Knee steroid injections..........

[CathyA]

I have a really bad right knee. Don't want a replacement. Have had a meniscus trimming about 10 years ago and had been doing okay for those years with occasional ice, Tylenol, and exercises. Lately I developed horrible bilateral thigh aching, which I thought might be referred pain from that bad knee. I also have fibromyalgia, which means when one thing hurts, everything hurts.

So a couple days ago, I had a steroid injection in that knee. I was in heaven for a day and a half........no pain anywhere. But suddenly this morning my fun came to an abrupt end. First, I started feeling itchy. Then I felt anxious. Then a I felt REALLY anxious and have stayed that way. What the heck? Well, after doing a lot of online reading I discovered that this is not unusual at all. And some people are even extremely anxious for a couple months. What a drag. Seems like when I find a solution to something, it messes up somewhere else. I guess nothing is free....

Anyone here have steroid injections (in any joint) and this has happened to you? Fortunately I can take the edge off the panic with a tiny bit of xanax..........but dang.....no fun.

The doc told me it doesn't get systemic because it stays in the joint "capsule". You can't tell me no one else has had this reaction. Maybe they say that so you won't tend to get it, just from him mentioning it?

I swear my body is wired all wrong.

[Tammy]

It's common for steroids to cause anxiety and insomnia and irritability and mania in susceptible people. I've seen patients admitted to psych units because someone put them on prednisone.

[pinkytoe]

Many years ago, I had a similar high anxiety reaction after using a corticosticoid (sp?) nasal spray when it first came out. For days afterwards, I felt like I had ingested ten cups of coffee. Couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, lost weight and thought I was losing my mind - it was initially diagnosed as some sort of mental issue and I was given Xanax which made everything even worse. It took about six months to return to normal. Years later and talking to a doctor about a painful knee and whether or not a steroid shot might help, I mentioned the nasal steroid spray event when he asked about drug allergies. He said they now know that about 15% of individuals are very sensitive to steroids of any kind and may have a reaction called steroid-induced mania - even to the point of temproary psychosis for a lucky few. I guess it messes with your cortisol levels. In any case, I now won't go near the stuff. Seeing a physical therapist for knee problems turned out to be the best course for me. Doing the exercises eventually corrected the issue completely.

[catherine]

Have you ever tried hyaluronic acid injections? Maybe when the corticosteroid wears off, you can try that.

[CathyA]

Thanks everyone. Too bad the docs never mention this stuff beforehand. I'm sure many people do okay with these types of injections........but now that I'm aware of it, there's lots of info out there about the down-side of having them.

I was having such horrendous thigh pain. I thought maybe it was my bad knee. I kept trying to remind the doc of the fact it was the thigh pain and not the knee pain.........but in all fairness, bad knees can cause lots of other leg pains.

Anyhow.....this really sucks. I'm still anxious (a little bit of xanax helps), but now I have really bad reflux, which gives me lots of irregular heartbeats (always has), I have a headache and pain in my right eye. Geez.........unbelievable. No wonder I don't trust docs. They seem to just go for the money-maker fixes. I had to ask him for a prescription for physical therapy, since he didn't seem to think it would help much. And this guy has excellent reviews.

I do have an extremely unusual/sensitive neuro system, so maybe this is just my problem, but like I said, I'm seeing so many people with similar reactions online. I know when all these side-effects wear off, I'll probably get my horrible thigh pain back again. I'm thinking physical therapy will probably be more useful.
I'm becoming more and more disillusioned with much of modern medicine.

[JaneV2.0]

I enjoy generally robust health except for my arthritic joints. I've managed to avoid doctors, their dubious diagnoses and over-fondness for toxic medications, for years. The thought of getting caught up in the geriatric Pharma merry-go-round just to get joint relief makes me angry. I (literally) feel your pain.

[Tybee]

Thanks everyone. Too bad the docs never mention this stuff beforehand. I'm sure many people do okay with these types of injections........but now that I'm aware of it, there's lots of info out there about the down-side of having them.

I was having such horrendous thigh pain. I thought maybe it was my bad knee. I kept trying to remind the doc of the fact it was the thigh pain and not the knee pain.........but in all fairness, bad knees can cause lots of other leg pains.

