Long term steroid use weakens tendons - so be careful

[Pierre42]

HI, My Name is Pierre42, I have Wegeners Granulomatosis ... And I like to play squash. (if you thought this was an AA meeting, you've got the wrong room)

....I'm sure some of you have guessed where this story is going....

I'm currently typing this post from bed, with my leg in a cast, having recently had surgery to reattach my right achilles tendon.

New Skills This Year: Walking with crutches, climbing stairs with crutches, etc.

Recovery involves two weeks in a light cast after surgery, then removal of staples, then 4 weeks in a "moon boot" knee-to-ankle heavy cast, and after that lots (and lots) of physiotherapy.

..... If nothing else, having Wegeners has been a very educational experience, in so many ways.
(I've never broken a bone, never had surgery for an injury, and now this happens)

[Melly]

Yikes Pierre, sorry to hear! I hope that your recovery goes smoothly and you get some relief from all the pain in that achilles. I know quite a few people that have torn it and it's nearly impossible to live with. :(

After I finally tapered down on the steroids, I was anxious to lose the nearly 40 pounds (ahhhh!!) that I'd packed on, so I'd go on the treadmill every day and do a bit of light jogging. Looking back, I wish I had taken it easier on myself because I ended up injuring my quadriceps tendon! Tendon injuries are so slow to heal and even to this day it will flare up on me after a particularly intense workout, so I have to be careful not to overdo it.

I'm sorry this happened to you. Working with the physical therapists will go a long way to getting back your strength and mobility. Best of luck to you!

[Alysia]

Dear Pierre,
I am sorry :sad: it sounds not pleasant al all, but you are handling it with your special humor and keeping your spirit high, so I believe that you will soon do and feel better in all ways. nice to have you around again, long time since you wrote. take care :hug1:

[stephwest]

Hi.
I have GPA 8 months and after 6 weeks got bad lower back muscle/tendon pain, physio found 2 bulging discs in lower back and torn muscles with physio work and lots of rest slowly got better. Then he (physio) told me all muscles had lost tone and are getting weaker (I blame PRED for this and MTX dosnt help either) now After 8 months I am in constant ache/pain having torn more muscles in lower back at least twice, I cant bend over, if I drop something have to go on hands & knees, cant walk for more than 10 mins without sitting down. The only position I am in without some sort of ache/pain is lying on back.
This is a miserable thing to have.

[stephwest]

If nothing else, having Wegeners has been a very educational experience, in so many ways.
(I've never broken a bone, never had surgery for an injury, and now this happens)[/QUOTE]

Hi Pierre How long have you been taking PRED and what mg per day???
Hope you get better soon

[mishb]

A young friend of mine (16 at the time) was given high doses of pred for crohn's disease.
This young friend is/was an avid soccer player.

I saw a facebook post from him one day with the comment "woohoo, steroids you beauty - now I can train harder and faster and be a better player".

You all know that I quickly sent him a message, yes I did :tongue1: saying that they are not the same type of steroids and that he will do himself an injury.
These type of steroids can be very harsh to your body and unforgiving to your muscles and tendons if you over do it.
I told him that he can tear a muscle from the bone or rip a tendon - these types of steroids will not build up your muscles to make you stronger and faster.

Did he listen - of course not :predrage:

It took about 3 months before he was having the exact same Achilles surgery as Pierre

[BookNut]

It is also a good idea to watch out for certain antibiotics. I know a lot of Weggies take prednisone AND antibiotics. For tough infections, doctors often prescribe Cipro, Avelox or Levoquin. They are particularly popular in hospitals. And they also include a black box warning of the danger of tendon rupture....while taking it AND up to many months later. Charming. Here is a quote from an article written by Dr. Mercola:

Fluoroquinolones: The Deadliest Antibiotics on the Market?
"If your doctor hands you a prescription for a fluoroquinolone antibiotic (this could be not only Cipro or Levaquin but also Avelox or generics ciprofloxacin, levofloxacin, and moxifloxacin, or others), be very certain that your condition warrants the risks that come along with taking these drugs.... In 2008, the FDA required seven fluoroquinolone antibiotics to add a black-box warning because they pose a risk of tendinitis and increase the risk of a tendon rupture by three to four times."

If you would like to read more, here is the link to the article. Fluoroquinolones: The Deadliest Antibiotics in the Market? (http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/20/fluoroquinolones-side-effects.aspx)

Now I must say that Dr. Mercolo is squarely in the alternative/integrated medicine side of the medical profession....but you will find the same info on all the standard medical websites. It is frightening to me. We are using so many antibiotics in our industrial farms to keep the cattle and chickens etc. "healthy", that "old fashioned" antibiotics no longer work well and we are forced to use eve-more dangerous drugs to combat infections. I am afraid that people with compromised immune systems are like the proverbial canaries in the coal mine. They are the early-warning system that things are not right.

Anyway...off my soap box. I just think that we need to be aware so we can make informed choices...perhaps choosing less powerful antibiotics if they will do the job eventually, and saving these dangerous antibiotics for times when nothing else will do the trick.