Reply #21: Do not self-medicate with prednisone. It is a powerful drug. [View All]

Hi,

Prednisone can be life-saving but it should not be taken on a whim, just because it helps ease some of the inflammation one experiences with bronchitis. Prednisone will NOT kill the bacteria (or, less likely, viruses) causing your lung infection. Quite to the contrary, it suppresses the immune system. It is SO effective at suppressing the immune system that it is often used to prevent organ rejection in patients receiving transplants. If you are trying to fight off an infection, don't take drugs that suppress the immune system unless it's absolutely necessary.

Prednisone can cause glaucoma, cataracts, and osteoporosis just to name a few of its serious side effects.

Prednisone, in short, is a drug to be taken ONLY when absolutely necessary.

Only a doctor can diagnose bronchitis and only a doctor should prescribe medication for bronchitis. If your doctor is handing out prednisone like Luden's cough drops, then, honestly, s/he is probably causing his/her patients long term problems just so that they don't complain about short term discomfort.

I'm not coming back out of lurk mode to argue about this. Hence, if you want to argue, I suggest instead that you read more about this dangerous though sometimes necessary drug.
http://prednisone.drugs.com/
http://ibscrohns.about.com/cs/prednisone/a/steroideffects.htm

I only glanced at these links and am drawing my information not from them but from experience. If the links do not suffice, please do your own THOROUGH research, which you should do in any case before using a drug, particularly one you are (unwisely) presribing to yourself.