HealingWell
Search Close Search
☰

Need help with prednisone!!

Support Forums
>
Ulcerative Colitis
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply
❬ ❬ Previous Thread |Next Thread ❭ ❭
Posted 7/3/2013 4:18 AM (GMT 0)
Ok so after my last colonoscopy my doctor said I have severe diffuse colitis and put me on 40mg of prednisone. Before the colonoscopy i had a big flare and lost 20 pounds. It was the worst thing I ever felt. After 2 weeks on prednisone i was finally starting to feel better until I had to drop the dose to 30mg for 2 weeks. The day I dropped my dose my bm went up to 9 to 10 again immediately. I have to run to the bathroom every night at least 5 times. If I try to lay down on my left side I have to rush to the bathroom so i try to sleep on my right side and NOT MOVE AT ALL!! I also been having trouble sleeping since being on 30mg. Right now this is my 4rd day on 30mg of prednisone and i dont know if I should call my doctor and ask if I need to go back to 40 again. I am currently taking 1600mg of asacol 3 times a day and 30mg of prednisone. Any Advice would be appreciated!!
Posted 7/3/2013 4:39 AM (GMT 0)
Sounds to me like you might need another week at 40. Does no sound like you are in a place where you can drop to 30. Call the Doc. As for not sleeping when I drop my pred I have that same thing. How many BMs did you were you having before you dropped to 30?
Posted 7/3/2013 4:44 AM (GMT 0)
On 40mg I was going 2-3 times a day max and they were formed but now its diarrhea but still no blood.
Posted 7/3/2013 8:54 AM (GMT 0)
That sucks. I was like that at 40 and then at 30 was still only a few bms per day but not formed anymore. I think I should have did another week at 40 maybe. No way I am going back there now though. I am at 25 mg at the moment and have 3 or 4 bms per day not formed well at all. This Pred stuff is crazy. I am just hoping my next dose of Remicade fixes things up because I want off of this pred. You have any other Pred issues? My head is the size of a beachball it seems and it's driving me crazy. This is only my second time on Pred as I was only diagnosed about 10 months ago
Posted 7/3/2013 9:09 AM (GMT 0)
im experiencing one of the hard flareup since jan .. 8-9 bms/day.. i started at 40 mg for 2 weeks,but bm's were same.. now im at 30 mg/same bm's. its my ist round on pred. i guess pred is not helping my uc anyway.. any suggestions ???
Posted 7/3/2013 9:15 AM (GMT 0)
Currently I am only on prednisone. I've tried Lialda, Imuran, Pentasa, and Asacol,but none kept me in remission longer than a couple of months. Only while on prednisone am I ok. My side effects are about 4hours sleep nightly, Moonface and some weight gain. So far I can live with that!

You need to call your doc and go back to 40. I have learned to listen to your body. Yes you should eventually taper, and yes you will see changes with each drop. However, those changes should not last as your body adapts to the drop. If it lasts more than a few days then you were not ready to decrease dosage. There really should be no hard and fast rule with a prednisone taper. Dropping slowly is the only way for your body to adjust to not depending on Pred.

Please do not suffer!
Posted 7/3/2013 11:29 AM (GMT 0)
46&crashing is right. Good advice
Posted 7/3/2013 5:10 PM (GMT 0)
I do fine on the prednisone taper until I hit 20 Mg. Have been on 30mg the past 2 weeks. Started the 20mg 4 days ago and the cramping started. My GI want me to try the 20mg for 2 weeks but if the cramping gets really bad he wants me to go back up to 30mg. I am going to try to tuff it out this timit
Posted 7/3/2013 5:15 PM (GMT 0)
I really don't understand why doctors don't give the prednisone long enough to work. It is a horrible drug to be on long term but if you don't give it long enough to work then what's the point? The thing is that your immune system has gone haywire and is attacking your colon or something in your colon, causing inflammation and your UC symptoms. Predisone weakens your immune system and this attack, allowing your colon time to heal. I personally think the doctors should keep you on the 40mg dose and don't taper at all until your colon is healed (through observation), then begin tapering down - unless it has been determined that the prednisone is not working. Once the prednisone is tapered down or off your body's immune system will resume the attack all over again. That is the purpose of the Asacol - to help continue remission once you taper off the pred. You should take Asacol forever at this point. Prednisone should not be taken long term as it will eventually destroy your overall health as much or more than the UC would have. It seems stupid to me to have patients start immediately tapering down before their colons have had a chance to heal.
Posted 7/3/2013 5:15 PM (GMT 0)
Stay longer on the 40.... then drop to 35 no straight to 30. Much easier that way I (and pretty much everyone else) finds.
Posted 7/3/2013 6:22 PM (GMT 0)
I have been on prednisone for 3 months. Started out on 60. Slowly lowering it then going back up everytime i get to 20.
✚ New Topic ✚ Reply