Posted by OldSchool on April 2, 2002, at 21:19:25
> How dangerous/safe is it to treat rheumatic diseases with corticosteroids (after failing NSAIDs) like prednisone or dexamethasone in unipolar depression concerning side effects on mood ? I read that corticosteroids can cause psychosis or depression or make them worser in existing psychiatric diseases.
>Actually, they are bad for bipolars, but for >unipolars they may be somewhat protective. >Stopping them may make depresion worse; taper >slowly and be on a good dose of an AD.
The above reply was posted by Dr. Kramer. I have a MAJOR problem with this man's reply. Corticosteroids are well known to cause depression in susceptible individuals. My severe depression which is unipolar, was specifically induced by a cycle of prednisone. I have never been the same since I was on a cycle of prednisone back in the fall of 97. It basically scrambled my brain chemistry. I did not "bounce back" after I gradually tapered off the prednisone either.Id like to know how someone who is a professor at a place like Northwestern claims corticosteroids can be "protective" in unipolar major depression. That is BS. Corticosteroids are BAD for mood disorders. I am extremely irritated by this reply.
The only kind of steroids that can help unipolar major depression in any significant kind of way is anabolic steroids, like testosterone. Anabolics are the exact opposite of corticosteroids.
Corticosteroids are nasty degenerative drugs, which are sometimes a necessary evil to control severe, life threatening illnesses like asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, etc. However they have bad psychiatric side effects and not just for "bipolars." They also cause hip joint degeneration.
Old School
poster:OldSchool
thread:3750
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/admin/20020308/msgs/3750.html