Prednisone

[Charsiu]

I've been dealing with some ####ty auto immune issues for some time and have recently been prescribed prednisone, a corticosteroid immunosuppressant. By all accounts the side effects are pretty difficult to deal with and I'm feeling a little discouraged.

I was wondering if any CP souls have ever spent time on the drug and if anyone would be willing to share some insight into their experiences.

[calumniate]

Ugh.. I had been on it a little while back. One thing they failed to mention to me is to take a lot of calcium and vitamin d (they often come mixed together in pill form). Prednisone literally peels calcium off your body, so you want to be careful in that regard.

Also, try to keep to the lowest dose that still gives you a bit of comfort. Be very careful when tapering off of it as well (do not go from say 10 mg's to cold turkey for example)! When you're tapering I got 1mg pills so I slowly went 5mg for a few days down to 4, 3, 2, 1, off.

Other than that, try to drink lots of water and careful how much you eat. It's certainly not a drug to be taken lightly... best of luck

[Jason14h]

My Lab had to take it for his auto immune problems .

It made him pee lots

Not sure his really helps

[Tyler]

Have you watched 'Fat Sick and Nearly Dead'?

Dude uses diet to get himself off of prednisone and cures a bunch of his auto immune issues. Worth a watch if you're interested.

[MillerTime GFG]

I was on it for a while for auto-immune issues, and was fine with it. Worked OK, but not 100% so they prescribed me something else.

Colchicine is the miracle pill for me now. Any time I get a flare, I pop one of those, and it halts the severity, and reduces the swelling. Generally 24-36 hours and I am almost back to normal.

Any idea of a diagnosis?

[Cheese]

I have RA and have used Preds off and on for more than 15 years. No adverse side effects outside of a little weight gain. The benefit is the relief from pain and swelling while they get you under control.

Feel free to PM me if you want more info.

[Knut]

Originally Posted by Tyler

Have you watched 'Fat Sick and Nearly Dead'?

Dude uses diet to get himself off of prednisone and cures a bunch of his auto immune issues. Worth a watch if you're interested.

If you want to try this make sure you do it with the guidance of your doctor and a certified nutritionist. Do not rely on the advice of a random guy from a documentary.

[iggy_oi]

How long do the doctors plan on having you on it?

[ernie]

I went on it once for some Asthma related lung issues (essentially my O2 levels were awful).

Made me extremely paranoid the entire time I was on it. It wasn't fun.

[OMG!WTF!]

Watch your Achilles. I think you're more likely to suffer a rupture when taking prednisone.

[Charsiu]

Uggh.

I've been prescribed it to treat ulcerative colitis. I've been on a number of ASAs over the years, Salofalk, Pentasa. Recently was using (unsuccessfully) budesonide.

Course of treatment is as follows.

40 mg for 2 weeks,
35 for 1
30 for 1
27.5 for 2 and continue tapering for approximately another 10 weeks.

That said I'll be meeting with my GI specialist every month or so to update treatment if needed.

What doses have you people typically been on? Am I getting too carried away looking at the myriad of potential adverse effects?

[Cheese]

Originally Posted by Charsiu

Uggh.

I've been prescribed it to treat ulcerative colitis. I've been on a number of ASAs over the years, Salofalk, Pentasa. Recently was using (unsuccessfully) budesonide.

Course of treatment is as follows.

40 mg for 2 weeks,
35 for 1
30 for 1
27.5 for 2 and continue tapering for approximately another 10 weeks.

That said I'll be meeting with my GI specialist every month or so to update treatment if needed.

What doses have you people typically been on? Am I getting too carried away looking at the myriad of potential adverse effects?

Thats a pretty standard dosage and taper. You wont have any issues outside of relief.

[Charsiu]

Another question for the braintrust, were you able to drink alcohol while taking it?
My doctor didn't mention anything but through my reading up on it this morning I have see that it is generally considered a poor idea.

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Charsiu

Uggh.

I've been prescribed it to treat ulcerative colitis. I've been on a number of ASAs over the years, Salofalk, Pentasa. Recently was using (unsuccessfully) budesonide.

Course of treatment is as follows.

40 mg for 2 weeks,
35 for 1
30 for 1
27.5 for 2 and continue tapering for approximately another 10 weeks.

