prednisone

October 18, 2002

Thanks for the info Debby I know you'll be able to lose those 40

lbs again, just keep hangin in there and stay determined. I'm

keeping my fingers crossed that I don't have side effects from the

Prednisone but even if I do, at least if it helps my liver I'll deal

with them. My hubby is a little concerned with the depression and

mood swing part of the side effects ( he should be used to the mood

swing part by now though even without me on meds! LOL!) but I'm sure

it will be ok. Keep on laughing and smiling and best wishes to you.

> You may not have any sides from the prednisone. For me, I had just

lost 40 pounds by exercising, etc. It was wonderful. Then I was put

on prednisone. For a couple of months, I was OK and could stay at

the gym, but then the meds (not the prednisone) made me too ill to

continue. And, yes, I gained all 40 pounds back. The worst thing is

that I keep trying to lose it again and I am hopeful that it will

come off bit by bit. For now, however, I am just going to have to be

content to have the round face, back hump and look old and funny.

BUT it can't make my laughter old and funny....I WILL still laugh.

>

> Good luck!

> Debby

>

October 18, 2002

Thanks I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I'm lucky and

don't have side effects too. The doc is starting me out on 60mg/day

for a week then tapering down to 40mg, 30mg, then 20mg over a six

week period to see if it helps. Best wishes to you.

> Dear ,

>

> I had no problems with prednisone. I started on 30 mg and worked

rapidly

> down to 2.5 mg. I had no side effects other than being a little

hyper

> and sleepless at first and hungry. I did not gain weight or get a

moon

> face.

>

> Good Luck!

>

> [ ] Prednisone

>

> Hi all,

> Hope you are all doing ok. I have a question or two about

> Prednisone. I'm going to have my LFT done today and then I'm gonna

> start on the Pred on Monday. What kinds of side effects have you

> experienced from this drug? Does it really make you " puff " up?

I'm

> actually feeling pretty good and I wanted to know if the Prednisone

> will make me feel sick or anything. Thanks for your help.

> ~

>

October 18, 2002

, for me, the mood swings settled once the doctor started the stable doses of prednisone. After a couple of months, things settled somewhat. As long as you are aware of them, things will work out. Good luck...you can do it!

debby

[ ] Re: Prednisone

Thanks for the info Debby I know you'll be able to lose those 40 lbs again, just keep hangin in there and stay determined. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't have side effects from the Prednisone but even if I do, at least if it helps my liver I'll deal with them. My hubby is a little concerned with the depression and mood swing part of the side effects ( he should be used to the mood swing part by now though even without me on meds! LOL!) but I'm sure it will be ok. Keep on laughing and smiling and best wishes to you.> You may not have any sides from the prednisone. For me, I had just lost 40 pounds by exercising, etc. It was wonderful. Then I was put on prednisone. For a couple of months, I was OK and could stay at the gym, but then the meds (not the prednisone) made me too ill to continue. And, yes, I gained all 40 pounds back. The worst thing is that I keep trying to lose it again and I am hopeful that it will come off bit by bit. For now, however, I am just going to have to be content to have the round face, back hump and look old and funny. BUT it can't make my laughter old and funny....I WILL still laugh.> > Good luck!> Debby>

October 18, 2002

, for me, the mood swings settled once the doctor started the stable doses of prednisone. After a couple of months, things settled somewhat. As long as you are aware of them, things will work out. Good luck...you can do it!

debby

[ ] Re: Prednisone

Thanks for the info Debby I know you'll be able to lose those 40 lbs again, just keep hangin in there and stay determined. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I don't have side effects from the Prednisone but even if I do, at least if it helps my liver I'll deal with them. My hubby is a little concerned with the depression and mood swing part of the side effects ( he should be used to the mood swing part by now though even without me on meds! LOL!) but I'm sure it will be ok. Keep on laughing and smiling and best wishes to you.> You may not have any sides from the prednisone. For me, I had just lost 40 pounds by exercising, etc. It was wonderful. Then I was put on prednisone. For a couple of months, I was OK and could stay at the gym, but then the meds (not the prednisone) made me too ill to continue. And, yes, I gained all 40 pounds back. The worst thing is that I keep trying to lose it again and I am hopeful that it will come off bit by bit. For now, however, I am just going to have to be content to have the round face, back hump and look old and funny. BUT it can't make my laughter old and funny....I WILL still laugh.> > Good luck!> Debby>

October 19, 2002

debby.... i had to quit work in february ... i too thought it would kill me ... i am an optician and have been for 15 years ... the kindness of my patients has been great ... even though i cannot help them anymore i still talk to them and they visit ... i am in charleston (not a small city where everyone knows each other ) I miss my job , coworkers, staff , patients, doctors and the work ... but i found out that i am still doing great even if i dont have my joba anymore ....take care karen

October 19, 2002

Thank you Ruth for your compliment. I try to keep an stiff upper lip. Several times, the doctors have asked me why I continue working with all the autoimmune problems I have. I tell them that it is important that I continue working. If I quit, I will die.....probably of a broken heart from not being with my kids at school!

