How to Recognize the Side Effects of Cortisone

As with any other medication, it is important to learn to recognize the side effects of cortisone before you begin using it to treat any of your health conditions. Side effects of cortisone may include both short-term and long-term complications and should be carefully reviewed with a medical professional.

Things You'll Need

• Over-the-counter pain medication

Instructions

1. Prepare to deal with an increased risk of infection due to the possible side effect of the weakening of your immune system by cortisone. When you are using cortisone, do your best to avoid people who have infections, especially more serious conditions like measles or chickenpox. You should also tell all health care professionals who treat you that you are taking cortisone before undergoing any immunizations or surgical procedures, as you may need to wait until you have completed your cortisone treatment.

2. Take note of any difficulties related to your digestive and reproductive systems that may side effects of cortisone. Frequent urination and bloody or black stools are side effects that you may recognize, as well as severe cramps related changes in your menstrual cycle. Contact your doctor immediately if you experience extreme pain while urinating or having a bowel movement as it could be a sign of infection.

3. Do your best to recognize any changes in your mental state that may be related to your use of cortisone. Fairly common side effects of cortisone use are mild depression, confusion, restlessness and irregular heartbeat related to sudden bursts of excitement. Less-common side effects may include hallucinations of seeing and hearing things that do not really exist, a false sense of well-being or self-importance and paranoia.

4. Observe any difficulties that you experience with your vision. Side effects that you may be able to recognize easily are pain or bulging of the eyes and blurry vision. You may also notice that your range of vision appears to decrease in size if you are experiencing negative side effects of cortisone.

5. Determine whether any symptoms you experience similar to those of other ordinary conditions, such as the common cold or cough, may be side effects of cortisone. These symptoms may include fever, sneezing or a runny nose and a sore throat. It is also easy to confuse nausea or vomiting that may be related to cortisone use as symptoms of another common condition so it is important to pay close attention to how your body is feeling while using cortisone.

6. Examine your face closely for skin problems that may be side effects of your use of cortisone. Cortisone may cause redness or swelling of the face that causes it to appear rounder than usual. It is possible that the skin on your face may also appear to be shiny or thinner than usual and may be more susceptible to acne than usual.

Tips & Warnings

• Use over-the-counter pain medication to treat pain in the hips, legs, shoulders, ribs or back that may be a side effect of cortisone use.