I'm thinking about telling my neuro at the end of the month that I would like to try prednisone. I have before so I know it helps with fatigue and pain but it was just short term. I'm scared,, wondering if it's going to be worth it or not.
Any of you okay with taking this medication? Any of you take it long term or just when your in a flare?
Will it cause weight gain if I keep my diet under control? Fluid build up? I heard it can cause heart disease. What kind of problems am I going to be dealing with if I decide to take this medication?
Prednisone can cause serious problems with long-term use. Most docs prescribe it for acute situations of inflammation, and it's usually started at a relatively high level and stepped down over 7-10 days. I have been given a low maintenance-level dose of 5 mg, but that dosage was of no help. The helpful dosages (20-40 mg) they can't/won't/shouldn't give long-term.
__________________ "The only thing that makes me depressed, Doc, is not getting any answers from you."
They won't prescribe it if your fatigue gets really bad? He's talked about it multiple times and it's the only medication actually capable of making my fatigue go away. Very helpful with the pain but that wouldn't be the reason why I'd want to start taking it. I know he would prescribe it if i asked. What type of serious problems can it cause? can it cause problems using it off and on, maybe like 3 or 4 times a year? I really feel like I need it but I don't want more problems on top of what I already have.
They won't for me. The only times I feel "normal" is on prednisone because of systemic inflammation. One of the most significant long-term use problems the docs have told me is hip degeneration and general osteoperosis. My personal nurse (RN wife) thinks it also undermines the body's natural immune system functioning--meaning the body can let the job go if it is being taken care of by the drug. I don't know whether this is knowledge or theory on her part. All my docs have just said "there are too many possibilities for long-term problems if you use it too much."
I'm pretty sure 3 or 4 times a year would be okay, but my docs still won't do it, and I have numerous areas/types of inflammation and CFIDS/FM.
__________________ "The only thing that makes me depressed, Doc, is not getting any answers from you."
I think Prednisone is ok to take for short periods or intermittently, and can make a huge difference in how you feel. I take 10mg daily, but bump up the dose when I go into a flare, have extra demands on me, like travelling for a week, or a huge stress on my plate. Those bumps are only for a few days to get me through the event. The long term effects of chronic use are nasty-cataracts, weight gain, diabetes, osteoporosis with fractures, high BP, moon face, emotional lability, etc, etc, so the idea is to be on as little as you can get by with for short periods, tapering off when you can. The DMARDS are safer to use in the long run- Placquenil, methotrexate, Arava, etc. Prednisone use is like balancing on a sword edge-its wonderful how it works fast to help you feel better, but awful if you stay on it for long periods. I hope you have a rheumatologist and are on some other meds for maintenance, like Placquenil, as an example.
I'm starting on Medrol tomorrow, 6 days, he said he could prescribe it at a lower dosage if I needed it all the time. I didn't have to ask for it, I just told him I wouldn't care to go to a rheumatologist if they'd prescribe that, but I had my doubts, when all I have in my blood work is a high ANA and RNP, so he did.
LOL love that quote!
"The only thing that makes me depressed, Doc, is not getting any answers from you."
And yeah I'm taking plaquenil. But it only helps my pain and fatigue to a degree.
This medication is amazing, as long as it doesn't wear off, it alleviates a lot of my fatigue, all of my pain, and stops the tingling, but when I wake up early hrs of the morning, I can feel my symptoms so bad, until the next dose.
It's a crying out shame, that there's a medication out there that controls these symptoms so well, yet cannot be taken often because of the possible dangerous side effects.
Why can't they make one that works this well without being so problematic?
