Can steroids do this???

[steroidquestion]

has anyone else ever had side effects with steroids? Seen similar posts on AIBU so hope it’s ok to post here.

im taking prednisolone tablets (for a completely unrelated condition) and it’s worsened my mild asthma. I’ve had a chesty cough, on and off feelings of an elastic band being tightly wrapped round my chest and a tight wheezy feeling. It’s worse lying down.

im only on day 5 of the prednisolone and I’m using my salbutamol much more often than usual. Could this be the steroids after just 5 days? Or is it more likely I’m starting to get one of those horrible chesty flus going about?

I checked the leaflet and couldn’t find anything about it, and I know some people get prednisalone specifically for asthma so unsure if it could make it worse? Or if I’ve just caught a chesty flu?

I had to take prednisone FOR a worsening asthma attack with awful wheezing when I had flu.

Quite strange for the steroids to cause worsening asthma. Have you taken them before? Why are you taking them?

That’s what’s confusing me 🤔 I think it’s actually the start of flu/one of those chesty sicknesses- I’ve managed to avoid it all winter but it’s rife in our area and I think it’s just an unfortunate coincidence with the steroids. Ah well, can’t avoid it forever I suppose.

If you’re taking a high dose of steroids it can lower your immune system so it sounds like you’ve picked up a virus / infection. It should help your asthma not make it worse; many people take courses of pred to rescue them when their asthma is awful.

Typical - managed to avoid it when everyone at work had it and I was feeling quite chuffed with myself that I was the only one to avoid it ! Now it’s rife again so I must have picked something up.