Yet, I would probably die from not being able to laugh all day. HEck, how can you NOT laugh! Yesterday, I was on my way out to my car. A busload of 3-5th graders had just gotten off the bus and were on their way home. One little girl who is in 4th grade now had been in my class in 4th grade. She saw me and said...."Mrs. ......is that you? You are getting old!" I ran to her, arms outstretched, and we both gave each other a hug! I just had to laugh......out of the mouths of babes!

debby

[ ] Prednisone

Hi all,Hope you are all doing ok. I have a question or two about Prednisone. I'm going to have my LFT done today and then I'm gonna start on the Pred on Monday. What kinds of side effects have you experienced from this drug? Does it really make you "puff" up? I'm actually feeling pretty good and I wanted to know if the Prednisone will make me feel sick or anything. Thanks for your help.~

October 19, 2002

, I just can't quit. But, if it comes to me living longer or dying sooner because of the job, then there will be option. But for now, I just tough it out and go.

debby

Re: [ ] Prednisone

debby.... i had to quit work in february ... i too thought it would kill me ... i am an optician and have been for 15 years ... the kindness of my patients has been great ... even though i cannot help them anymore i still talk to them and they visit ... i am in charleston (not a small city where everyone knows each other ) I miss my job , coworkers, staff , patients, doctors and the work ... but i found out that i am still doing great even if i dont have my joba anymore ....take care karen

October 19, 2002

Debby,

I have to agree with Ruth, you really do have a great attitude You

must get a lot of laughs working with kids all day. My three year

old keeps me laughing all the time. Some of the things he comes out

with are hysterical They say that a good attitude and lots of

laughter can actually improve a person's outcome. I don't know if

that's true or not but it sure helps get you through the tough times.

It's always better to laugh than to cry! It's great that you're still

working. I would do the same. As long as you feel up to it and can

still do it then that's wonderful! Keep us posted on your weight loss

too, you're doing good!

Best wishes,

> Thank you Ruth for your compliment. I try to keep an stiff upper

lip. Several times, the doctors have asked me why I continue working

with all the autoimmune problems I have. I tell them that it is

important that I continue working. If I quit, I will

die.....probably of a broken heart from not being with my kids at

school!

>

> Yet, I would probably die from not being able to laugh all day.

HEck, how can you NOT laugh! Yesterday, I was on my way out to my

car. A busload of 3-5th graders had just gotten off the bus and were

on their way home. One little girl who is in 4th grade now had been

in my class in 4th grade. She saw me and said.... " Mrs. ......is

that you? You are getting old! " I ran to her, arms outstretched,

and we both gave each other a hug! I just had to laugh......out of

the mouths of babes!

> debby

> Re: [ ] Prednisone

>

> Hi Debby,

>

> You have the greatest attitude!!! I like you had lost

weight before predisone and gained it back, but I am thankful I am

being treated and that I am working towards remission.

>

> Ruth

>

October 20, 2002

Dear Debby,

Wow, really 100? Go for it!

Love,

Re: [ ] Re:

Prednisone

Thanks . I have not been

so cheerful at times, but for now, I live for the moment. I don't know

when my last moment will be, but I choose to think I will live to be 100 like

my grandmother did!

debby

Re: [ ]

Prednisone

>

> Hi Debby,

>

You have the greatest attitude!!! I like you had lost

weight before predisone and gained it back, but I

am thankful I am

being treated and that I am working towards

remission.

>

> Ruth

>

October 20, 2002

Oh , I have been every so blessed to have longevity in my family. My maternal great grandmother lived to be 94. My maternal grandmother was 96 when she died in 1996. My paternal grandmother was 3 months past her 100th birthday. We had a grand party for her and had my niece and her daughter sit by grandma for a picture. At that time, Quincey Brynn was 6 months old. So, we had the oldest at 100 and the youngest at 6 months picture. I treasure that picture!

However, my own mother, when she died this past March was only 78. I remember two weeks to the day before she died. I had taken her to the hospital because she was seeping fluid from her skin. I didn't realize how bad that is. Anyway, Mom was very lucid and not in pain, just uncomfortable from the swelling. (She had Inflammatory Breast Cancer - an extremely aggressive cancer that she fought for 3 1/2 years.) Anyway, we were talking in ER until she was able to be transferred into a room. She said, "I never in my wildest imagination dreamed I would be here at the end of my life when I am so young!" We talked a while. We had trouble understanding why she was so young and her own relatives were so old! It made no sense, but you know what? Mom died with dignity. She had no pain even though the cancer was throughout her organs...and finally to her brain. Her one biggest fear was the pain associated with the cancer, but God was gracious to spare her from the pain. In fact, we laughed because the hospital kept putting on a morphine patch on her. She complained that she kept sleeping and had NO pain! LOL....we took it off and she was fine!

