high dose pred for sinus inflammation

[Guest guest]

I went to an ENT yesterday because I've been having dizziness, nausea, headache

and sinus

pressure for the past couple of weeks and it's interfering with my daily life

and increasing

my fatigue. He couldn't find anything wrong with my sinuses or ears and said it

was

probably inflammation of the sinuses and put me on prednisone for two weeks to

dose as

follows: Day 1-10: 2x20mg tab/day in the morning; Day 11-12: 1x20mg tab/day in

the

morning; Day 13-14: 2xhalf a tab/day in the morning. I thought I understood

that 5 mg

prednisone = 20 mg HC, so 40 mg pred would be equivalent of 160 mg HC/day (plus

taking

it only once a day in the morning without dosing throughout the day)??? Is this

right and

does that seem absolutely necessary? I am taking 25 mg HC/day at the moment and

was

actually weaning down (from over 30), to try to eventually wean off. Can anyone

tell me

what I might can expect from this course of prednisone? How is this going to

affect my

wean-down process once I'm done with the pred? And what dose of HC should I go

back to

after I'm done with the pred? My 25 mg?

Sorry for so many questions! :-) Thanks for the help!

Bonnie

[Guest guest]

Bonnie this is called a Pred Taper. Does this doctoir know you are on HC

already? It is quite possible your sinus sympotms are being caused by

the weaning process and your body is not ready for the lower HC dosing.

Taking this high dose of steroid is meant ot shut your adrenals DOWN. It

is supposed to be temporary and allow them to start functioning again as

you lower the Pred dosing. People wiht very weak adrenals often do nto

have adrenal function return for months after doing this. Sometimes

never. If it were me I would take 5mg Pred on top of your dose of HC and

taper from there. That is enoiugh extra cortisol to allow your body to

still function while helping the sinuses to become uninflamed as well.

If the doctor is not aware of you have adrenal insufficiency I would

call and tell them before doing this taper. Ity si a HUGE dose of

cortils and not physiological.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

[Guest guest]

I did tell him and his nurse both that I was taking HC. I even asked him how I

should use

HC while taking the pred and he said to wait and just start taking it again

after I finished

the pred. I have been Rx'd a Medrol pack before too, which I didn't take

because I had the

same fears of how my adrenals would react to the high dose over the long run.

You've

pretty much confirmed my concerns about taking the pred. I'm supposed to go

back in a

couple of weeks to see the ENT again - once the pred is finished. I would have

called my

endo who Rx'd the HC in the first place to get her opinion on the pred taper,

but I had to

fight to get HC from her and doubt she'd be much use. I feel really frustrated

at this point

with dr's. I did tell the ENT that I was feeling better on diphenhydramine

(Benadryl) and

pseudo-ephedrine and that I thought maybe my allergies were just acting up but

he

insisted on the pred route. I'll try your suggestion instead. It makes a lot

more sense to

me.

Thanks so much!

Bonnie

>

> Bonnie this is called a Pred Taper. Does this doctoir know you are on HC

> already? It is quite possible your sinus sympotms are being caused by

> the weaning process and your body is not ready for the lower HC dosing.

> Taking this high dose of steroid is meant ot shut your adrenals DOWN.

[Guest guest]

Sorry - but did you mean take 5 mg pred on top of each HC dose during the day or

just once

a day (i.e. with the a.m. HC dose)?

Thanks!

Bonnie

>

> If it were me I would take 5mg Pred on top of your dose of HC and

> taper from there. Tl.

[Guest guest]

Just once a day in the AM with your HC dosing. In effect it would be a

stress dose.

--

Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

[Guest guest]

Ok - I gotya.

Thanks!

Bonnie

>

> Just once a day in the AM with your HC dosing. In effect it would be a

> stress dose.

>

> --

> Artistic Grooming- Hurricane WV

>

> http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/

>

http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/NaturalThyroidHormonesADRENALS/

> http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RT3_T3/

>