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Prednisolone and teenage growth

Adil

Adil

Hey guys. I've heard about osteoporosis from using pred and so u need to be put on vit D which means it clearly effects bones. I've been wondering if that means I would stop growing from taking pred?
I myself am 16 around 5 ft 8 and I took steroids for approximately 14 weeks ish. Would this largerly influence my final height I become or slow down puberty for me? I'm just looking for some answers since i would really like to grow :D
 
Tesscorm

Tesscorm

Moderator
Staff member
HI Adil,

Sorry you're dealing with this! :( My son (who has crohns) has never used pred so I don't have any answer for you but am going to suggest that you try posting your question in the treatment subforum.

http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=80

I'm also going to suggest you try asking on the Parents' forum... I know there are a number of kids and teens who have used pred and their parents will very likely have information for you.

http://www.crohnsforum.com/forumdisplay.php?f=49

:)
 
UnXmas

UnXmas

I'm not sure about prednisolone, but my growth was stunted due to being malnourished during adolescence. I had non-Crohn's hormonal issues too, which probably had some influence on my adolescence. But I didn't make the adult height that my childhood growth charts predicted I should have done. I'm guessing growth is much more of a concern for you as a male, so try to make sure you keep your weight up, which can be difficult for some people with Crohn's. If the prednisolone keeps your disease under control, it's probably better in terms of growth than if your disease isn't kept in check and causes you to not be able to eat as much as you need. Steroids have a lot of potential problems, it's very hard to weigh up the pros and cons, but keeping the disease under control is usually of the most importance to many aspects of your health.
 
nogutsnoglory

nogutsnoglory

Moderator
I'm not sure you would grow too much more from 16. 5'8 is a respectable height. Steroids can damage the body but on the flip side Unxmas os right many kids with IBD not properly treated with medications like prednisolone end up being fairly short due to malabsorption and malnourishment. I wouldn't worry too much about a 14 week course of prednisone.

I moved your post to our prednisolone sub-forum as I think it will get you a better response.
 
Johnnysmom

Johnnysmom

If your concerned you could ask to see an endocrinologist. If you have been on prednisone or have been sick or malnourished from your disease for a long period of time your body can actually shut down the process of puberty. The important question is not how old are you but what is your bone age? You can be 16 years old and have a bone age of a 12 year old. Bone age refers to how close your growth plates are to closing. Once they close you are done growing. Some boys will have closure at 16, but not all will, especially if puberty had been delayed. Boys have a growth spurt at the end of their puberty cycle. You will see armpit hair and facial hair start to show up at this time. That would be a sign that puberty has not slowed down.

Were you on a full dose for 14 weeks or did that include the taper? What age/stage of puberty where you in when you took the prednisone?

I am not an expert, but I have seen 2 endocrinologists with my son and have read a ton of information on growth and crohns. I was told a short course of Prednisone would not effect growth, only long term use. My son was on 40mg for 3 weeks and then tapered. He was on from October 12 until December 31. They considered this a short term course. Hope that helps.
 
Clash

Clash

NGNG, the problem with adolescents with CD is that both their growth and bone age can sometimes be stunted. So you may have a short 16 year old who has the bone age of a 14 year old. This is a blessing of sorts in that it adds to their opportunity for growth window. My son's bone age is 2 years behind and he is 16(17 in two months) so that expands his time for growth.
 
Adil

Adil

Johnnysmom said:
If your concerned you could ask to see an endocrinologist. If you have been on prednisone or have been sick or malnourished from your disease for a long period of time your body can actually shut down the process of puberty. The important question is not how old are you but what is your bone age? You can be 16 years old and have a bone age of a 12 year old. Bone age refers to how close your growth plates are to closing. Once they close you are done growing. Some boys will have closure at 16, but not all will, especially if puberty had been delayed. Boys have a growth spurt at the end of their puberty cycle. You will see armpit hair and facial hair start to show up at this time. That would be a sign that puberty has not slowed down.

Were you on a full dose for 14 weeks or did that include the taper? What age/stage of puberty where you in when you took the prednisone?

I am not an expert, but I have seen 2 endocrinologists with my son and have read a ton of information on growth and crohns. I was told a short course of Prednisone would not effect growth, only long term use. My son was on 40mg for 3 weeks and then tapered. He was on from October 12 until December 31. They considered this a short term course. Hope that helps.
Click to expand...
I was 15 years old when I took prednisolone and yeah I have no facial hair, bit of armpit hair. I took 45mg for 4 weeks and it was decreased from there but I was stuck on 25mg for a while. And thank you it does :D
 
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