5mg of prednisone longterm experiences?

I have been on Prednisone 5mg for at least 8 years for Cutaneous Lupus in an effort to control flairs. This is in addition to Hydroxychloroquine. It has worked well until the last several years and is not helping at all now. The worst side effect, in addition to continued rashes and itching, is that it has ruined my skin. My skin is very thin and fragile and tears easily. I also bruise very easily and the discoloration never goes away.

@cjm48 Thanks for sharing your experience. Sorry to hear about the terrible side effects. That sounds awful. Hopefully, there are other options for you if prednisone has ceased being effective.Eight years is certainly a long time.
I've been on varying doses of prednisone for one year and noticed mild skin issues even in that time.
I was just tapered to 5mg and was hoping side effects would get less or disappear at that dose.

I was taking high dose prednisone for a few months and was tapered to 5 mg. I found that the 5mg did not help with my pain and inflammation and I continued to gain weight as I did on the high dose. My rheumatologist and PCP tell me I should continue the 5 mg daily. My pain management physician said it probably isn't going to help me. If only we could enjoy the relief of high dose without the side effects.

@gypsyblue
I was on prednisone for three years due to adrenal insufficiency and acute inflammation, and I experienced thinning of the skin.
In 2020, my endocrinologist conducted an ACTH test, he switched me to hydrocortisone, and my skin slowly began to return to normal.

@swalex Good to hear the thin skinning regressed after removing prednisone. I was wondering if after stopping prednisone some of its damages would reverse.

Partial recovery of skin fragility and atrophy of collagen is possible.
Much depends on duration, dose,age of the patient and general health
with our underlying condition.
It helps to moisturize with a collage moisturizer twice daily and be consistent
with sunscreen protection. It takes patience to see improvement.

Collagen peptide moisturizer reasonably priced like Neutogena.
They make one with sunscreen included.

@humbug The skin will eventually repair itself, but it may take a considerable amount of time. In my case, it took two years, due to underlying issues with collagen and mast cell function, compounded by lupus.

I was on Prednisone 5mg for a year and half for Bechet Disease. I experienced weight gain, moon face, bruised and scarred really easy. But the worst side effect was it messed with my GI tract which caused me to get diarrhea pretty bad. I finally stopped taking it in October this year and have started to see some improvement of all my symptoms. Plus I found a mouthwash solution that help d with the oral canker sores which is how I was diagnosed with Bechets.

I was on 5 mg for several years. I also have steroid induced diabetes. Even 5 mg increases my blood sugar. Once I was off prednisone my blood sugar was improved a few points. I didn’t have any issues with moon face or weight gain unless I was on higher doses.