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Prednisone dosage nd timeframe?

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Posted 8/27/2013 12:23 PM (GMT 0)
30mg a day for 30 dys.

What is your dosage?

I really want to see lowet dose and days given with no taper.

I am pretty afraid of ths drug.

Thank you
Posted 8/27/2013 2:42 PM (GMT 0)
Usually people start pred at 40 mg/day (pretty bad flare) and continue at that dose until the symptoms are gone or largely gone. THEN they taper.

You don't get to plan your taper until you've gotten relief from the pred.

Posted 8/27/2013 3:16 PM (GMT 0)
kazbern is right. Smart GIs keep you on pred until you are either completely healed or say 90% of the way there, before discussing a taper regiment (you technically heal some while tapering so being 100% isn't always needed). Your GI should be in regular check with you to see how you are progressing with your healing, and a determination will be made when exactly to start the taper; once you are ready.

Anybody can give you an arbitrary pred length and taper sequence but following it with blind disregard to your state of healing will only result in a uc flareup (as you will get off pred too soon).

Generally, pred produces only nuisance side effects (insomnia, acne, increased appetite that can lead to weight gain, moonface, etc.) that are nothing to fear, and are much better than having a rampant uc flareup with 20 bloody bms a day and the misery uncontrolled uc flareup brings. To avoid getting flamed here, there are some who experience bad side effects right away, but it is very uncommon (such things only become common with longeterm usage of pred of a year or more).

Just focus on healing, and getting better and don't worry.
Posted 8/27/2013 3:17 PM (GMT 0)
As kazbern said... there is usually no "timeframe" for the pred. You get 40 and go go go until you're better, then taper. Maybe go to 60 if nothing works for a month.
Posted 8/28/2013 2:10 PM (GMT 0)
I'm on 40mg for 14 days and every week I drop by 5 mg, my symptoms went away in three days! I'm not having big huge bulky stools, but they are good and no blood at all in almost a week! First time in 8 YEARS and I think the combo of all my drugs is what is making it work because I was on Pred before by itself and it didnt' work.

I take two apriso at night with my iron pill

Canasa every other night

Flagyl

Pred

and acid pump prohibitor

I'm doing awesome!!!!! Get bloated belly and gas but shoot it's all worth not seeing blood!

Posted 8/28/2013 4:35 PM (GMT 0)
I agree with Kazbern's dosage listing but do not agree that that is what they usually do. Usually doctors have you start tapering before you even start getting better, which is really stupid in my book.
Posted 8/28/2013 7:29 PM (GMT 0)
Glad you are feeling better miricle! I to am feeling 100 %. Gonna talk to doc to see if we can form a plan for taper and maint! If I have to occasionally do steriods to get back to remission i am ok. I am learning all the time how to stay there now! At least i hope i have learned new ways!
Posted 8/29/2013 12:59 AM (GMT 0)
I was on 60 mg since the end of may and recently started tapering. So I had been on a super high dosage for about 2 1/2 months. I started tapering two weeks ago and am now at 30mg. We were initially going to taper 10 mg every 7 days, but now we are doing 5 mg every 7 days since my GI thinks my body is used to prednisone. I can't wait to get off of it even though I am already feeling some effects of tapering.

Some of the side effects I have noticed include swelling in the face and ankles, which came and went, headaches, recently noticed sensitivity in my teeth but that may be from the UC or Humira- who knows, ummm.. I did not experience increase in appetite (thank goodness) - oh and some joint pain. Other wise, it seemed fine.
Posted 8/29/2013 1:20 AM (GMT 0)
Good deal - I just want off now! :-)
Posted 8/29/2013 2:07 AM (GMT 0)
I did 40mg for a week, 30mg for a week, 20mg for a week, 10mg for a week. That didn't work though and I had to go back up to 40 and taper much slower. it seems like it's dependent on your doctor and how you've responded to the treatment.
Posted 8/29/2013 5:33 PM (GMT 0)
Heres my timeframe. I am on 30 mg day have been for 4 days. I will go to 25 tomorrow for 4 days than down 5 mg every 4 days until I get to 10 mg a day. Then I call my dr.
Posted 8/29/2013 6:16 PM (GMT 0)
Here's what I would do now.....quit the pred, stay on the steroid enemas and see how you do.

If all is good, you can continue as such.

If all hell breaks loose, then consider to start the med back again.

q
Posted 8/29/2013 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Q, why just stop? Is it because of side effects or? I know i dont like it but not in remission quite yet. I think once u get to 10 he will stop me, so 12 days if i have done my math right? I only been on 4 days. It seems short timeframe at low levels. Personally i rhink rectum is fine and that rest of colon or at least left side needs more, ugh! Who knows? Thank you!!!!!!!
Posted 8/29/2013 6:31 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Q, why just stop? Is it because of side effects or? I know i dont like it but not in remission quite yet. I think once u get to 10 he will stop me, so 12 days if i have done my math right? I only been on 4 days. It seems short timeframe at low levels. Personally i rhink rectum is fine and that rest of colon or at least left side needs more, ugh! Who knows? Thank you!!!!!!!
Posted 8/29/2013 6:43 PM (GMT 0)
My suggestion is to call your doctor today and say...I want to get off the pred with a fast taper within 12 days, can you tell me the dosages to do that?

If all goes well, that's all I needed....good to know for the future as well.

But, I was also on the flagyl....since you only tested for 2 types of infection, is it possible I might have had something else?

You don't know how your rectum is unless he has checked it...but it's possible that something's wonky above that....but it could have been that you had an infection of some kind that just sent something off balance...maybe the flagyl did help.

You were also on Colazal and have recently stopped it. So, you need to determine whether that could have been the culprit. I say go off the prednisone and find out.

