Cortisone

[Guest guest]

Marcia, there is a Canadian doctor in Montreal who has been working on using

Cortef (a cortisone) for a few years and her patients appear to be doing very

well. A new British study reported hydrocortisone as being very helpful to

patients despite the NIH reporting the negative side-effects. The difference

was the European study used a lower level of cortisone. I only personally

know of one patient on it and he's doing better, but isn't well.

Gail

[Guest guest]

Was wondering if anyone here has had experience taking coristone and did it

help/hurt? I hate to see people use it because of all the adverse reactions,

but do know one CFSer who swears by it and

wouldn't give it up!

I have never tried it so I don't know and am wondering what you all know????

Marcia

[Guest guest]

Hello,

here you can find info about cortisne and CFS. I was very excited about this

recovery protocol and read carefuly all the messages in archives but now I

have changed my mind.

http://www.serve.com/cfs-cure/mustread.html

-----Pùvodní zpráva-----

Od: Marcia Grahn <mgrahn@...>

Komu: onelist <onelist>

Datum: 21. bøezna 1999 2:27

Pøedmìt: Re: Cortisone

>From: Marcia Grahn <mgrahn@...>

>

>Was wondering if anyone here has had experience taking coristone and did it

help/hurt? I hate to see people use it because of all the adverse

reactions, but do know one CFSer who swears by it and

>wouldn't give it up!

>

>I have never tried it so I don't know and am wondering what you all

know????

>

>Marcia

>

>

>------------------------------------------------------------------------

>Start a new hobby. Meet a new friend.

>

>Onelist: The leading provider of free email list services

>------------------------------------------------------------------------

>This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with each

other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any treatment

discussed here, please consult your doctor.

>

[Guest guest]

Hello.....Stania

Years ago my Dr tried cortisone...it helped the bone pain very

temporarily, we were canoeing up the wrong path, it seemed to mask the real

problems if I remember correctly, The Dr. then asked f I wanted to try ABXs

and I said No, Now it is 12 yrs later and went back and said I changed my

mind I want the ABXs , he smiled and read my cfs fms myco info and we are now

canoeing up the right path for me.

Susy....

[Guest guest]

Thanks for this website below on cortisone. I would like to add my two

cents. Cortisone is a treatment for autoimmune diseases. I am

convinced that some aspects of ME/CFS are autoimmune. However, I hold to

the theory that autoimmunity is not our immune system's stupid mistake

of attacking our own cells. It is caused by our immune system attacking

infections which are identical to some of our own cells; thus our cells

get destroyed in the ongoing war. IF this is correct then we need to

treat the underlying smoldering infection, not the immune system.

Cortisone would only mask the problem and cause other damage to a system

already struggling for balance.

If you are interested to read more on this theory please check out this

website for some fascinating information.

http://rheumatic.org/index.html

Enjoy!

a

>

> Hello,

> here you can find info about cortisne and CFS. I was very excited about this

> recovery protocol and read carefuly all the messages in archives but now I

> have changed my mind.

> http://www.serve.com/cfs-cure/mustread.html

[Guest guest]

Susy, this fits the concept I was describing, that autoimmune diseases

are caused by some pathogen, not by our immune system suddenly, for no

reason, turning on itself. a

>

> From: SUSYDOG@...

>

> Hello.....Stania

> Years ago my Dr tried cortisone...it helped the bone pain very

> temporarily, we were canoeing up the wrong path, it seemed to mask the real

> problems if I remember correctly, The Dr. then asked f I wanted to try ABXs

> and I said No, Now it is 12 yrs later and went back and said I changed my

> mind I want the ABXs , he smiled and read my cfs fms myco info and we are now

> canoeing up the right path for me.

> Susy....

>

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Have you visited our new web site?

>

> Onelist: Helping to create Internet communities

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------

> This list is intended for patients to share personal experiences with each

other, not to give medical advice. If you are interested in any treatment

discussed here, please consult your doctor.

