Prednisone lowering lymphedema swelling

Prednisone is an anti-inflammatory. Lymphedema involves inflammation. So it is not surprising that it helps your lymphedema. But long-term use of steroids has a number of potentially serious side effects, and should be avoided. What were you doing to manage your lymphedema before you took this steroid? Were you doing manual lymph drainage? Were you wearing compression? Were you doing decongesting exercises? These are safer measures that do not have side effects.

Agree with LA above: prednisone feels like a "miracle" drug but can also turn you into a diabetic and weaken your bones, along with other nasty effects, so must be employed carefully.

Assuming you had a short burst & taper prescription, used in cases of suspected allergies. Depending on where you live, pollen levels can be very high right now until the first hard frost at which point you may see some relief. Do OTC antihistamines help?

On the other hand (so to speak), facial swelling can also be a sign of angioedema and should not be ignored. This condition might result from new medication sensitivity or have even more obscure causes. Go back to your doctor for further evaluation or get a referral to a specialist. 

I'm not sure what to think about an MD who would order a potent steroid upon patient request unless it was for a person known to have frequent bouts of severe asthma, etc.  

prednisone is both nasty and a miracle

I have been battling sinus issues the last year, while on Pred, all is fine, but symptoms return as soon as it is ended

I recently was told I need a round of pred for a repeated sinus polyp thing, I complain my head off when ever they want me to the dand thing....nasty and scary stuff

Cjain, thank you for filling in the details.  Here's to healing and maybe a lasting effect of the pred for your LE.  This is a good topic.

Dr. Stan Rockson at Stanford has done studies of an anti-inflammatory as LE treatment. For a while he was ecstatic because it seemed to be working and he was noting no side effects from long-term use. But in the end (maybe predictably!) he apparently quit the experiments and dropped the subject entirely. So, maybe not a direction worth pursuing. 

Rich dark chocolate, on the other hand, cures a multitude of ills, and all the side effects are beneficial!

Yum!
Binney

Yes glennie, perhaps my screen name is too revealing! I went back to a part-time job for 18 months post chemo, then quit that a year & a half ago. Don't really miss it too much...

hahaha, vinrph,, it's probably not that obvious to those outside the profession,, but rph catches my eye!

I work from home,, have been doing so for the last 3 years,,, doing order entry and order verification. It's has been great for me, especially after my diagnosis. I don't believe I could have handled the stress of the hospital with treatment and dealing with all the LE, etc. 

Carol, thank you for your kind words,,, can't say I've been helpful in the LE world here,, you all have been extremely helpful to me!! Paving the path for those with LE that have followed you.

Ain't that the truth!!!!

I find the prednisone works great to reduce swelling from lympedema. The VA hospital is weary about my long term use . I am on a maintenance dose of ten mg . I take as much as 40 mg during flare ups and I  am worried about possible side effects but misery makes me change my mind. 

I have a couple auto immune conditions that are confusing to diagnose . The one fact I know for sure is prednisone provides swelling relief that no other drug or herb can match Therefore I do not need more pain pills for gout flare ups and muscle spasms . 

I know for a fact the worse thing I can do is to stop all activity due to pain allowing atrophy to get worse as well as edema becoming ugly . I use the drugs to get my butt moving and will continue to do so as long as I can still walk. Lymphedema , arthritis and multiple auto immune disorder is no laughing matter but I realize some auto immune conditions are more deadly . The prednisone keeps it from spreading to my organs . Yes prednisone is a miracle drug that could blow up in my face .I am willing to risk it for Quality of Life reasons . 

I wish everyone taking a risk with prednisone to have the best outcome . After all a genius won A Nobel prize for steroids . Because they can benefit us if we are willing to take the risk of liver damage .I am in my last chapter of life. I will be thrilled for ten more years and want those years to be as good as WE can make them . The WE being me and my doctor .

Oh I find that cannabis helps before bedtime with nerve pain and anxiety about my condition .I use less prednisone with cannabis they compliment each other . The same with pain pills . High CBD Cannabis concentrates in the oil form have less THC that give you a buzz but more CBDs that heal.