The Horrific Side Effects of Getting Cortisone Injections

Acne, Dry Skin, Or Other Skin Issues

Steroids commonly cause a variety of skin problems. Such skin issues include rashes and adult acne. In fact, during the height of steroid abuse by professional athletes and bodybuilders, adult acne was one of the indicators that a particular athlete could be misusing steroids. Corticosteroids, including cortisone injections, are no exception to this. Many individuals who receive cortisone injections have reported thinning skin, dry skin, acne, or other irritating skin flare-ups after receiving a cortisone injection. The risk of this side effect can increase if the patient must receive more than one injection.

Pain Or Inflammation Flare-Ups

Cortisone injections are commonly prescribed to treat joint pain and inflammation associated with arthritis. They will also treat inflammation and pain in the joints caused by orthopedic injuries or other inflammatory illnesses. In a small percentage of patients, however, cortisone injections actually have the opposite effect. This means that they can increase the amount of pain or inflammation that individuals experience. These flare-ups are temporary for most patients. However, rare cases have shown that they can last for quite a long time. In many cases, these temporary flare-ups are due to allergic reactions to cortisone or other corticosteroids used in the injections. Thus, patients may want to inform their doctor if they have ever had a reaction to corticosteroids in the past.