[Guest guest]

Bottoms up, Mike. I was the one who is on human growth hormone. However, I do

not know if it has relevence to anyone else on this list except those who have

fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome. Let me hasten to assure you and all

that it is totally main stream medicine as my insurance is paying for it. You

know that US insurance companies pay for nothing that is not already tested. I

have a blood test showing that my pituitary is producing almost no growth

hormone. That is why I take it. My endocrinologist is the BEST! Any of you on

this list would have some difficulty finding an endocrinologist who knows enough

about hgh to prescribe it. But they are out there. If you suffer from extreme

fatigue all the time, it might be worth a hunt for an endo. who would test you

for this.

a C.

rheumatic Cortisone

Hi,

Is the cortisone just to kill the pain or does it have any cotribution to

slowing down the progress of RA as a disease or the progress of joints errosion?

I ask this because I've just seen my doctor, or to be exact one of my doctors;

he wanted to gve me a cortisone injection. His title is 'specialist physician'

and I see him because the rheumatologist is in Pretoria which is 5-6 hours away.

I've convinced him to give me the minocycline and we set a target date for

November which is after my next visit to the rheumatologist. He wanted to give

me an injection of cortisone there and then which I rejected because I can hack

the pain right now and want to leave off that stuff until it is entirely

necessary. After I'd left I wondered if I'd been a bit too quick and should

have made sure of it's role.

Also, whilst I was talking to him about options, i mentioned humand growth

hormones which one of you had mentioned in an email. His reaction was quite

shocking, it was as if I'd asked him to join me in some kind of illicit drug

deal.

Also, whilst we were talking about options, the M word came up (methotoxtrate)

and I said that one of the resaons I want to avoid that it because it would

seriously curtail my social life. Out here the expatriate community gathers

nightly to try and drink the place dry:-) He said that whereas physicians will

cover their backs by saying no alcohol with methotoxtrate, with the low doses he

was suggesting, alcohol comsumption would not be a problem.

Comments invited

Kind regards

Mike G

Botswana

sero-negative undiagnosed RA 6 months

[Guest guest]

Hi, Mike

Why wait until November to start the minocycline? The sooner your get

started, the sooner you get relief. I heard from a woman after my post to

you yesterday who said her husband had symptoms similar to yours and mine,

and he had significant relief in a month. They were glad he got started

early ! I have had the antibiotics for a little over 2 weeks now, and had a

nasty wrist problem disappear in 5 days. I am in a bit of a flare now in my

big joints, maybe that is the Herx, but if I am going to get worse before I

get better, I want to get that over with as soon as possible, too!

I was reading more in The Road Back section of he New Arthritis Breakthrough

last night, and re-read Dr. Brown's story of a young farmer who was in

complete remission in 6 months. Dr. Brown said he didn't know why, but men

respond faster than women. Looks to me like the odds are stacked in your

favor. (Have you been able to get a copy of the book?)

The thought to wait and see if something worse shows up in your blood work

is exactly the wrong idea from what I've read on the web site and in the

book. If you are lucky, nothing more serious will show up, and you will just

be wasting valuable time when the therapy could have started to work. If you

are not lucky, something worse WILL show up, and the disease will be even

harder to treat at that point.

I had to convince my doctor to try this with me, but in the end, he felt he

shouldn't make me delay any longer while the rheumatology establishment

makes up it's mind about this--my life keeps right on going while they are

doing their slow, careful research. He agreed that the treatment was safer

than other arthritis treatments available, including NSAID's(!) Anyway, the

Arthritis Foundation here in the US now includes minocycline in it's list of

DMARD's. They are very conservative, and this is a major step forward. Can

you call your doctor and try to get him to get you going on the minocycline

sooner? It seems a shame to delay 2 months.

Jean

----------

From: " Mike Guinney " <mguinney@...>

<rheumaticonelist>

Subject: rheumatic Cortisone

Date: Wed, Sep 15, 1999, 8:09 AM

Hi,

Is the cortisone just to kill the pain or does it have any cotribution to

slowing down the progress of RA as a disease or the progress of joints

errosion?

