Last month I took a 7 day supply of Prednisone (10 mg. 3 times a day) for bronchitis. It cleared up my bronchitis in no time. During that time I noticed my arthritis did not bother me at all. Now, my question is...I have two refills left on this prescription and I am considering getting it refilled for my arthritis pain. Can anyone tell me if I will have any long term effects from taking this small amount of prednisone? Does anyone on the board take it for their arthritis? I understand Prednisone has serious side-effects which is unfortunate because it has so many GREAT benefits.

Many individuals do take it for arthritis however it has many dangers.
First of all you can't simply start and stop prednisone, it has a very high potential for causing a heart attack.
Many of the side effects are weak immune system, bone problems and early osteoarthrtis, kidney dysfunction and failure, weight gain, unwanted hair growth and many more things not mentioned.
One thing that can happen is something called aventricular necrosis (I think that is how it is spelled) It causes the blood supply to bones to stop therefor killing the bone. It is an extremely painful illness and no cure or fix for it. You are at risk for it even by taking a small dose to taking doses regularly. This is something doctors never tell you because the risk is faily small, 3% however all other risks are low too and they are quick to tell you about that.

It does help with arthritis immensely however I would not take it if it were not prescribed by a doctor for that specific purpose. You need to talk to your doctor about it and then weigh the pro's and cons and see if it is a viable solution. Most people who take it are on a very very low dosage.

30 mg a day is a high dosage, not a small dose or small amount, most doctors only prescribe 10 mg a day, chances are you won't see the same effects. 30 mg a day for several weeks might possibly need a dose down so that you do not in fact have a heart attack. In fact I am quite surprised it was dosed to you in that method, that is not the traditional way to dose it. Generally you do a dose pack, start with 6 pills then each day decrease it by 1 and then stop taking it. Getting it refillled for the purpose of your arthritis is definately something I would not recommend you do without advising your physcian.

Kissa, thank you very much for your knowledgable reply. I didn't realize it was so bad. The bottle is going in the garbage NOW! :o No more Prednisone for me. I'll just have to deal with my pain some other way. Do you have arthritis? What meds do you take? Have you ever taken Vioxx? What do you think of the side-effects of that drug?

I have had OA for 28 years now (since age 10) and have chronic pain and other various issues. I 've had my hip replaced many times in addition to other various joint surgeries.

I have run the gammut of arthritis medications, currently I take Mobic which is similiar to Vioxx and Bextra. I have a pretty sensitive stomache and the Bextra and Mobic are the only ones to not bother it as much. They do come with side effects as do any medications. There is a potiential for kidney problems and you should have them checked at least eery 6 months. There is also the risk of a stomach bleed. The risks over all are less than than that of steriods.
There are some natural things you can do as well such as take a daily vitamin, Vitamin C in 1200 mgs is great for arthritis of the knee and is proven to reduce knee replacements time period by 50%. Various mushrooms are also helpful. You can find more information at the Arthritis Association web site.

I also take MS Contin (morphine) for pain but I have pain in various joints including my back, that too has been an issue since I was a young child.

Aquatic therapy is very helpful with arthrits and I've done it for years. Gentle stretches and very low impact exercises as well are helpful.

Learning things such as meditation, focusing techniques and bio feedback are essential to dealing with pain, it helps you get through it. I suggest that you look into it if you are having chronic pain.

When pain gets to the point that you are getting little to no relief from the anti-imflamatories and lower scheduled drugs such as Ultram or Darvocet on occasion then your next route outside of surgery is to seek out a pain management program to help you cope with the pain as well as seeking out a Pain Management doctor when the pain is so severe you can not function.

It is difficult having arthritis, at any age, and seeking out support groups, such as those run by the Arthritis Association is very benificial. Finding others who understand what you are going through and whom are sympathetic can make a world of difference!

What type of arthritis do you have and for how long have you had it?

I have had OA for 28 years now (since age 10) and have chronic pain and other various issues. I 've had my hip replaced many times in addition to other various joint surgeries.

I have run the gammut of arthritis medications, currently I take Mobic which is similiar to Vioxx and Bextra. I have a pretty sensitive stomache and the Bextra and Mobic are the only ones to not bother it as much. They do come with side effects as do any medications. There is a potiential for kidney problems and you should have them checked at least eery 6 months. There is also the risk of a stomach bleed. The risks over all are less than than that of steriods.
There are some natural things you can do as well such as take a daily vitamin, Vitamin C in 1200 mgs is great for arthritis of the knee and is proven to reduce knee replacements time period by 50%. Various mushrooms are also helpful. You can find more information at the Arthritis Association web site.

