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Permalink Reply by Brian Denger on February 8, 2010 at 7:23am

Unquenchable thirst may be the result of elevated glucose levels. One side effect of Prednisone is raising blood glucose (sugar) levels. (Some boys have glucose intolerance that may be controlled by diet. Certain foods lead to rapidly rising glucose levels that elicit an insulin response followed a sudden drop in glucose levels leading to an urge to eat more. This leads to weight gain and in some situations the body doesn't produce enough insulin to handle the load leading to elevated glucose levels. This may or may not be exacerbated by the use of steroids.) If your son is also experiencing frequent need to urinate it may indicate his body is trying to flush excess sugar. There is a simple blood test that measures glucose levels administered by a simple finger prick. This can be done by your son's doctor. At the very least it is worth a call to the physician.

Best of luck,

Brian Denger

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Permalink Reply by Allyson on February 8, 2010 at 7:29am

The white coating on your son's tongue could be thrush, an oral yeast infection, which can be caused by use of corticosteroids such as prednisone (of which another side effect can be excessive thirst). Another reason to check with the doctor.

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Permalink Reply by Tina on February 10, 2010 at 9:18pm

Jerry

Just read this post. The white ( sometimes is yellow) film on the tongue is oral thrush. Nystatin swish and swallow and/or diflucan pills can treat the problem. Steroids, inhalers, antibiotic use can cause oral thrush.

Do you know anyone who is a diabetic and has a glucometer? Perhaps they can come over in the am and check his sugar level by doing a finger stick on him.

Mark usually drinks water at bedtime, usually a few sips but generally doesn't wake up in the middle of the night with c/o thirst.

Tina

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Dallapè on February 11, 2010 at 7:12pm

Thanks everyone. Thrush was the culprit. A couple of days of eating yogurt seems to have cleared it up for now, but we will continue to be on the lookout for signs in the future. There are also a number of natural remedies available for treating thrush: tea tree oil, coconut oil, oregano oil, gentian violet (with a mild warning on exposure to large doses), clove oil, apple cider vinegar. So if anyone wants to steer clear of yet more medicine, there are other options.

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Permalink Reply by Tina on February 12, 2010 at 5:53am

so, the thrush was making him thirsty as well? Thanks for the home remedies. My husband drink warm water mixed with apple cider vinegar and honey to treat his arthritic neck and shoulders. Works like a charm but taste like sh*t! lol!

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Permalink Reply by Jerry Dallapè on February 12, 2010 at 8:59pm

Yeah, the yeast creates a white paste on the tongue. It can be rinsed away with water, but it comes right back. Steroids can apparently kill off the good bacteria in the mouth and leave the bad stuff to take over. I think it was kind of going away on its own, but the yogurt helped it along. Despite being on Prednisone for almost three years, Ewan's immune system is still relatively strong.

Tina said:

so, the thrush was making him thirsty as well? Thanks for the home remedies. My husband drink warm water mixed with apple cider vinegar and honey to treat his arthritic neck and shoulders. Works like a charm but taste like sh*t! lol!

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