I ask this because I've just seen my doctor, or to be exact one of my

doctors; he wanted to gve me a cortisone injection. His title is

'specialist physician' and I see him because the rheumatologist is in

Pretoria which is 5-6 hours away. I've convinced him to give me the

minocycline and we set a target date for November which is after my next

visit to the rheumatologist. He wanted to give me an injection of cortisone

there and then which I rejected because I can hack the pain right now and

want to leave off that stuff until it is entirely necessary. After I'd left

I wondered if I'd been a bit too quick and should have made sure of it's

role.

Also, whilst I was talking to him about options, i mentioned humand growth

hormones which one of you had mentioned in an email. His reaction was quite

shocking, it was as if I'd asked him to join me in some kind of illicit drug

deal.

Also, whilst we were talking about options, the M word came up

(methotoxtrate) and I said that one of the resaons I want to avoid that it

because it would seriously curtail my social life. Out here the expatriate

community gathers nightly to try and drink the place dry:-) He said that

whereas physicians will cover their backs by saying no alcohol with

methotoxtrate, with the low doses he was suggesting, alcohol comsumption

would not be a problem.

Comments invited

Kind regards

Mike G

Botswana

sero-negative undiagnosed RA 6 months

[Guest guest]

Hi, Mike.

I don't mean to be overly pushy here, it is just that I had a very similar

situation to yours when things started out, and the next thing you know, it

has been 3 years, 5 years, 10 years...

I had always had the hunch that antibiotics might help me, but couldn't get

anyone interested in treating me that way until recently, with the new

research. I wished I had travelled to another doctor to get the treatment.

Now I regret having waited, but like you say, November is not that far away.

I know 2 young men who got Reiters arthritis, and totally got over it in a

couple of years with no specific treatment other than nsaid's. They were,

however, quite bothered by it for the 2 years or so they had it, one used a

cane for months. Just seems the doctors are all too willing to endure our

misery.

Take care.

Jean

----------

From: " Mike Guinney " <mguinney@...>

<jpro@...>

Subject: Re: rheumatic Cortisone

Date: Thu, Sep 16, 1999, 1:10 AM

Hi,

Thanks for that it was helpful. I know what you're saying and it's all

about decisions. I suppose I set the target date for November because I'm

still in a learning curve annd i feel that as I'm only 6 months into this

disease I still have time on my side. Also, the pattern of the disease does

seem to have settled down now from a roller coaster of crippling pain and

total remission to one where the peaks and troughs of pain have flattended.

I don't know what's going on in my body but i thought I'd give it a little

while longer to see if it can sort itself out without introducing anything

other than the NSAID and anti-oxidants. Of course the question then arises

if in November I'm down to zero pain, do I view that as I'm cured or in

remission, in which case the question still remains do I take the

minocycline. So, I'm on the fence and will get off it in November. What i

should have done in hindsight was to get him to write out the script

yesterday and i could have had it in my pocket to cash in when I liked. I

might do that

Thanks once again

Mike G

Re: rheumatic Cortisone

[Guest guest]

on 10/4/00 8:45 PM, DRGNFYR181957@... at DRGNFYR181957@... wrote:

> She prescribed a corisone shot and a weeks worth of pills. I got the shot

> yesterday afternoon...later that evening I noticed my hips were starting their

> old familiar ache...by the time I went to bed I was in major AS flare which

> continues still...neck, back, hips and knees...arghh! I have taken the pills

> today and I thought that cortisone was supposed to be a powerful

> anti-inflammatory. Doc even said I should have felt better last night. How

> long does it take this stuff to work and why did the AS flare so bad when I

> took it? I am beside myself...any ideas? Michele

Michele,

When my aunt had a cortisone shot for lupus a few years, she had an initial

worsening. I think this happens sometimes. This should wear off soon. I have

never had a systemic injection, but I have taken a 6-day dose pack, where

you start out with 6 pills, and reduce by one each day.

I had a great deal of relief from my neck and shoulder spasm from the dose

pack. This took about 3 days to start, and I was much better at the end of

the 6 days.

Hope this works for you. I have improved very nicely over the last year I

have taken minocycline for reactive arthritis, similar to AS. Many on the

list try to reduce starches in their diets to help arthritis symptoms, and

find this to be helpful. I think this is particularly rewarding for some

cases of AS, because of the specific bacteria which has been implicated in

AS. Stick around, others will have more to say about this.

