to me though.....steroids, corticosteroids, etc and I do hope I'm not hijacking here, but apologize if I am.

    You said with asthma steroids, if you flare, a few days of oral prednisone.  Isn't prednisone a steroid also?

    It's been a couple years since I've had steroid (cortisone I guess?) injections and not since I've had LE.  Injections were in my knees and I've had pretty uncomfortable flushing from this the following day - face, neck and arms mostly and like a nasty sunburn.  For the next knee injection, I was advised to take Benadryl right afterwards to prevent flushing.  But that flushing is somewhat of a worry since I now have LE.

    The steroid injections in my knees seems to travel to and benefit other areas of my body, relieving pain in other joints.  Oral prednisone has had the same affect and I'm often pain free while taking this.  So, it's not really the steroids that can be a caution for LE, but the trauma and risk from an injection, right?  

     

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  • cookiegal
    cookiegal Member Posts: 3,296
    edited November 2011

    Actually one theory on my LE is that it came from my two steriod injections...but I was in CRAZY pain for months...

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  • kira66715
    kira66715 Member Posts: 4,681
    edited November 2011

    Sher--I have rosacea--a skin condition where you flush, and the first time it showed up was when I was on oral prednisone.

    When you get a shot, they usually mix numbing agent (lidocaine) and steroid (usually triamcinolone) in the syringe. You get a decent dose of steroid, and it lingers for a while.

    There are different doses for different joint sizes, and knees get a bigger dose of steroids than elbows.

    Cookie--it may have been the trigger, but you had to treat your pain. 

    Sher, does this make sense?

    Kira

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