Pred..

Hi,
I have been on pred for 8 days now.. 40mg and taper 5 per week.
Anyone else on pred, at this dose?.. When do you take yours, all in the morning? or split throughout the day...

The reason why I ask is, yes I have noticed an improvment in symptoms but only in the afternoon & evening. The mornings I have to empty my bowels around 10 times before my toilet stay is over.
I have also continued with the salfolak enama and know this can have an impact on bowel movement the following morning, but ive still got the 2 during the night trips which I could really do without.. This is one nasty flare & I had to give into pred to try and get it under control.. Ive turned into a nasty cheeky git since starting the pred..:( hopefully I can get off it ASAP.

Thanks Werty for your reply. I know what you man by the mental buzz.. I feel that I should have been on for the 3 week before tapering.. but gotta do what the docs say!
.. I see Imuran failed you too.. .looking that way for me as well, they increased my doasage to 150mg to see how things go, but Im not comfident.
Whats your next step?.. remicade, surgery?.. are you in remission at the moment?

I know this has been discussed many times, but I think the general rule (and someone can correct me if i'm wrong) is to try and take it all in the morning, preferably before 9am. Apparently that is when your body naturally releases it. I find it helps me if I take mine with some soluble oatmeal or something of the like, otherwise it tends to upset my stomach.

Good luck, and for what it's worth, both times I've been on Prednisone, it has helped curb the flare rather quickly (1-2 weeks), hopefully you are right at the turning point now.

So what happens now a days, the dr's don't give instruction on how to take the drugs..???

Glad that's working for you! I know it's not ideal, but once things settle down a bit you'll be able to move it back to all in the morning.

My GI always advises me to split the dose (and I assume his other patients too). Both times on pred, I did 2 in the AM and 20 in the PM.

Pred helps me, but minorly. It gives me more side effects than healing, that is for sure. But that is beside the point-I am not sure why, but I was always told to split the dose. And I was on it at the full dose 9 weeks the first time (that was dictated by the Humira trial and I was not allowed to taper sooner) and 7 this time (which was dictated by my GI, based on symptoms). Last time they had me taper, they had me drop all of the evening doses first. I went completely loony after I got about halfway down. This time, they had me keep it even all the way down (so this is my first week with only a morning dose, and is also my very last week on pred), and my sanity has stayed in tact-though I am still very puffy and last time I had deflated a lot more by now. I will take puffy and sane over deflated and delusional any day!!

I had to take tylenol PM or benedryl to sleep until this week. Now I can't get enough sleep, lol.