Hang in there, hope you are feeling better soon. Did you ask your GP to

prescribe the minocycline? Many on the list get the AP from their primary

care docs. Maybe you could get a head start this way, while waiting for the

insurance change.

Welcome to our group.

Jean

[Guest guest]

Michele,

I'm sorry you are feeling so bad. I have a lot of trouble with RA in my

neck and have the reverse curvature also, so I know what you must be going

through. I've only gotten a joint injected once, but did not have the

worsening effects you had, only systemic relief. I did get a feeling that

it got into my system in a major way though, even though it was not an IM

shot. A lot of the people I correspond with on the arthritis newsgroup have

said they feel it gets into their system too.

Now as to why it caused a flare instead of relief, one clue I can

give you would be what Dr. Brown said in " The Road Back " about

steroids....he characterized the swelling of rheumatic diseases as a

reaction to the toxins/irritants released by the mycoplasma when they die.

He said use of steroids without the antibiotics to attack the disease

process can let the cat out of the bag and allow the disease to spread.

(Inflammation is one way the body controls an irritant or infection--walling

it off behind an inflammatory barrier--break down the barrier, and it can

get loose on you). He only used them in small amounts in a limited way for

relief early in the treatment, he said, and only with the antibiotics. I

know it is hard to look at it this way, but I would try to take it as a good

sign that the antibiotics may work well for you once you get on them. There

is support in the mainstream literature for the involvement of certain

pathogens in AS, and the conection between gut health and AS seems to be

strong from what I've read. Here's one reference for you to look at:

http://www.nih.gov/niams/news/hlab27re.htm

I've others that Pierre Fontaine has sent us before, let me know if you want

to see them and I'll send them along.

One thing you could do while you are waiting to see the doc for the

antibiotics is to reasearch and address some of the leaky gut

issues--re-read carefully the recent discussions on this, consider starting

probiotics, and other gut health measures, and cut starch from your diet as

much as possible. Some with AS report a good response to that strategy.

(Starch helps encourage the multiplication of the bad bugs.) This way you

could kind of get a head-start on that aspect of the therapy. Is there any

possibility your current doc will give the antibiotics in the meantime? If

you want to try and persuade them, I'll be happy to try and help you dig up

some pertinent references. Give me a shout if you want some help with that.

One other possibility that comes to mind is that the steroids are

competing for binding sites with other molecules in the body, like female

hormones or thyroid hormones, and that may be altering the course of your

illness.

In the meantime, get loads of rest, drink lots of water, eats tons of

vegetables and fish and avoid starch and sugars as much as possible. Do

whatever you can to reduce stress and relax (meditation, music, bubble

baths, quiet time--whatever works best for you). That way you can begin to

develop the healthy foundation for your treatment, and may see some real

improvement from these measures. Ice packs on the neck helps me, ,

ocasional use of a soft cervical collar when it is really bad, and *very*

gentle stretching exercises for the neck. Take care, Liz G

[Guest guest]

Michele, Have you taken cortisone before? Are you possibly having an

allergic reaction? Carol/Piney

rheumatic cortisone

> Good Evening Everyone,

> I have only been a member for a couple of weeks and I am astounded at

> how much I have learned from all of you! You are an amazing group.

> I

> have Ankylosing Spondylitis and have not started the AP yet. I have

> finally found a doc that is willing but I cannot see him until

> January. I have to change my insurance from HMO to PPO in order to

> see him and I can only do that at the end of the year. arrgh! at

> any

> rate, I am currently on Voltaren which has performed reasonably well

> up to this point. Now, all of a sudden, I am in the midst of a

> bizarre turn of events and I am hoping someone can shed some light on

> what is going on. The AS is in my neck, sacroliac and hips and

> knees.

> The reverse curve in my neck has taken to (according to my

> chiropractor) pinching a nerve which has been causing me a great deal

> of pain from muscle spasm in my shoulders, right arm, and down my

> back

> along side the spine. It was not responding to Chiro or Massotherapy

>

> I was in such misery so I went to my Primary Care Physician for help.

