cutting back on Pred

[Guest guest]

The pulmonologist who has been treating my asthma since 1992 referred

me to an allergist and I've just had my eleventh Xolair injection. I

have been down to 5mg of prednisone the past three months, phenomenal

since the entire two years before Xolair I couldn't get down below 20 mg.

I told the pulmonologist I wanted to stay on 5 mg a while longer, he

said no he wants me to taper more. To be honest, the past three months

being on 5 mg has caused my osteo-arthritis to surface and I've just

started taking Naproxen twice a day. I am barely managing the pain and

the breathing is okay, I don't want to go down further on my

prednisone for a few months. I want to get a few more Xolair

injections in me (I've read that 18 months is a real turning point for

many) and I'm hoping the osteo-arthritis will ease up if I don't taper

too fast.

One reason why I've been doing well on 5mg is I am not terribly

active, I am content not to leave my house for several days at a time

and do not cram a lot of errands into one day. Before the Xolair I

couldn't walk across the room without wheezing, I am delighted just

being able to move around my house without becoming breathless. Xolair

has made a difference in this basic aspect of my life.

I have been on prednisone since 1977, I'm not tapering any further

until I talk to the allergist that administers the Xolair. I'd like to

hear from other Xolair persons as to how many injections they had

before they finally got off prednisone.

[Guest guest]

Hi,

After that much pred for that long, I am suspecting you may have some adrenal

suppression meaning your body does not produce enough of its own cortisol. A

simple ACTH stimulation test will tell that. As for pain, pred is a treatment

for osteoarthritis so it is normal that if you cut the dose, the joint

inflammation will increase and so will the pain. I was on xolair for 18 months

before I noticed a difference and my endocrinologist wanted me to stay on 5 mg

for at least 4 months before going lower and then only dropping 0.5 mg per

month.....to allow my adrenal glands time to wake up. Needless to say, my lungs

never cooperated that long so I never got below 5 mg without a flare.

----- Original Message ----

From: JoyCarol and <jclutterbuster@...>

Sent: Sunday, June 8, 2008 10:15:54 PM

Subject: [ ] cutting back on Pred

The pulmonologist who has been treating my asthma since 1992 referred

me to an allergist and I've just had my eleventh Xolair injection. I

have been down to 5mg of prednisone the past three months, phenomenal

since the entire two years before Xolair I couldn't get down below 20 mg.

I told the pulmonologist I wanted to stay on 5 mg a while longer, he

said no he wants me to taper more. To be honest, the past three months

being on 5 mg has caused my osteo-arthritis to surface and I've just

started taking Naproxen twice a day. I am barely managing the pain and

the breathing is okay, I don't want to go down further on my

prednisone for a few months. I want to get a few more Xolair

injections in me (I've read that 18 months is a real turning point for

many) and I'm hoping the osteo-arthritis will ease up if I don't taper

too fast.

One reason why I've been doing well on 5mg is I am not terribly

active, I am content not to leave my house for several days at a time

and do not cram a lot of errands into one day. Before the Xolair I

couldn't walk across the room without wheezing, I am delighted just

being able to move around my house without becoming breathless. Xolair

has made a difference in this basic aspect of my life.

I have been on prednisone since 1977, I'm not tapering any further

until I talk to the allergist that administers the Xolair. I'd like to

hear from other Xolair persons as to how many injections they had

before they finally got off prednisone.

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