Sorry that I wrote a book here, but I have been blessed, and wanted to share that blessing. ( i promise I won't stray from the Liver topic again - just needed to share)

debby

Re: [ ] Prednisone> > > Hi Debby, > > You have the greatest attitude!!! I like you had lost weight before predisone and gained it back, but I am thankful I am being treated and that I am working towards remission. > > Ruth > >

October 20, 2002

Dear Debby,

Gosh, what a touching story! Your mom must

have been a sweetheart. So sorry!

I hope that you live well into your 100’s

and loving it!

I’m lucky that I too, have longevity

on my dad’s side. But there is so much autoimmune disease on my mom’s

side. I look half my age and use it to advantage. That is, I can enjoy taking

to the young guys and not look like their mother. It’s fun!

Re: [ ] Re:

Prednisone

Oh , I have been every so

blessed to have longevity in my family. My maternal great grandmother

lived to be 94. My maternal grandmother was 96 when she died in

1996. My paternal grandmother was 3 months past her 100th birthday.

We had a grand party for her and had my niece and her daughter sit by grandma

for a picture. At that time, Quincey Brynn was 6 months old. So, we

had the oldest at 100 and the youngest at 6 months picture. I treasure

that picture!

However, my own mother, when she

died this past March was only 78. I remember two weeks to the day before

she died. I had taken her to the hospital because she was seeping fluid

from her skin. I didn't realize how bad that is. Anyway, Mom was

very lucid and not in pain, just uncomfortable from the swelling. (She had

Inflammatory Breast Cancer - an extremely aggressive cancer that she fought for

3 1/2 years.) Anyway, we were talking in ER until she was able to be

transferred into a room. She said, " I never in my wildest

imagination dreamed I would be here at the end of my life when I am so

young! " We talked a while. We had trouble understanding why

she was so young and her own relatives were so old! It made no sense, but

you know what? Mom died with dignity. She had no pain even though

the cancer was throughout her organs...and finally to her brain. Her one

biggest fear was the pain associated with the cancer, but God was gracious to

spare her from the pain. In fact, we laughed because the hospital kept

putting on a morphine patch on her. She complained that she kept sleeping

and had NO pain! LOL....we took it off and she was fine!

Sorry that I wrote a book here, but

I have been blessed, and wanted to share that blessing. ( i promise I

won't stray from the Liver topic again - just needed to share)

debby

Re: [ ]

Prednisone

>

> Hi Debby,

>

You have the greatest attitude!!! I like you had lost

weight before predisone and gained it back, but I

am thankful I am

being treated and that I am working towards

remission.

>

> Ruth

>

January 15, 2003

In a message dated 1/15/2003 6:30:31 AM Pacific Standard Time,

rayn@... writes:

> Another thing to remember is that antidepressants will help lower the

> pain levels.

Yes, ADrienne takes 20 mg Prozac daily for pain. And she can only use the

name brand. The generic doesnt work. Has anyone else experienced that? Our

insurance will only cover 50% since it isn't generic... but her neruorlogist

told us that for some reason she is finding the generic prozac doesnt work

for pain patients.

K

January 15, 2003

I agree about anti-depressants. I've been on Remeron since 1997, and it

definitely helps with pain, particularly nerve pain.

January 22, 2003

What is meant by body's natural cycle means....in the morning the pred

is not as likely to suppress the adrenals as much as in the evening

(which is the worst time to take it) Thus when or if you get off of it ,

it will be easier for your adrenals to return to normalcy therefore

causing less withdrawal problems.....

No need to thank me, I'll send each my normal bill.

love jerry

January 25, 2003

In a message dated 1/22/2003 11:42:25 PM Eastern Standard Time, gefox@... writes:

It is best to take prednisone before 9:00 in order to better follow the

body's natural cycle......

Jerry's right. My doctor (endocrinologist) used those "exact" words when telling me to take it in the morning and why.

Love and prayers -

gina

February 19, 2003

it may be just water retention...watching the salt is really important. and

doing as much movement as possible helps too. even if its light it helps.

hope this helps.

rachael

February 19, 2003

NELLIESTAR@... wrote:

> I have gained some weight on prednisone although I am eating less.

> I am no getting off the pred.

> Will some of the weight go away?