>

> She prescribed a corisone shot and a weeks worth of pills. I got the

> shot yesterday afternoon...later that evening I noticed my hips were

> starting their old familiar ache...by the time I went to bed I was in

> major AS flare which continues still...neck, back, hips and

> knees...arghh! I have taken the pills today and I thought that

> cortisone was supposed to be a powerful anti-inflammatory. Doc even

> said I should have felt better last night. How long does it take

> this

> stuff to work and why did the AS flare so bad when I took it? I am

> beside myself...any ideas? Michele

>

>

>

> To unsubscribe, email: rheumatic-unsubscribeegroups

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

The same thing once happened to me while trying to get diagnosed, i.e. was

really in agony and GP gave me systemic cortisone shot. Got much-needed

relief for about 24 hours and then BAM, even worse than before. Was put on

emergency prednisone and shipped off to a rheumy.

Babs

RA 8/98, DX 4/99, AP 11/99

200 mg. Doxycycline - daily

112 mcg. Synthroid

2 mg. Hytrin

Mestinon

Vits. & Misc. Suplmts.

[Guest guest]

Dear Michele,

Maybe you don't have to wait until January. This is just a

thought. My son had tests run for Klebsiella and other intestinal

bacteria, parasites, and yeast that could cause intestinal infection,

through the Great Smokies lab. I haven't got their website

offhand, but if you run a search for Great Smokies, you'll find it

here. If you've got AS, chances are good that they'll find

Klebsiella. They not only analyze the specimines, but they also

culture the bacteria, etc. and test it to see which antibiotic is

most effective for your particular strain. This test is worth the

cost, even if you have to pay it out of pocket. Once you have the

lab reports in hand you can take it to your HMO and ask them to treat

you for an intestinal infection--don't mention AS. How can they

refuse? Great Smokies does the most comprehensive test available.

Chances are, if you have it done in the lab at your HMO, it won't be

anywhere near as thorough. My son's test showed positive

for Klebsiella, another bacterial infection that can cause reactive

arthritis, a parasite, and 3 types of yeast.

Pierre is right about the cortisone. It's not recommended for AS.

Your doctor should have known that.

- In rheumaticegroups, DRGNFYR181957@a... wrote:

> Good Evening Everyone,

> I have only been a member for a couple of weeks and I am astounded

at

> how much I have learned from all of you! You are an amazing group.

> I

> have Ankylosing Spondylitis and have not started the AP yet. I

have

> finally found a doc that is willing but I cannot see him until

> January. I have to change my insurance from HMO to PPO in order to

> see him and I can only do that at the end of the year. arrgh! at

> any

> rate, I am currently on Voltaren which has performed reasonably

well

> up to this point. Now, all of a sudden, I am in the midst of a

> bizarre turn of events and I am hoping someone can shed some light

on

> what is going on. The AS is in my neck, sacroliac and hips and

> knees.

> The reverse curve in my neck has taken to (according to my

> chiropractor) pinching a nerve which has been causing me a great

deal

> of pain from muscle spasm in my shoulders, right arm, and down my

> back

> along side the spine. It was not responding to Chiro or

Massotherapy

>

> I was in such misery so I went to my Primary Care Physician for

help.

>

> She prescribed a corisone shot and a weeks worth of pills. I got

the

> shot yesterday afternoon...later that evening I noticed my hips

were

> starting their old familiar ache...by the time I went to bed I was

in

> major AS flare which continues still...neck, back, hips and

> knees...arghh! I have taken the pills today and I thought that

> cortisone was supposed to be a powerful anti-inflammatory. Doc

even

> said I should have felt better last night. How long does it take

> this

> stuff to work and why did the AS flare so bad when I took it? I am

> beside myself...any ideas? Michele

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/07/2000 8:25:12 AM Pacific Daylight Time,

Babs56p@... writes:

systemic cortisone shot. Got much-needed

relief for about 24 hours and then BAM, even worse than before. Was put on

emergency prednisone and shipped off to a rheumy. >>

Ah know one of the most heart breaking things for me is to see my friends who

are also sick with this going the traditional route and getting sicker and

sicker.

