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Shortest Time on Pred?

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Crohn's Disease
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Posted 8/17/2012 10:39 AM (GMT 0)
Does anyone know how quickly one can taper off pred.  For example, if I started on 40mg, how fast could I reduce my doseage down to zero?  Would 20mg be an effective starting dose and involve a shorter taper?

If I was using a steroid suppository, would I also have to taper or can they be used as needed?

Thanks for any information.

Posted 8/17/2012 12:09 PM (GMT 0)
I would strongly suggest talking to your GI about this. In my experience, 40mg is where I've always started. It just depends on how long it takes to work and as you taper, side effects may occur each time you go down. One time I was on pred for 10 months before I finally finished the taper. Another time it took me a month from start to finish. Follow your GI's counsel and listen to your body.
Posted 8/17/2012 12:18 PM (GMT 0)
People do take short bursts of Prednisone for other problems that are not CD. I don't think a short burst would be enough to get you CD symptoms under control. For me, it always took at least a week at 40mg before I even started noticing any relief. Definitely talk to your GI - it can be dangerous to taper too quickly.
Posted 8/17/2012 12:34 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks for the info. I think I might be starting to flare and will be talking to my GI. The only time I've taken pred, I was started at 20mg and it took me 5 months to taper. I just wondered what others had experienced. I guess I was hoping that a short burst of pred would help for CD symptoms.
Posted 8/17/2012 3:22 PM (GMT 0)
Never estarted at 20mg. Always 40mg or 60 mg.

The least intervel for me is 7 days, although have heard od 5 days interval. By my understanding, 14 days is the safest interval to control the side effects of tapering, but some consider it too long and try to reduce the side effects of the steroids by lowering the interval.

It seems to me that there ir no RIGHT answer to that paradox! It's all a matter of choosing what set of risks your doc is going to dive into.
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