Jill
Short term prednisone therapy has very few risks. You may have noticed your daughter had/has increased energy, sleeplessness and increased appetite. These are the main side effects of short term therapy. If therapy is long term the side effects can be life altering and when given long term, the most important thing to be aware of is when stopping it, it needs to be reduced gradually. Prednisone is given for many reasons, it acts by reducing inflamation. Indications for use are: endocrine disorders, rheumatic disorders (such as arthritis), collagen and dermatologic diseases, allergic states, opthalmic (eye) diseases, respiratory diseases, hematologic (blood) diseases, neoplastic diseases (such as leukemia),and gastrointestinal diseases. Since she is on short term treatment I'd guess she had a sinus or respiratory ailment or allergy problem. Rest assured, short term will have no lasting ill effects in general. Good luck to both of you and I hope she is feeling better soon.