> Pris

Couldn't answer that - perhaps Geoff can. I would guess probably not. You

sound like you wouldn't get off prednisone if your life depended on it - why

the desire to stay on it? I'd search for any possible alternative if it

were me, although your medical situation may dictate otherwise. Why are

you on it?

Mark

February 19, 2003

Hi Pris,

Depends on the mgs you are on. l was up to 40mgs a day for about a month.

Gained a lot of weight. Came down to 11mgs, and with in a year and also

eating less, the weight came off. l gained 30 lbs and lost it all in a year

by lowering the mgs. l still have the squirrel cheeks as they say but the

uncomfortable feeling of the extra weight is gone. lt just takes time.

Ginger

rheumatic Prednisone

> I have gained some weight on prednisone although I am eating less.

> I am no getting off the pred.

> Will some of the weight go away?

> Pris

>

> To unsubscribe, email: rheumatic-unsubscribeegroups

>

February 19, 2003

I can relate! I used to weight 120 lbs. Now I look like a female Drew

Cary. Big head--a lot of hair loss with the MTX. I look forward to

getting off both. I think my weight will go away once I'm off the pred,

but not without some hard work.

Take care,

Rae

nelliestar@... wrote:

> I have gained some weight on prednisone although I am eating less.

> I am no getting off the pred.

> Will some of the weight go away?

> Pris

>

February 20, 2003

Hi Pris,

I was on pred 17yrs. It was awful as yes I was always gaining weight.

Pred doe hold a lot of water on you as wellas being an apetite

stimulant.You get a rounding of the face and after a bit it did not

look like me.

I am off pred for 5 1/2 yrs thanks to minocin and have my angular

face back again. I had gone to a weight reduction program but they

need to be balanced like Zone but remember on pred I found I never

could eat as much asa thery say. Its tricky as if you undereat your

body holds on to water and food as it thinks its starving..so no

weight loss. Fine line... and when I had a lot to lose I went the

weight watchers route.

My advice..find an antibiotic combo that allows you to come off the

pred.

Marge

> I have gained some weight on prednisone although I am eating less.

> I am no getting off the pred.

> Will some of the weight go away?

> Pris

February 20, 2003

Hi Pris! Geoff here.

You wrote:

> I have gained some weight on prednisone although

> I am eating less. I am no[t] getting off the pred.

> Will some of the weight go away?

If you are not getting off the Prednisone, no.

If you change your mind and decide to get off it, then it can depend on how

you wean, what, if anything, you substitute in its place, how long you've

been using the drug, how much damage you've done to your adrenal glands

(notice I did not write " if " ) and whether or not it is reversible, and what

changes you may have made to your BMR (basal metabolic rate) as a result of

its use. Generally, plant sterols and sterolins create fewer problems for

everything, including weight control, maintaining a healthy BMR, etc., MO,

of course.

The BMR is dynamic. It adjusts to the different states of your life at a

given time. But it does not adjust overnight, thus the inherent stability

and why you can watch some people literally eat like there is no tomorrow

and never gain weight. The good news is that the BMR can be changed with

some work and reset to a " lighter " weight. The bad news is that Rx hormonal

drugs are exceptionally powerful and if you substitute other Rx drugs you

may find yourself having to be more attentive to the amount of energy you

take in (how much food you eat/the number of calories you ingest). There's

a weaning protocol at www.healingyou.org/prednisone.html, if you're

interested. The non-Rx compounds do not necessarily guarantee a free ride,

but they are generally much easier to manage.

If you get off the Prednisone, the easiest way to get your weight back under

control and to reset your BMR to a healthy level for you is to be absolutely

religious using an anti-rheumatic diet(s) from the www.rheumatic.org Web

site links while exercising increasingly for about 90 days. By the time you

get to the end of that period you should be able to relax a bit while

stabilizing at a healthy weight.

The more important question is that posed by Mark: " You sound like you

wouldn't get off prednisone if your life depended on it - why the desire to

stay on it? "

Read what www.rxlist.com shows for the adverse events and side effects of

this drug and it's class. It is not nice and contrary to what you may be

told, the side effects are very common. It is a dangerous drug, but useful

drug. I liken prednisone to a pistol: when you absolutely positively need

it, nothing else will do, but if there is any way at all to avoid it, do so.

Geoff

soli Deo gloria

www.HealingYou.org - Your nonprofit source for remedies and aids in fighting

these diseases, information on weaning from drugs, and nutritional kits for

repairing adrenal damage; 100% volunteer staffed.

February 20, 2003

Also, I think now she needs some advice about where and how to get

minocycline the cheapest, since she has no insurance. Because my

daughter's minocycline is covered by Medicaid, this has never posed

a problem; however, Medicaid will NOT pay for the brand name Minocin,

which I understand to be about $200.00 a month.

Ellen

rheumatic Re: Prednisone