I also take MS Contin (morphine) for pain but I have pain in various joints including my back, that too has been an issue since I was a young child.

Aquatic therapy is very helpful with arthrits and I've done it for years. Gentle stretches and very low impact exercises as well are helpful.

Learning things such as meditation, focusing techniques and bio feedback are essential to dealing with pain, it helps you get through it. I suggest that you look into it if you are having chronic pain.

When pain gets to the point that you are getting little to no relief from the anti-imflamatories and lower scheduled drugs such as Ultram or Darvocet on occasion then your next route outside of surgery is to seek out a pain management program to help you cope with the pain as well as seeking out a Pain Management doctor when the pain is so severe you can not function.

It is difficult having arthritis, at any age, and seeking out support groups, such as those run by the Arthritis Association is very benificial. Finding others who understand what you are going through and whom are sympathetic can make a world of difference!

What type of arthritis do you have and for how long have you had it?

Kissa, I've had OA and RA for approx. 20 yrs. I also meditate and practice yoga, and have done so many years. I firmly believe this has helped me survive this dreaded disease. In addition, I also suffer from fibromyalgia which alone can be debilitating. Some days it's all I can do to FORCE myself to take a shower and get dressed. Presently I am taking Vioxx and an occasional Darvocet. In the past I tried Bextra and Celebrex but did not get ANY relief from either. As for Mobic, I have never tried it. You mentioned having my kidneys checked...what tests do they do to check them? I have never had this done.
Does your arthritis cause you to have edema? My hands and fingers swell most every day, and my fingers have started twisting. Painful and looks awful!
I have also been under tremendous stress lately and I know that contributes to my pain. I've lost 5 family members (the main one being my mother) in less than 1 year and have not been able to get a good night's sleep in a long time. My family dr. prescribed several antidepressants for me but none helped. I take an occasional Libruim when the anxiety gets too bad, but I try to take them sparingly because I certainly don't need to get hooked on them in addition to all my other problems.

I think many folks with Arthritis inevitably end up with FMS for some reason. I was dx'd with it as well in my early 20's.

Mobic is very similiar to the other medications and seems to work OK. When you have an advanced form of arthritis or have had arthritis for many years many of these medications do very little. They test your kidneys via doing bloodwork, most doctors know to do this if you are on any of the Cox inhibitors (Vioxx, Bextra, Celebrex and Mobic). Basically they test to see if your kidneys are still functioning OK.

I don't really have problems with edema since I don't have RA but I do have a lot of pain with my hands, especially recently. Do the doctors have you on any specific medications for RA at all? Honestly, if you are only taking Vioxx and Darvocet and you are suffering quite a bit your doctor may be doing an inservice to you. You shouldn't have to suffer as much. Do you get any relief at all from the Darvocet? Have you considered possibly seeking out pain management at all? It might be helpful for you given it seems you are in quite a bit of pain.

Anti-depressants work differently for everyone. I take Lexapro and it has helped alot with the anxiety and intermittent depression. I have also found it to put me in a fairly good mood. The side effects are fairly harmless however some folks will react differently to it. It's something you do have to take on a daily basis and you may only have problems if you quit such as withdrawals but you never get addicted in the sense you need to have more to get any type of relief like you would on certain pain medications.

Stress and depression are a huge factor in the amount of pain you have. The more you are stressed or depressed the more you will hurt and the more you hurt the more stressed or depressed you become, it is in fact a vicious circle and one where you need to get control on both, stress or depression and your pain, in order to be feeling better.

I went through something similiar to you where I had lost 4 family members, including a brother within a 2 week period some years ago. I think my pain was probably a little worse than it is now from all the stress and depression. Counseling did help with dealing with the situation over time. It takes a while to get through but it does get better over time.

There are various sleep medications out there however doctors often opt for anti-depressants, especially with FMS, because they help you to recieve a deeper sleep. I take an anti-depressant, name escapes me but it is in the Elavil family and between it and taking Zyrtec for allergies I get a fair amount of sleep. Some nights I get little sleep but it is from being on Morphine for pain, generally on those days I end up taking a nap at some point to make up the lack of sleep I didn't get.