Inflammatory Conditions
"I&#039;ve taken prednisone tapers on and off for chronic back pain and inflammation. Usually when I&#039;ve reached a point when pain meds aren&#039;t working I give in to an injection and a steroid taper. Steroids weaken the immune system so if you&#039;re body is currently fighting an infection, that you may be unaware of, the infection can become full blown since your body can&#039;t fight it off.... and this happened to me. I ended up with shingles of the mouth. Excruciatingly painful. I am now prone to getting shingles if I&#039;m not careful. I think prednisone is a gamble. Take if you have reached a point of not having too many other options. Try a higher dose of NSAIDs for a week if no reprieve then steroids. Best of luck."