Thank you very much for the information you provided us. It made me think and I remember the doctor wanted to give me a shot of cortisone in his office but he said unfortunately it was no longer good and he gave me prescription to go get a new bottle but only charged me for the 2 shots he would be giving me. The following morning I was in his office and he opened the new bottle and gave me the shots behind my head. Due to the fact I was having very bad headaches and too many side effects from the medication I was taking. It could be that the shot he gave you had expired and you had a bad reaction to it. That's why I'm trying to say to you to see immediate help for this. Don't wait too long. PLEASE LET US KNOW - OK
Mar 20, 2010 Rating
Pam's story by: Michelle
If I were you Pam, I would make an appointment to see another doctor. You must have a friend who could refer you to her doctor. Whatever you decide to do Pam, do so quickly my dear. Let us know what happens ok.
Mar 19, 2010 Rating
Bad stuff by: Philippe
Hi Pam,
Sorry to hear about your problems but they are not uncommon. The most likely is that the cortisone used was a depot solution. This is a solution in which the corticoid used (eg cortisone) is in suspension. It has 2 problems: it contains preservatives and it is a particulate solution.
- You may have had an allergic reaction to the preservatives. - More likely, some of it was injected in a blood vessel and that is toxic! (It is known to have created paraplegia when used near the spine).
This is why it is best to use a water soluble corticoid injection such as dexamethasone or betamethasone. The anti-inflammatory action of those 2 products is higher than the depot solutions. Dexamethasone can be injected intravenously without problem.
Unhappily, most of the corticoids used are in depot form. Unhappily also, to test for ?no blood return? with the syringe is often misleading because it may collapse the blood vessel. Those who use to inject under X-ray control with contrast have been often surprised to see the contrast in an artery when the "no blood return" appeared ok. Those practitioners have all turned to dexamethasone!
