Daily Quick Tip

Two very important parts of your body that need to be well monitored on prednisone are your bones and your eyes. These are important parts of your body to watch anyway but even more so on Prednisone. Prednisone has been known to be a catalyst to Cataracts as well as bone density problems such as Osteopenia and Osteoporosis.

If you are dealing with Prednisone chronically meaning more than a couple months and especially if you are taking higher doses (25mg+) your doctor should schedule you to get a bone density scan every 6 months to make sure your bones are strong. Many people on Prednisone are prescribed Calcium and even medications like Fosamax if the bone scan shows bone decay and for many people these drugs are very effective. I was diagnosed with Osteopenia (early stages of Osteoporosis) about 10 years ago. I went through a couple courses of Fosamax and today I've had hardly any problems with my bones:) I'm very glad I got checked because my doctor was able to treat it quickly before more damage was done. Unless we have some really awesome robot limbs in the future I'm stuck with them bones so I want to keep them working!

Long term Prednisone use can also do a number on your eyes such as the growth of cataracts. This is a very simple thing to watch and it should be done about every 6 months. Your eye doctor should give you a dilated exam to check the health of the back of the eye which will show any evidence of Cataracts. Luckily if Cataracts are forming, treatment to have them removed is very safe and extremely effective!

On Prednisone it's definitely helpful to use preventative health measures. Checking in with all parts of your body is so very important to do even if it costs you a few more trips to the clinic. But I truly believe it's totally worth it!