Well went to the doc and started crying today (and trust me I’m not one to cry easily LOL) because I’ve been flaring out of control, so she put me on prednisone to try to get it under control.
Really hoping it works for me, my knee is on fire right now.
Does anyone know how long it usually takes to kick in?
I was thinking a few days??
Prednisone usually kicks in fast with me: I can usually feel some relief within a couple of hours. It also makes my brain kooky. Lol – it’s a trade off. How much did the doc start you on?
My rheumy is totally against any steroids because she said they cause major flares. I know that this is true for me because last winter I was given prednisone for a respiratory infection and while I felt GREAT while on it, it sent my psoriasis through the roof and I’ve never been the same since. Its so interesting to me how different rheumys do such different things. I hope the prednisone works really well for you and gives you some relief soon!
I took prednisone for many months. It really helped–and for me it worked very quickly. And now I have doctor’s orders to use it judiciously over two or three days to get through a tough spot in order to avoid a full flare. After many months it started to make my hair thin and fall out. But once I stopped it my follicles recovered!
I’m on 40 mg for five days and then I got back to my doc and see how I’m doing on it.
My GP was the one who prescribed it, waiting to see the rheumy I was referred to.
I think I’m starting to feel a bit better 
There’s another reason to try prednisone, besides feeling better. Doing a course of prednisone is also a diagnostic tool for the rheumatologist: if you feel much better on the prednisone, then that is an indication that it’s inflammation which is causing your pain and other symptoms. I was given prednisone the first time for that reason.
Oh no! Maybe since I don’t have a lot of P it won’t effect me as much?? Who knows that, that’s horrible that it’s happened to people!!
As this day has progressed I’m starting to be feel sore again. Not as bad as I have been feeling lately though.
It could also flare up your PsA after you are done taking it.
Oh no!!! I really hope not, at least I will be done a whole bunch of exams this week…
:S
What’s a gal to do?
A gal shouldn’t worry … Can happen, but doesn’t always.
I swore to never take prednisone. I was on it long term as a kid, and as an adult, it just gave me migraines and did nothing else when given in high doses by a terribly rheumy.
But then this summer and fall I've taken some. My body can't handle a full step down pack, but when I start to feel like a major flare is coming on, or I'm traveling, I've found that 5-10 mgs for 1-2 days can derail the flare / stave off a bigger flare that might be triggered by travel. I can't handle more than that.
I still hate the stuff, but it's nice to have as a last resort.
I've had quite a different experience using prednisone. I know there are bad side effects associated with prednisone, especially with long-term use, but for me it was a life-changer.
For over 25 years I had been plagued with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) - diarrhea only. Last fall, while going through the process of being diagnosed with PsA, my rheumy started me on 15mg of prednisone. Not only did all the aches and pains from the arthritis nearly disappear overnight, but so did the "IBS" symptoms. I went from rushing to the bathroom 5 to 10 times per day down to a normal bowel movement once a day with only a rare occasion of diarrhea.
So prednisone was like a miracle for me... one my GI doctor can't explain because prednisone has never been shown to have any clinical benefit for IBS. (I'm getting a new GI doc!)
Now my rheumy wants to take me off the prednisone and I'm not very concerned that my "IBS" will come back. So far I haven't experienced any bad side effects. (OK, I gained a few pounds when I first started using it -- a very small trade-off for me. :)
Unrelated to the Prednisone discussion, but I've had IBS my whole life...until I started taking an antidepressant 15 years ago. At that point 90% of my IBS symptoms disappeared, pretty abruptly. As long as I'm on an SSRI, the only time I have a flare up (and it's pretty mild) is around my period.
Shawn said:
So prednisone was like a miracle for me... one my GI doctor can't explain because prednisone has never been shown to have any clinical benefit for IBS. (I'm getting a new GI doc!)