Way too many ifs, and the prednisone, to me, was too fast of a decision. He could have switched your oral 5ASA....but not to say you can't get on Apriso at this point either.

What's my concern...you won't be able to drop from 10 to 0.
you'll be on the pred for ages and not get off.
You didn't need it in the first place.
You knew the Colazal was a problem with different symptoms than you had previously...

so, I'm just speculating and giving you more food for thought.

I don't think that predisone is a wait and see type of med...

It's awesome you're feeling better....AWESOME. If you can get off the pred with a FAST taper course then do it. You can always get back on if you need it.

Get on Apriso.

Stay on the enemas.

q
Posted 8/29/2013 6:54 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks Q!!! I think its a pretty fast taper. I just got these directions via vmail so I am still waiting to speak to him. Will mention these things. You rock! :-)
Posted 8/29/2013 6:55 PM (GMT 0)
Btw, all blood and stool are normal which makes him think ita flare.
Posted 8/29/2013 7:04 PM (GMT 0)
I'm not saying you don't have a flare.

I'm saying you have other variables that could be continuing or exacerbating a flare, not allowing it to actually heal. And, if you're sensitive to Colazal, that's going to inflame things.

Ask your doc if he only checked for 2 gastro infections....like I say, that doesn't exclude other possibilities. Our guts are always in a state of delicateness. If I remember correctly, you also weren't on probiotics?

So, I'm not saying don't use pred...I say be cautious as to when you should be on it and make some changes that could improve things. It's worked for some, it's not for others.

Welcome to the "experience" part of dealing with UC...lol.

I just also want to add that only once did I ask my doc for pred when I was having a bad situation of not improving...he said "no, let's try this first". My perception is skewed by that possibly....and that was before I had the internet as well..lol.

q
Posted 8/30/2013 4:22 PM (GMT 0)
OMG, you are so right Q!  I am a mess today.  I am puffy and miserable and crying and sad and drepressed.

Last night I tried a mesamelmine ennie instead of a steroid one and now today all hell broke loose! I think I was having a reaction to them maybe, with some kind of infection.

My doc said I can start taperoing (this is day 5) and be down to 5mg a day in about 15 days.  Is it too late just to stop?  I told him I am throwing them away, he has not responded.

He wants me to do a colonoscopy and I will, next week.

But I want off these poisions and I will do the sterioid ennie only.  I should have listented to you!!!

I am drepressed, shaking, bad taste in mouth, puffy face, its awful!

 

Posted 8/30/2013 4:40 PM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't do anything without consulting your doctor. Prednisone is not a drug you can always just stop cold turkey. The longer you have been on it and the higher doses you have, stopping cold turkey can throw your system into shock and some have even died as a result of this shock. It is not a drug you can fool with.
Posted 8/30/2013 5:15 PM (GMT 0)
I talked to my doc. He is not happy about me quitting, but I have been on 4 days at 30 mg and today is day 5 with 20 mg and I told him I am stopping tomorrow.

That was my last dose. I will continue with steroid ennies and balsalaside until I see him next week.

I can't tolerate drugs, I don't know what I was thinking!!!! I hate medication. I just need to find a holistic approach, but not today!
;-) Thank you.

I read that its okay to stop at day five without any rammifications. I hope that is true.

This is so freaking scary!!!
Posted 8/30/2013 5:19 PM (GMT 0)
I also read that they treat lung inflammation with a 5 day dose of way over 30 meg and then just stop it.

Five days seems to be key.
Posted 8/30/2013 7:02 PM (GMT 0)
hey, not too many years ago I raced motorcycles, jumped off cliffs with a paraglider on my back, hurtled down mountains on my snowboard - we all take risks - sometimes living on the edge is what keeps us alive -

hang in there dmc
Posted 8/30/2013 7:04 PM (GMT 0)
Hi...honeymoon's over..lol.

There's a few things going on, and since your doc wants you to come in next week for a scope, that's a good thing. You'll have time to create a good list for questions so that he can help you create another working plan. To me, the biggest would be get more stool samples done and of course lots of biopsies during the scope.


In part, the latest reaction could be from the mesalamine or the sulphite preservative in the enema, so you don't know as of yet.

You are off the Colazal...in part it could be that you were sensitive to the mesalamine, or that it could have been too high a dosage, or now that you're totally off the colazal, you're "flaring".

Did you ask the doc if he checked for anything other than just c.diff and salmonella?

Are you bleeding?

Holistic doesn't mean better...but you can incorporate it into the mix.

Yes, you're right about the higher dosage for 5 days on pred for treating asthma or other inflammation. High quick blast it seems is the new way. The other way is 60mg to 0mg in 10 days.

Are you still on the flagyl?

Is your UC throughout or limited to where?

What else are you taking for probiotics?

Hang tough...I felt the same way when I tried Wellbutrin in the Spring. horrific.

q
Posted 8/30/2013 7:22 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Soy!  I appreciate it.

Q... I havn't taken Flagyl today, frankly, I am afraid of it too.  I have 4 doses left, two days, but not sure if I want to take it!

Is colazal balsalasides? 

I will not be taking the mesamelamine enemas again.  I could just tell this morning that the whole area was sore AND there was blood.  It was such a eye opening morning! 

Back to the steroid ennies tonight. 

I only bled a little with this morning getting rid of meds in toilet.  No more BM today.

I am supposed to have left sided only.  For a couple years now.

I am so glad I took today off. 

No more pred for me!  That is Cheap Crappy Crap Poison!!!!

So for now, I guess, balsalasides 3 a day, and one steriod ennie.

I got the shakes so bad today, that is so scary too!

Thank you Q and everyone , really, thank you!

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