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Re: Hello and Prednisone

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I experienced steroid withdrawal or adrenal failure. They are both the same

thing. It is from long term steroid use. Sometimes you don't realize how bad

it really is. I slept a lot, experienced lack of appetite, nausea, dizziness,

was very pale etc. I soon realized what was happening and called my Dr. The

problem is you don't think clearly so you don't realize how much trouble you

may really be in. Sometimes it stays that way until you become stressed and

then you crash. It becomes life threatening very fast. I am lucky, as in

having a lot of medical experience to realize what was going on with my body.

I know the symptoms are frustrating sometimes and you just want off of the

stuff. Be safe about it and do it the way your Dr. prescribes. Weight gain

and all the other side effects aren't worth dying for. I do understand how

bad they are. I have cushings syndrome. It kills me to see pictures of myself

now compared to before the prednisone. I just keep telling myself, I am still

alive and have a family that loves me. Take care of yourself and hang in

there.

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Barbara, I dont understand why your dr wont give you medrol regularly ...I

take a 4 mg tablet daily......I was on the dose pack in Dec and it was a

miracle the way I felt ...so they told me to call back when I got to the last

pill and let them know how I felt. I did and they ordered me a 4mg pill

daily...the pharmacist told me a 4 mg pill of medrol is a lot stronger than a

1mg tab of predisone.....but I dont remember how much. Whatever the other

ingredient is in medrol works well for me too.I think because it is a steroid

though it is still hard to get off when time comes. Maybe your dr wants to

control your pain with a lesser dose of steroids ? JUdyin AZ

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Wow a! Thank you (and everyone who gave some info) so much for telling

me about the Prednisone. Now I'm hoping I can ask another question. Sorry

to be a pest.....but...does anyone know about Medrol dosepak? I'm asking

because my dr. has given me a dosepak 3 or 4 times but now refuses to give

anymore. She will give plain old prednisone and told me to increase it when

I complained I was doing badly, but when I've asked for the Medrol, she just

won't give it. The reason I've asked for it is because when I took it

before those few times it did amazing things for me! No pain, no

disability, lots of energy...super duper great! I'm so disappointed that I

can't get it anymore. Is there something bad about the medrol or worse than

plain prednisone? With everything esle they give for RA being so toxic, I

can't imagine what's worse with the Medrol.

Barbara in Texas

Hi Barbara.

Tapering off of prednisone is different for everyone depending on the dose

you are taking and how long you have been taking it. When you¹ve been on it

for an extended time, your adrenal glands aren¹t producing natural cortisone

and they can shrink. So if you stop taking oral steroids, and your body

can¹t manufacture it, you can go into steroid withdrawal. This can be very

serious, even life threatening. The result can be low blood pressure,

vomiting, nausea, stomach ache and dizziness.

When doctors start a prednisone taper, they may decrease he dose by 1mg

every 2 weeks. That may be hard for some people and they may have to take a

slower decrease to avoid steroid withdrawal. Please talk to your doctor

and he can devise a schedule that is tailored to your body. I¹m not sure

why you can¹t get much out of him, so maybe you¹re one of those people that

may have a difficult time with it. I understand why you want to get off of

it, but please be very careful. I¹ll post some information about it and

hopefully you will be able to talk to your doctor.

a

On 6/1/02 2:41 PM, " Watkins " <watkins@...> wrote:

> Hello to all, I am new on the list and hoping I could ask a question. I

> have to take prednisone but I hate taking it and always worry about

> stopping. That is I worry about HOW to stop taking it. I know you can't

> just suddenly stop taking it and if I ever get to where I can do without

it

> I sure would like to know the steps or an exact slow down procedure for

how

> to gradually withdraw from it. I haven't been able to get much out of my

> dr. on this and hoping someone on this list may know about how to do it.

> Many Thanks,

> Barbara in Texas

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You don't know how much I appreciated your kind words of encouragement .

It seems like you sit here struggling with these horrid diseases and when

you find a list like this where there are kind souls who know exactly what

you're going through.....well...emotionally it feels life saving to me. I'm

so happy I found you all, and I send my love and thanks.

Barbara in Texas

Take care of yourself and hang in

> there.

>

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Large doses of Medrol may cause high blood pressure, salt and water

retention, and potassium and calcium loss. In addition, mood swings that

can lead to psychosis are possible. The risks outweigh the benefits. I

know how good you feel on them, but the side effects can be to severe.

Medrol dose packs can be a lifesaver to get through a flare, but the more

you use them the greater risk of osteoporosis and cataracts.

Kenalog injections, which is another steroid, is often also given to

control flares. It can last for a month or more.

This is a great article on steroids for rheumatic diseases:

Corticosteroids in rheumatic disease

http://www.postgradmed.com/issues/1998/02_98/vollen.htm

Hope this helps. Feel free to ask any questions.

a

On 6/4/02 2:56 PM, " Watkins " <watkins@...> wrote:

> Wow a! Thank you (and everyone who gave some info) so much for telling

> me about the Prednisone. Now I'm hoping I can ask another question. Sorry

> to be a pest.....but...does anyone know about Medrol dosepak? I'm asking

> because my dr. has given me a dosepak 3 or 4 times but now refuses to give

> anymore. She will give plain old prednisone and told me to increase it when

> I complained I was doing badly, but when I've asked for the Medrol, she just

> won't give it. The reason I've asked for it is because when I took it

> before those few times it did amazing things for me! No pain, no

> disability, lots of energy...super duper great! I'm so disappointed that I

> can't get it anymore. Is there something bad about the medrol or worse than

> plain prednisone? With everything esle they give for RA being so toxic, I

> can't imagine what's worse with the Medrol.

> Barbara in Texas

>

>

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June,

Ooo la la you lucky gal! Glad you¹re going to have some fun while educating

the doctors! I hope a nice massage comes with the package!

Stopping the prednisone could have made you feel worse but with everything

else going on with your foot, it would be hard to tell. If memory serves

me, you¹ve been on prednisone for a long time, so it¹s probably good that he

wants you back on it.

On more than one occasion, I¹ve though Enbrel wasn¹t as effective, but I¹ve

gone off of it and found that it works more than I though. I have no plans

on testing it again. It¹s just not enough when I have flares, but what drug

is?

Have LOTS of fun.

Hugs,

a

On 6/6/02 8:35 PM, " june dixon " <juner24@...> wrote:

> Hi a,well much to my dismay he wants me back on Prednisone at least until

> I see the rheum in July. He wants me to start taking 2/5mg for a week then one

> 5mg per day. He thinks this may have caused some bad flares I have experienced

> lately and maybe he is right. As you know I have been on Enbrel since mid

> December but I can't honestly say I am getting great benefit from it although

> it is hard to say. I know for a fact that when I was on Arava I felt 100%

> better for the 2 months I was on it and was very disappointed when I had to

> stop.

> I am leaving tomorrow to go to a fancy golf club up north to teach a very

> large group of doctors on Saturday morning. Fortunately all our expenses are

> covered and the three girls going with me are loads of fun,so it is like a

> mini holiday.

>

> Hugs

> June

>

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