Today I had a trip to the Doctor er well the Indian health clinic where

they do not have doctors only nurse practitioners. My Doctor quit taking

Medical however as you can now sue your HMOs in California they are allowing

pts to go to the Doctor of their choice write a statement saying they are

paying out of pocket, and medical will still pay for the meds only catch is

you have to have one of their providers order al your lab tests and give

permission to go to the hospital. As my now privately paid ex medical doctor

used to be the head Doctor for the Indian clinic and the clinic have a good

working relationship it is going to work out I do believe. I had to go

because suddenly I as getting very low readings on my blood sugars I am also

diabetic and I needed a 3 month blood test. Also talked them into a cbc and a

sed rate heh heh heh. Now here is the good part. The receptionist there used

to be the receptionist at a clinic I got kicked out of for being a bad

patient 12 years ago whenI refused their methotrexate and prednisone and I

was dying. My skin tones then were gray as she remembered.

She told me of how much better I looked now 4 years into the antibiotics.

It was great and a personal testimony of what the antibiotics can do they

were all amazed I was an HLAB-27 patient as I look basically well now.

It was a good visit. :-)

[Guest guest]

What an interesting story! How did you manage those years in between

refusing metho/prednisone and starting the AP? Sounds like you were really

ill.

It's not easy refusing these traditional treatments, that's for sure. When I

initially inquired about the AP with one rheumy, he poo-pooed it, saying that

he wasn't opposed to alternative medicine but that everyone eventually comes

around to taking this crap. He said, " Just don't go into an underground cave

for two weeks or something like that " . Cute. On a subsequent visit after I

had learned more about the AP, he stated that there were no double-blind

studies, etc. Suffice it to say, I enlightened him and enjoyed watching his

jaw slacken.

I sure do hope your recent problems with the diabetes gets under control.

Keep us posted!

Babs

RA 8/98, DX 4/99, AP 11/99

200 mg. Doxycycline

112 mcg. Synthroid

2 mg. Hytrin

Mestinon

Vits. & Misc. Suplmts.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/08/2000 8:01:39 PM Pacific Daylight Time,

pierre14@... writes:

<< Sacroiliac joints are located in the pelvis area. So far as I know, they

never move. Whether or not they get fused over time should not be of any

concern to you. It is of no concern to me. >>

Ah well it sure as heck bothered this woman when my sacroiliac joint fused to

my pelvic bone on the right side pain was incredible so bad in fact they gave

me a hysterectomy in 1971 Ah If only Had known then what I know now :-)

Peace Love

[Guest guest]

--- AndromedaGurl <andromedagurl@...> wrote:

> What makes the cortisone so conducive to replicating

> the virus?

Cortisone, corticosteroids, are VERY powerfull

anti-inflammatories, and supresses the immune system

which is causing the inflammation. When anything

supresses the immune system it will allow the virus to

go crazy reproducing. Of course, if you have no

viruses then there is nothing to worry about. My GI

told me to avoid them unless absolutely necessary.

C

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

--- AndromedaGurl <andromedagurl@...> wrote:

> What makes the cortisone so conducive to replicating

> the virus?

Cortisone, corticosteroids, are VERY powerfull

anti-inflammatories, and supresses the immune system

which is causing the inflammation. When anything

supresses the immune system it will allow the virus to

go crazy reproducing. Of course, if you have no

viruses then there is nothing to worry about. My GI

told me to avoid them unless absolutely necessary.

C

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

These articles are an educational supplement brought to you by the Arthritis

Society, Pharmacia Canada Inc. and Pfizer Canada Inc.

Hope you enjoy,

Marilyn

CORTISONE

Produced naturally by the body's adrenal gland, cortisone is the hormone that

regulates routine inflammation from minor injuries. Major traumas such as

broken bones or surgery depend upon the adrenal gland to produce even more

cortisone. But the adrenal gland could never produce enough cortisone to meet

the challenge of inflammatory arthritis. Therefore, your doctor may prescribe

cortisone injections or pills to help treat the inflammation in arthritis.

