Does Prednisone Cause Anxiety or Panic Attacks?

Can Prednisone Cause Anxiety?

Hi, I’m Dr. Megan, the Prednisone pharmacist, and I want to talk about something that many people ask me: Can prednisone cause anxiety? The short answer is yes, it can! Let me explain.

A Common Story

I get emails about this all the time. People tell me something like this:

“Hi, I took prednisone for just a few days. In this case, it was for a wasp sting. I used my EpiPen and then took 60 milligrams of prednisone. After that, I took 20 milligrams a few more times. But since then, I’ve been feeling extreme anxiety and having daily panic attacks. I can barely go to work or take care of my kids. Even if I make it through the day, the anxiety comes roaring back around 6 PM. My doctor gave me a few pills, but they only help for a little while. What can I do? I just want to feel like myself again.”

Does that sound familiar to you? If so, you’re not alone.

You’re Not Imagining It

First, let me say this: You’re not making it up, and you’re not “going crazy.” Prednisone really can cause mental changes, including anxiety. It’s a legitimate side effect.

There was a study published recently where researchers looked at people who were taking prednisone for the first time. These patients started with 40 milligrams of prednisone for a condition called irritable bowel disease (IBD). Before they began, they took a test to measure their mood, and then they were tested again after starting prednisone.

Do you want to guess how many people had mood changes?
49%! That’s almost half of the people.

What Kinds of Mood Changes?

The study found that many people experienced mania, or a milder form of mania called hypomania. Mania is when you feel extra good, have tons of energy, and don’t need as much sleep—but there’s no real reason for it. You didn’t win the lottery; you just took prednisone.

Here’s an example: I had a friend who was usually pretty quiet and stayed home most of the time. After taking prednisone, he suddenly felt amazing. He went outside and started power washing his camper trailer, saying, “I’ve never felt this good in my whole life!”

But here’s the thing: That feeling doesn’t last. As the prednisone dose gets lower, the mood changes usually go away.

The Good News

For most people, these mood changes are temporary. Once you’re off prednisone, you’ll likely feel like yourself again. Remember, it’s not you—it’s the medication causing these changes.

The Hard Part

Unfortunately, some people need to take prednisone for a long time, and others find that their mood changes don’t go away right away, even after stopping the medication. That’s when it gets really tough.

What Can You Do?

First, let your doctor know. This is an important side effect for doctors to help you cope with. Some things your doctor could do include:

Help you decide whether and how to stop taking prednisone.
Prescribe medications to help cope with anxiety. Some medication options include:
- Propranolol: this is actually a blood pressure medication that some doctors prescribe for performance anxiety. This may help you counteract how prednisone is artificially making you feel like you’re in fight or flight mode.
- Antidepressants (SSRIs): while they are called antidepressants, they can also help with anxiety. The only problem is that they often take several weeks to kick in, and they may make the anxiety worse for a few days before it fully kicks in and then it gets better.
- Benzodiazepines: these medications work quickly to soothe anxiety. However, they may be addictive and should not be used long term.
If your anxiety is disabling enough, you may need to be hospitalized temporarily to help you recover from what prednisone did to you.

If you’re feeling this way, I’ve created other articles and videos with tips to help you cope. You’re not alone in this, and there are ways to feel better. Click the link below to see what I recommend.

Am I Crazy? The Psychiatric Side Effects of Prednisone

Remember: Prednisone can cause anxiety and other mood changes in about 50% of people who take it. But for most people, these changes go away once the treatment is done.

You’ve got this!

Signing off,
Dr. Megan, Your Prednisone Pharmacist

P.S. Bonus Tips! Vitamin Deficiency and Psychiatric Changes on Prednisone

Another scientific article about how to cope with medications causing psychiatric disorders states the following:

“Vitamins play an important role in mental health. Various mental health conditions could develop due to vitamin deficiencies. Folate deficiency has been linked to depression. Vitamin B1 deficiency is associated with symptoms such as amnesia, anxiety, irritability, depression, and insomnia. Vitamin B12 deficiency is associated with mood disorders, psychosis, irritability, confusion, and dementia. Vitamin D deficiency has been associated with acute mood disorders, psychosis, and depression.”

Partner this with the fact the prednisone itself causes depletion of these vitamins, and now it’s easy to understand how prednisone can make us feel so miserable! Prednisone steals nutrients, and when we feel that loss, it can show up as a mental health condition.

No wonder we get side effects to prednisone!

What I Did To Cope…

The struggles I faced while taking prednisone caused me to ponder ways in which I could help not only myself but others who were struggling with the same side effects. I began to ask myself, “What can I possibly do to help? What can I do to prevent this from happening to me? How can I deal with these side effects?”

These questions piqued my interest to create a dietary supplement with vitamins and herbs designed specifically for those who take prednisone– Nutranize Zone®.

Nutranize Zone replenishes the nutrients that are depleted while taking prednisone. It is formulated to help calm your mood, get restful sleep, and fight against weight gain.

Nutranize dietary supplement bottles and woman in background

You can go to Amazon or Nutranize.com to get Nutranize Zone and feel like yourself again!