my son is 3 yrs old at first was prenounced having bronchitis now they thinking asthma l am very new to this and he was prescribed antibiotics and prednisone, can you give me any advantages or disadvantages about this steriod.

causes weight gain---big time

My dad has been on and off of prednisone for a long time. It completely changes his personality every time he is on it. He becomes easily frustrated or angered and his personality goes out the window. However, one of my teenage friends was on it for mono and had no problems.

do u mean advantages over other steroids? or side effects of steroids in general? is ur son supposed to take the prednisone orally? 'cause to me, that sounds quite drastic for a kid that apparently is not in a hospital but back at home with you? there r steroids to inhale, too. those have almost no effect on the rest of the body but only on the airways. the side effects of steroid depend largely on the way they r applied, the dosage & the time they have to be taken. so it is hard to tell with the little information given, what is applying to ur son.
and what kind of infection is he taking the antibiotics for?

from afar this treatment sounds a little unusual to me, but that is why a doctor assesses a patient personaly & not over the internet ;-)
you should talk about ur concerns with ur pediatrician. especially the prescribed drugs should have been explained to you. maybe u can call or make another appointment?

l have an three year old daughter as well that has been on prednisone & l am a nurse so l will break it down for u

Cons
Possible acting Hyper
Some weigh gain
Can become immune to the drug

Pros
It works real quickly
Clears them right up
They feel great in about 24 to 48 hrs
If he has a cough it will be controlled quickly he will sleep if he not coughing

Recommend
Give it to him in the morning


Good luck

Ask ur doctor how strong is the dosage for ur young son. Typically for someone so young u can use other medicines. Prednisone is usually used today for an older person to my knowledge. The reason is it is a quite a strong steroid & can lower the immune system even as it aids in reducing bronchial inflammation. Many many years ago in the fifties it was prescribed all the time for young children, but l thought this had been discontinued. l do not want to alarm u so ask ur Doctor for for information & how high is the dosage.
The Asthma inhalers on the market today r going through a
change recently. Normally Albuterol was the main inhaler or Provential but recently the lovely FDA decided the propellant in the inhalers harmed the environment & so declared them unfit to use. This left Pharmaceutical houses now prescribed new inhalers with the new propellant now its called Provential HFA , the problem is the new one does not seem to reach the lungs of Asthmatic patients well. If ur child had Asthma, u will eventually need to invest in much literature & always please ask many questions.

get off the computer and follow up with the pulmonologist. asthma kills and you need to understand it fully, including the meds your child depends upon to breathe.

Prednisone drug insert.
http://health..com/other-other/prednisone/healthwise--d00350a1.html

What r the possible side effects of prednisone?
- Get emergency medical help if u have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of ur face, lips, tongue, or throat.
- Call ur doctor at once if u have any of these serious side effects:

* problems with ur vision;
* swelling, rapid weight gain, feeling short of breath;
* severe depression, unusual thoughts or behavior, seizure (convulsions);
* bloody or tarry stools, coughing up blood;
* pancreatitis (severe pain in ur upper stomach spreading to ur back, nausea & vomiting, fast heart rate);
* low potassium (confusion, uneven heart rate, extreme thirst, increased urination, leg discomfort, muscle weakness or limp feeling); or
* dangerously high blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision, buzzing in ur ears, anxiety, confusion, chest pain, shortness of breath, uneven heartbeats, seizure).

Less serious side effects may include:

* sleep problems (insomnia), mood changes;
* acne, dry skin, thinning skin, bruising or discoloration;
* slow wound healing;
* increased sweating;
* headache, dizziness, spinning sensation;
* nausea, stomach pain, bloating; or
* changes in the shape or location of body fat (especially in ur arms, legs, face, neck, breasts, & waist).

This is not a complete list of side effects & others may occur. Tell ur doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect.

end of drug info

If u r new to asthma, this article will answer some of ur questions & provide u with some resources for controlling the symptoms.
http://associatedcontent.com/article/1089149/asthma_kills_11_people_every_day_in.html