PREDNISONE (CORTISONE TABLETS)

Prednisone works quickly and effectively in reducing inflammation. It is

often used as an interim measure in inflammatory types of arthritis, such as RA

and Lupus, to get control of inflammation while waiting for the slower acting

disease modifying agents (gold therapy, methotrexate or anti-malarial drugs) to

take effect.

HOW MUCH SHOULD I TAKE AND HOW?

Take exactly the amount prescribed by your doctor. Usually prednisone works

best when you take the complete daily dose in the morning. You can split the

dosage if the benefits don't seem to last a full 24 hours; however, if you find

a half-dose at supper gives you a burst of energy and causes insomnia, try

taking it at lunch time.

MEDICATION MEMO

If you suddenly stop prednisone therapy after more than three months,you may

experience fever, chills and severe discomfort (sometimes requiring

hospitalization), because your adrenal gland will be unable to replace the

cortisone naturally. When your doctor decides it's appropriate, your daily dose

of prednisone will be gradually reduced to allow your adrenal gland to start

producing it's own cortisone again.

If you're on long term prednisone therapy and suffer a major trauma such as a

car accident, your adrenal gland may not be able to meet the challenge. So it's

important that you have a MedicAlert bracelet and wear it up to a year after

prednisone therapy has stopped. That way, if you are in an emergency situation,

the attending doctors will know to administer cortisone.

Another possible consequence of long term prednisone therapy is accelerated

osteoporosis (weakening of the bones). To help keep your bones healthy, be sure

to get enough calcium and vitamin D in your diet -- or take 500 mg calcium

supplements two or three times daily along with 800 units of vitamin D to help

absorb the calcium. If you are on a medium to high dose of prednisone for

longer than six weeks, your doctor may recommend another medication called a

bisphosphonate to protect your bones.

PREDNISONE SIDE EFFECTS

Prednisone side effects include the following: increased appetite (ain't that

the truth, lol), weight gain/'moonface " , lower resistance to infection, cuts

slow to heal, easy bruising/thin skin, muscle weakness, fluid retention,

increased urination, excessive thirst and urination, increased emotional

sensitivity, acne, hair growth (peach fuzz), insomnia/restlessness/tremor,

irregular menstrual periods, osteoporosis/bone fractures, cataracts, joint/bone

pain (AVN)

HOW QUICKLY WILL PREDNISONE WORK?

Prednisone works very quickly -- usually within one to four days -- if the

prescribed dose is adequate to reduce your particular level of inflammation.

FOR HOW LONG SHOULD I TAKE PREDNISONE?

Only your doctor can make this decision, since it depends on your individual

condition. If you have run out of prednisone, don't assume that you are to stop

taking it; contact your doctor to be sure. Do NOT stop prednisone without

discussing this with your doctor. The side effects of stopping prednisone can

suddenly become dangerous.

CORTISONE INJECTIONS:

Doctors inject cortisone into a specific joint to reduce severe persistent

inflammation -- usually because other treatment methods haven't worked quickly

or well enough. This is a quick, safe and efficient way of delivering the

medication directly to the problem area.

To maximize the benefit, you need to rest the affected joint after a cortisone

injection; three complete days for knees, ankles and hips; two days for wrists,

elbows and shoulders. In some cases the injection may be repeated for maximum

anti-inflammatory effect. If you experience increased pain and discomfort

within the first 24 - 48 hours after an injection, you should notify your

doctor. You may be sensitive to one of the ingredients in a particular

cortisone product. There are many other cortisone injections that can be tried,

and repeat reactions are rare.

[Guest guest]

I had the series of cortisone shots a couple times and for me they never worked.

I had 2 different doctors do them (as I had moved back home), the one said I

should feel relief instantly before leaving the hospital, the other said it

would take a couple days... IF they worked. As I said tho, for me, they never

worked. Hopefully they will work for you, was this your first shot, first

series? Maybe the next one in a couple weeks will help you, hopefully. Good

luck!!

