questions about Pred

Stacie!!! I know you are going to start feeling so much better pretty quick!!! bout the pred, when I was first put on a dose pack I gained a few pds but I lost it a few days after it ran out. I would watch you sugar/carb intake because if you get cravings, that is what you will crave...of couse you won't crave the foods that are good for you. I would make sure to stock up on fruits and vegies like carrots, brocolli...snack things. The moon face varies...in january when I was on high doses I got a massive moon face but now i have been on the same dose for 2 months with very little weight gain. You might have mood changes so prepare the people you are around for that!!!! I sure hope this works for you and gets your flair under contol :)!!! Keep us posted.

Thank you Amy & Lynnwood for the info and suggestions. I do feel better just after one dose! My hubby could tell a difference as soon as he walked in the door last night. I have some strength back so that is a good sign.

I will stay away from sweets and limit my carbs. I am already on a gluten free diet but the only think I've been able to eat are gluten free bagels, but at this point I'm pretty tired of them. My mom made me some GF chicken n dumplings and brought them to me last night... oh they were so good, really hit the spot! I am also taking the pred with lunch instead of dinner, hopefully I can avoid the sleeping problem! If not I will take a look at the links you gave me Lynnwood (thank you).

I will be sure to warn people of mood swings ;) I forgot about that nasty side effect! ;)

Thank you again!

I wanted to echo Lynnwood. I seem to have insomnia even on small doses which can be so frustrating and compromise your well being. I don't take a "sleeping pill" but sometimes I use benadryl or tylenol pm to help get some rest. I'm glad you are feeling better. The stuff is amazing! Judy

20mg is a moderate dose only 1/3 what is considered a maximum dose.  Most of the bad side effects come from long term use and you should not anticipate side effects like weight gain, moon face, etc.  As has been suggested you might become irritable or have trouble sleeping but maybe not...it has never affected me that way and I have been on pred for over 4 years.

I did not gain weight (a lot of that has to do with your diet) but had a moon face and prednisone belly (that is a redistribution of fat caused by pred, not weight gain) that eventually went away as the dose was lowered.  The worst side effect I had was hypertension so I was lucky because that was treatable.  It is a good idea to stay away from simple carbs...for lots of reasons other than pred.

http://drugs.emedtv.com/prednisone/prednisone-side-effects.html

You will probably be ok as most short term treatments do not produce the dreaded long term side effects.  My grand daughter has to take it for another AI disease occasionally and she gets a moon face within a few weeks which goes away almost as fast.

Bill

Thank you Bill and JoAnn,

I seem to be having a little trouble getting to sleep but hopefully it will pass. The nausea still creeps up here and there but nothing compared to what it was like last week and of course the floaty feeling has come back :-(

But the good news is, my MRI was clear! So I am following up with my rheumy to see what she wants me to do next. THanks again everyone!

So happy to hear that your MRI was clear - that, at least, is one load off!  Good luck on the pred.  Let us know what your rheumy thinks, and try not to overdo it when you feel better while on the pred....that has gotten me into trouble before.....

take care,

Lucy