Newly diagnosed with RA

Hi, and welcome aboard! I also am taking Prednisone and I have been on it since March in fact due to a bad flare up that began at the beginning of the year when my previous medications stopped working and I developed side effects from them as well.

I have been tapering off of it for the last few weeks and today it started getting the better of me with some withdrawal symptoms. Muscle cramps and stomach cramps mainly. Prednisone can be a real Godsend when you are in a bad flare up but as your Doctor I am sure told you it should be used with caution. I should preface my experiences so that you are not too alarmed. I have had several short term 2-3 week treatments in the past and none of them caused any of the issues that I have experienced this time around. I generally felt much better and had a lot of energy and that was it. Tapering was easy and I had no withdrawal issues to speak of after short term use at a dosage of 25 mg and then tapering.

I had some interesting side effects at various levels of the medication this time around. At 60mg I was weepy at odd times and very emotional in general, averaged about 3 hours of sleep a night and was perfectly fine on it except for feeling spacey now and then. (My loving Wife I am sure would beg to differ on this) It broke my flare up and I was able to begin functioning again. Before this I was not able to work, could not lift a coffee pot or dress myself in anything but sweat pants and was extremely depressed.

At 30 mg I had very vivid dreams and alot of anxiety. In fact I one night thought I was going insane after having horrible nightmares. My wife was a real trooper through all of this and helped me through the worst of it.

At 10-15mg I had abundant energy, sweat when I did anything remotely physical and got a whole lot of things accomplished around the house and at work. Thankfully I didn't smell too bad.

Now at 7.5 - 5 mg every other day I am having problems sleeping again and have muscle cramps and abdominal cramping during the day. My flare has not returned but my joints do hurt again especially my hands. I am going to go slower with my taper as a result and hopefully I can minimize the withdrawals.

I do not share any of the other medical problems you have but I do know that as a diabetic that you should take extra care with prednisone as it can be a problem with blood sugar levels in some people. It's helped me tremendously but at the same time been a real challenge to deal with the side effects. I had a lot of help from my family and support groups here and also at church. One of the ladies there has Psoriatic arthritis and has been in the same position and she was especially encouraging through this. She also warned me of the long term treatment side effects.

I hope that it works well for you and that you don't have any side effects except positive ones. Dealing with being newly diagnosed with RA is a life altering experience. I hope that you get relief and don't worry too much about side effects but do make sure that if you start to experience them you give your Doctor a call and let them know. Lean on the forum with any questions you have and try not to stress over things outside your control. For me this has been a huge factor in my disease along with graciously accepting help when people offer it. My pride can really get the better of me at times.

I hope that you have peace and relief. -Don

This morning was amazing. For the first time in years I woke with little or no pain and stiffness. Instead of taking 3 hours to get ready for work I was ready in 30 minutes. I could actually walk without shuffling. My Doc said I would feel like a "Princess in a Fairy Tale" but I was also to be aware that I would eventually turn back into a pumpkin .

My blood sugar is bouncing all over the place 108 - 275 - 227 - 78 - 167. The 108 was pre- prednisone. I need to adjust my diet to help level out the numbers, be they high or low. Major fluctuations like 227 to 78 cause the most damage. And I was doing so good with my blood sugar levels!!

Truthfully, I bounced around and giggled all day - you would have thought I was a teenager instead of a senior citizen.

So very glad to hear you are feeling better. This is one of the aspects of prednisone that is amazing and I think as well why the drug can be at the least psychologically addicting when taken for long periods.

After being on it for the last 6 months when my doctor wanted me to taper off of it I actually panicked at the thought of it. My wife noticed that I had a lot of apprehension about it as well.

I too felt magnitudes better (between flares) especially from the standpoint of having energy and motivation. I was able to get alot done this summer at work and home as a result. The thought of not having the energy to do these things worries me but my wife brought up a good point and that was that in my "normal" state (normal being someone with RA and psoriasis) I am not so energetic and motivated. It is unfortunate because it literally made me feel like before I ever got sick in terms of energy and all around mental sharpness. Even though, in my less energetic state I still manage to hold down a job, play with my kids, be active in church and get most of the things I need to done around the house. I know it will work out, I just keep praying for God to keep me in line.

Zasu,
I was just diagnosed in September with RA and was immediatly put on prednisone and methotrexate. For me the prednisone was prescribed for immediate relief until the methotrexate kicked in. It is my understanding that methotrexate can take up tp three months before the full effects are seen. I am starting to taper the prednisone but my symptoms are coming back.

As far as the MTX, everyone is different but for me the side affects are minimal. I am nauseous a day or two after taking it and I am more fatigued. I feel a lot better since starting the meds. Also, are you taking daily folic acid? If not, check with your rheumatologist. I recommend drinking a lot of water as well.

I know that a lot of people are afraid of the side affects from the drugs and what they can do to your body. For me, I am at a point that I am willing to try anything that will kick this disease into remission and feel 'normal' again!

I hope the MTX helps you get control of your RA. If it is not the drug for you there are plenty of others that may be right for you. Keep us updated.

Glad to hear you are doing better Zasu. How are things working out? Are you completely tapered off yet? I have been off completely for 4 days now and I have been good for the most part. I am achy but so far I am not having the inflammation issues I usually have. Humira seems to be working just not as well as Enbrel did. I am back to my normal fatigued self which is a bummer but its a whole lot better than being flared up. -Don

So very sorry about all that your going through! Did your doctor's order Vitamin B-12 shots to help combat the anemia? Many types of anemia here and I have vitamin B-12 low's which can cause a lot of problems.
Just was wondering if B-12 might help. Can your doctor do a transfusion for you to help get some of the blood back???
I'm also wondering if you have an ulcer bleeding because of the nsaids??? I had an ulcer bleed due to stress and nsaids(motrin) and so I cannot tolerate those medications at all anymore...I take a prescription protonix for the stomach. aleve/naproxen and mtx can all cause ulcers in the stomach and I wonder if that's where yours is and that a stomach medication added in might heal you up fast and get you on mtx again...
Many prayers and well wishes in hopes your doing better soon!
Keep us posted...