Anyhow.....this really sucks. I'm still anxious (a little bit of xanax helps), but now I have really bad reflux, which gives me lots of irregular heartbeats (always has), I have a headache and pain in my right eye. Geez.........unbelievable. No wonder I don't trust docs. They seem to just go for the money-maker fixes. I had to ask him for a prescription for physical therapy, since he didn't seem to think it would help much. And this guy has excellent reviews.

I do have an extremely unusual/sensitive neuro system, so maybe this is just my problem, but like I said, I'm seeing so many people with similar reactions online. I know when all these side-effects wear off, I'll probably get my horrible thigh pain back again. I'm thinking physical therapy will probably be more useful.
I'm becoming more and more disillusioned with much of modern medicine.

I know what you mean about feeling disillusioned. I am a brittle asthmatic and have really had to hit the prednisone over the years. It definitely keeps me awake at night. I try to take it only when I have to. I stoppe the steroid inhaler because of side effects, and most docs want you to manage your asthma on that, although I have read that in Britain, they believe inhaled steroids actually causes more life-threatening asthma. I keep it for when Ineed it.

Something that helps me is realizing that I have an underlying anxiety disorder which thing exacerbates the asthma reactions. I take valerian for the underlying anxiety and it helps with chronic pain issues, too. I noticed a huge reduction on asthma symptoms when I was on Prozac. I will probably try to duplicate that with a St Johns wort/valerian combo.

For me, it's good to save the prednisone for the life-threatening asthma episodes. While docs say the inhaled steroids will keep this under control, I have not found that to be the case.

[CathyA]

Thanks Jane and Tybee. Yeah.....I'm really starting to feel that many times, the doc's "cure" is worse than the disease. they seem so limited in their thinking.

Tybee.....it must be scary to not be able to breathe at times. I, too, have problems with anxiety and everything seems to get escalated by it. So you really feel that the valerian helps?
I'm on a small dose of generic zoloft, but can't go any higher because it causes massive diarrhea. The doc wants me to go on Cymbalta, but those brain drugs can make life even harder, just getting used to them and then ever trying to come off of them.
Good luck with your asthma.

Jane....I think I could tolerate my arthritis, but it's my thighs that have recently gotten unbearably painful.....even the one on the side of my better knee. I have some prolapsing lower abdominal organs too. (what don't I have? haha) It makes sense to me that they could be putting stress on nerves that go to my legs..........but doctor after doctor has said "No......I've never heard of that."

catherine..........I had thought the first thing at the ortho docs would be those other injections....but they said they always start with the steroid injection. Then they said that they have to get permission from the insurance company before giving those injections. So I'm thinking they fill in with the steroid injection, so they have time to get the okay from the insurance co. while the steroid shot is working. I'm not sure that's the greatest way of thinking. I'm really glad that my thigh pain is temporarily gone......but man, what other problems that have cropped up in the mean time.

I DO fear that thigh pain coming back. I almost considered going to the ER for it once. I just keep feeling like I'm slipping through the cracks all the time. I'm even married to a doc, and I feel like he's letting me slip through too. It's really starting to get to me.

[JaneV2.0]

William Davis, MD has a new book out called Undoctored.

From a review: "America’s 'healthcare' system is anything but. With its dedication to highly monetized interventions, consumers have been relegated to serving as pawns in an impressively profitable paradigm focused on illness, while the notion of keeping us healthy is of little concern. In Undoctored, Dr. Davis explores this revelation, and thereafter, transforms the reader from passive bystander, sitting on the sidelines at the mercy of the system, to an active participant, deeply engaged in the process of regaining and maintaining optimal health. This is a powerfully empowering and life-changing text."

I have it on my "to read" list. Another good read is The Last Well Person, by Nortin Hadler, MD, along those same lines.

[ApatheticNoMore]

My mom gets those shots, they relieve pain for awhile, but they wear off (and seemingly more and more quickly). They don't seem to have side effects for her. Although, I suspect they aren't healthy long term, but there isn't always that much else that can be done (well ok knee replacement surgery would likely work but that is her decision and she doesn't want to. I suspect anti-inflammatory foods might help even though in osteoarthritis there is of course structural damage - but NSAIDS do help sometimes). Obviously if a medical treatment produces bad side effects it may not be a good idea. My mom tried physical therapy but it seemed to be producing even MORE pain.