That said I'll be meeting with my GI specialist every month or so to update treatment if needed.

What doses have you people typically been on? Am I getting too carried away looking at the myriad of potential adverse effects?

I didn't take it but my wife has been on it a number of times. Follow your doctors tapering instructions very closely, it can cause permanent damage to take yourself off of it too fast. If you are not on it long term the side effects will hopefully be minimal. You might have some issues for a few weeks after you stop taking it all together. Be mindful of how you're feeling at that time, you could suffer from a wide range of deficiencies while your immune system reactiviates(I'm not a doctor so that's my terminology) itself. From what I've seen, tapering is the worst phase of the treatment.

Other potential side effects include weight gain, fat deposits in your upper back, neck, shoulder and face. Your bones and muscles will be weaker. Ask about supplements you can take to reduce the side effects. My advice would be to worry about getting better and treating the colitis, you may get some side effects from prednisone you may not, it really affects people differently. The potential risks of one round of treatment likely are outweighed by the potential benefits.

Feel free to pm me if you have more questions. I wish you the best of luck!

[iggy_oi]

Originally Posted by Charsiu

Another question for the braintrust, were you able to drink alcohol while taking it?
My doctor didn't mention anything but through my reading up on it this morning I have see that it is generally considered a poor idea.

Isn't alcohol bad for colitis to begin with?

[Charsiu]

Originally Posted by iggy_oi

Isn't alcohol bad for colitis to begin with?

Yes...

[Minnie]

Daughter has been off and on it for years for autoimmune issues. Beyond what everyone else has said, lower your sodium intake if at all possible. As for alcohol, it's a mixed bag of answers. Some schools of thought say it's fine, some say it's not. Daughter's docs said stay away if at all possible not that she really drinks anyway. I think if you're just having a very small amount, a sip or two every once in a while, it's likely fine - that's what the doc told us, since she asked him if it was alright to have a bit of wine at Christmas that year (we have a traditional toast with a specific wine, to my sister-in-law who passed away in 2002, who brought the wine to Christmas dinner every year, so now we buy it and the family toasts her with it before dinner starts).

[flamesrule_kipper34]

I was on prednisone for 3-4 months for my Crohn's flare up before surgery.

It was a short period and I didn't notice any adverse affects other than a puffy face for a short while. But granted I took it for an extremely short period than most.

I'm on Humira that has worked quite well post-op for the past 2+ years.

Something else I added to my daily regimen was turmeric/ginger tea once a day it has helped a lot naturally with some of my digestive issues...again this along with prescribed medication.

[Charsiu]

Originally Posted by flamesrule_kipper34

I was on prednisone for 3-4 months for my Crohn's flare up before surgery.

It was a short period and I didn't notice any adverse affects other than a puffy face for a short while. But granted I took it for an extremely short period than most.

I'm on Humira that has worked quite well post-op for the past 2+ years.

Something else I added to my daily regimen was turmeric/ginger tea once a day it has helped a lot naturally with some of my digestive issues...again this along with prescribed medication.

Thanks for the advice. I just started it last night and am fearing the worst yet hoping my worries prove unfounded.

Is the turmeric ginger tea something you simply make at home using fresh roots? I'm sure that'd be better than tea bags, but I thought I'd ask.

Sorry to hear about the Crohn's. Pretty sure Ulcerative Colitis is like Crohn's lite and can only imagine how it's affected your life.

[flamesrule_kipper34]

Originally Posted by Charsiu

Thanks for the advice. I just started it last night and am fearing the worst yet hoping my worries prove unfounded.

Is the turmeric ginger tea something you simply make at home using fresh roots? I'm sure that'd be better than tea bags, but I thought I'd ask.

Sorry to hear about the Crohn's. Pretty sure Ulcerative Colitis is like Crohn's lite and can only imagine how it's affected your life.

All good man, it's clear we both have some pretty crappy issues...okay terrible pun.

RE: the tea, it's probably best if you did it the way you described, but I literally take turmeric powder and ginger powder and put it into a tea bag...add 12 oz's of hot water, let it 'steep' for 2 minutes and drink over the course of 15-20 mins.

It's actually done a lot for me even with the humira I'd have to say.