Connie

Cortisone

> I had a Anterior Epidural (Cortisone) on the 11th, I have pain again

> and feel it hasnt changed anything , how long does it take to have an

> effect if at all. My Dr says about 4 days? Also the pain seems to be

> more severe since the cortisone and I have had a bad headache since

> the shot as well.Is all this normal? I dont know what to expect with

> this.... any advice/ tips would be appreciated.

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

My daughter is on a tiny dose. I think it's 1mg, but I'm not sure.

OSuzyQ828@... wrote:

> In a message dated 09/07/2003 2:25:33 PM Central Daylight Time,

> hypothyroidism writes:

>

> << Cortisone or corticosteroids, are widely used in medicine. ...

> >

> Yes, and with serious side effects, especially when used long term. Have

> you seen Jerry lately? >>

>

> SQ: Usually steroids are given in larger doses in some cases. For

> adrenal

> support, smaller doses are recommended and don't have near the serious

> side

> affects at physiological levels.

> SuzyQ

>

>

[Guest guest]

My torn meniscus was also for no reason. Makes you wonder. I'm totally not

well versed in ACLs, but I thought if you got a tear, they kind of automatically

went in & sewed it up or whatever they do to fix it. it's good to know when you

have something that IS fixable, isn't it? As opposed to CP, which has got to be

one of the world's first-class Insidious Injuries.

Ann

cortisone

i just got my mri read today and it turns out i have a torn acl. isn't that

crazy, noone had any idea. also have no idea when i tore it. HA, i thought it

couldnt get worse. well, anyway, i got a cortisone shot and i can barely walk.

if anone else has had one, can you tell me how long it took for the pain to go

away?

thanx

iris

[Guest guest]

Hey Iris,

I've had my right knee acl torn twice... Cortisone hurt me from my knee to

my ankle. I will never let them put another shot in my knee. My OS said I

had a reaction to it. I highly recommend you making sure you trust your OS

before having any surgery. An ACL will not repair itself. they have to

either use your hamstring tendon or your patela tendon(they can also use a

cadavers). I used both of my own stuff. I feel that the hamstring graft

was so much easier to get over. The thing about trusting your OS is because

I wasn't sure about my first OS, but I had a very nasty thing called the

ugly triad... torn ACL, meniscus, and MCL. My surgery was done right away.

6 months after my reconstruction I tore my ACL again. This I let go because

I didn't want to have surgery again. 4years later my knee was so painful

that they scoped it and found it full of CP and they also found out the

first OS put the ACL in the wrong way and that is why it tore in the first

place. In December 2003 they grafted bone from my hip to my knee and then

redid my ACL in May 2004. This past June 2004 I was in my garden still

locked out in a full leg brace and reached for something down by my feet. I

felt a pop and a terrible burning and lots of pain in my hip. I come to

find out (after my hip wouldn't quit hurting) that I fractured my pelvis

(anterior superior illiac spine). This fracture tried to heal on its own

but it trapped some muscle and soft tissue so it's now called a non-union

fracture. On Monday the 14th I will be going under the knife for the last

time to get the fracture pinned. Please keep me in your thoughts... I'm

scared!

Thanks,

Donna

>i just got my mri read today and it turns out i have a torn acl. isn't that

>crazy, noone had any idea. also have no idea when i tore it. HA, i thought

>it

>couldnt get worse. well, anyway, i got a cortisone shot and i can barely

>walk.

>if anone else has had one, can you tell me how long it took for the pain to

>go

>away?

>thanx

>iris

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Everyone's experience is different. With me, the pain killer injected with

the cortisone immediately gave me complete relief, something I had not had

in over a year.....within three days the pain was back with a vengeance. I

am really getting sick of the constant pain.

Mike

MT

cortisone

>

> i just got my mri read today and it turns out i have a torn acl. isn't

> that

> crazy, noone had any idea. also have no idea when i tore it. HA, i thought

> it

> couldnt get worse. well, anyway, i got a cortisone shot and i can barely

> walk.

> if anone else has had one, can you tell me how long it took for the pain

> to go

> away?

> thanx

> iris

>

>

>