Another month, another prescription for prednisone. About my 5th dose this year. What happens if you have too much? I always have it tapered over 4 or 6 weeks depending on the flare. Does that make a difference?
I do know that prolonged use of steroids can lead to adrenal / corticosteroid issues.
For me, I have corticosteriod issues whenever I'm on prednisone, due to high dose, long courses of pred when I was a teen (used for asthma, not PsA).
Have you had any of the big steroid side effects? I think those are a good sign that it is too much for your body. I have been tapering from a very high dose of steroids over the last few months and even as I taper I am having significant side effects - facial swelling (to the point that it is painful), foot/ankle swelling, increased appetite, overall weight gain, increased facial hair, easy bruising, irritability/mood swings. I am so thankful for the pain relief and the increased function that the steroids has offered but goodness, the side effects are pretty miserable!
Hi,
OK..here is the deal with prednisone..in terms of what i was told by my Rhum doctor who i trust.
CAREFUL.
A few small dosages during he year is fine, but if P really helps you and you feel that would help the pain and stiffness, then beleive it or not you would want to take methotrexate..which i do not like taking becuae of the fact it is a chemo drug.: 1x week (3-5 pills) 2.5 mg with folic acid.
did it help? somewhat. my skin was great though!.
Bottom Line at the end of the day is the P can create BAD side effects down the line and M is not dangerous in that way.
To be totally honest, the ONE thing which helped me more than anything..and some might laugh, is that I cut out SUGAR as much as i was willing to and my pain was less.
SUGAR is the key to the inflammation engine!
Try to live in the moment, take what you need to take to be out of pain ( i take oxycontin when i need it and avoid people who hate the fact i take that) and just know that this P.A. NOT life threatening...99% of the time. Chronic? YES.
It's truly managing pain but it is about managing STRESS too. MASSAGE is great. SWIMMING is great. MEDITATION is great..
Best to You,
Steven
exES.it takes the liver and you cantr dirn kalcohol..
I don't get any side effects from taking it! No hunger pangs, no other swellings, nothing. It takes the pain away and I feel alert.
I have wondered about this myself. I am on prednisone right now because last week my back was hurting so bad I was almost incapacitated. Now I feel virtually no pain at all! Obviously I would like to stay this way forever, but I know that long-term use of steroids would have bad consequences in the long run.
I have been on methotrexate for eight weeks and it's still too early to see improvement. I hope the MTX eventually works because I know the prednisone is not a long-term solution.
Throughout August and September I was just on MTX and felt as good as I felt on steroids. No pain, no tiredness etc. Now one little virus has over excited my fractious immune system and so on steroids again. Although I have noted the flare up is NOWHERE near as bad as it used to be which is probably the MTX impact. Having to up MTX to 20mg a week too.
I am currently on prednisone and it is making me feel really funny this time. Pain is better but have been fainting. Can’t take MTX it caused problems with lungs. I am on a study using AMG 827 seems to be working. I take Lortab when needed
I owe my diabetes to steroids. I am still on them, but a tiny dose--5mg a day. I have been on 32mg a day of steroids, which is a lot. But it helps inflammation.
Prednisone generally gives good relief when nothing else seems to be helping when in a flare. I think the more aware we become about the meds we take gives us the knowledge to discuss these things more thoroughly with our doctors so that we can be reassured that their treatment is the best possible option for our individual symptoms.
Now here is some information which I found to be scary, but I don't want you to jump to any conclusion of outweighing the side effects that you may have against the benefits of getting good pain relief without discussing this with your Rhuemy or treating doctor first.
There is plenty of information on the net to find out about your medications and the possible side effects. Possible is the key to any side affects as they may not affect you at all and remember that they must list all the ones they know about.
There are very serious possible side affects for long term use of Prendisone like Type 11 Diabetes and Osteoporosis, Glucoma and Cataracts. I don't know how long is too long but I would suggest you ask your Rhuemy or doctor.
Dependancy is the reason it needs to be tapered off and long term use can cause your body's own ability to stop producing it own type of cortisone. There are many short term possible side affects of high blood glucose, depression, anxiety, weight gain and fluid retention and there is a long list of other possible side effects.
I sometimes check up on my treatments particularly when I read something or hear something that may concern me in some way. I am the only one that lives in my body and I know when my body is a bit out of sorts. No one else is concerned about my health in the same way as I am.
I don't know if this helps or not, but I'm on 10mg a day along with Humira and it has made a tremendous difference for me. The doctor told me 10mg is considered safe, but who knows for sure... No problems or side effects yet. I did have problems at 20mg (insomnia, hunger, irritability)
You may want to ask your Doc about a predi Burst as opposed to the Taper some of you are doing... Its fast furious, and effective with few or no side effects.
Bumble - I found 20mg too much for me too. I felt wired, anxious and just odd. 15mg then tapered seems to work well for me.
BLESS YOUR HEART. I HAVE BEEN THERE. MY HUSBAND AND CHILDREN DON'T LIKE ME VERY MUCH WHEN I AM ON IT. IT MAKE ME FEEL MEAN. DON'T LIKE IT THE FEELING. IT DOES HELP WITH THE PAIN ..HOPE YOU FEEL BETTER.
OrganicKetchup said:
Have you had any of the big steroid side effects? I think those are a good sign that it is too much for your body. I have been tapering from a very high dose of steroids over the last few months and even as I taper I am having significant side effects - facial swelling (to the point that it is painful), foot/ankle swelling, increased appetite, overall weight gain, increased facial hair, easy bruising, irritability/mood swings. I am so thankful for the pain relief and the increased function that the steroids has offered but goodness, the side effects are pretty miserable!
gwynneth..may i ask..
what is with your photo? may i suggest it could be seen as offensive... stuffing your mouth in a "fun photo" when this site is really about supporting each other who are in pain.... in a a healthy way...not BINGING.
if this is a just a joke..then my apologies and i will take it in the spirit you intended.
steven
los angeles
I’ll find a photo of me eating something less fun, like cabbage. Would that be better?
Anyway I thought it was just us Brits who had a dry sense of humour 
As with all things, I suspect it’s a bit individual. I went for a bone scan after 6 months of yo-yo prednisone (between 5 and 15 mg, averaging about 10), and because of the pattern of bone loss, and my age, the Rhuemy thinks its probably the start of pred osteoporosis.
After about 8 months I started to see all the signs of corticosteroid suppression (moon face, fat on belly, facial hair), when I went above 8mg, where earlier on, I wasn’t seeing these at all, with just starting to see them at three months on 15mg or higher. So it seems for some of us it causes more serious problems at an even lower threshold the longer you take it.
Gwynneth, my vote is for broccoli. You could cut a long stalk and hold it in your teeth whilst doing the Tango!
Can I just say Gwynneth, there’s nothing wrong with your photo…a photo we choose usually reflects on our personality, I would rather see a photo of who someone really is or how they see themselves as it gives me some idea who I’m talking to…I know this reply isn’t to do with the topic but I like your photo x
Um, and just to clarify, because my sense of humor can indeed be odd, the broccoli comment was just a joke extension of gwynneths reference to cabbage (both part of the brassica family… Sorry, I don’t know what time zone in in so I’m being a bit vague!)
Jen, love the mental imagery. I'll work on it. I can just imagine my husband's face when I say "darling, let's tango with the broccoli".
PS all - it was a lovely fairy cake (cup cake in US?) too. All butter creamy and spongy. Yummmmm.