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STARTING PREDNISONE! TIPS PLEASE??? SHARE YOUR PRED EXPERIENCE??? :)

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 12/19/2013 10:24 PM (GMT 0)
i'm starting prednisone tomorrow at 20 mg, then taper 5 mg every week (so a total of 4 weeks).
any tips? I'm EXTREMELY worried about side effects, acne, moon face, etc.
I'm currently having 1 diarrhea BM per day every morning, with lots of gurgling.
I'm also using 4g oral salofalk/mesalamine, plus 4g salofalk enema every night.
Posted 12/19/2013 10:29 PM (GMT 0)
Just be ready for some swelling. I am currently taking 40mg/s daily in the morning and have been for about a week and my legs/thighs/and feet have swelled significantly. Also I feel a change in my mood/behavior, alot more talkative and energetic honestly but I think I'm driving my family a little batty sometimes lol. Also seem to be more tired at times and a have a little trouble sleeping it seems but thats all that has happened to me so far. Since you are taking a lower dose I dont think you will see the side effects I have seen. Dont be worried, worry just makes everything worse, have faith that God will take care of you and he will, God bless!!
Posted 12/19/2013 10:33 PM (GMT 0)
Hi Pinksnowflakes,
I know how you feel, I was put on 40 mg this past summer and have been off it since October.
But the side effects vary from person to person. I have heard of people who said it made them feel wonderful. But me unfortunately had horrible side effects. I had everything. And being 18 with chipmunk cheeks was no fun. But you just have to keep your head high and know that its only for a while:) Plus what always helped me was to just think that Its doing a miracle inside me.
Posted 12/19/2013 10:39 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you Jbreland, :)

Were you able to achieve remission during/afterwards?????
Posted 12/19/2013 10:40 PM (GMT 0)
I started the same almost a week ago. I'm pretty nervous too but so far nothing crazy. Thought I was having mood problems but I'm moody anyway and was in a lot of pain when I freaked on everyone. My GI said at such a low dose for a short time their shouldn't be many side effects.
Posted 12/19/2013 10:42 PM (GMT 0)
how are your colitis symptoms responding to prednisone so far? i heard for some people they get results within the same day!!!!! crazy!!!!! :)
Posted 12/19/2013 10:51 PM (GMT 0)
I think its improving. Hard to tell because I have C. Diff on top of it, and I think maybe I'm reacting to Lialda. I made it to work Tuesday and I've only been taking Tylenol first thing in the morning and at bedtime. That's an improvement from constantly in bed on hydrocodone I suppose lol!
Posted 12/19/2013 11:51 PM (GMT 0)
Well, I don't know. They took me off of it because they put me on Humira. And It is working great! But I am currently having a Small flare right now. I have read lots of people who have gone into remission afterwards though :-) My UC was very Severe so I probably wouldn't last long without some kind of medication.
Posted 12/20/2013 4:51 AM (GMT 0)
Prednisone didn't do diddly for me flare wise. But luckily after 5 months on it... only side effects I've noticed are some mood issues. Nothing severe. And Tim going to blame this sudden darkening of my mustache on it too... since normally I hide my female fuzz much better than this! Lol.

Apparently steroids don't help me... but luckily no moon face or major sode effects either :)
Posted 12/20/2013 11:06 AM (GMT 0)
20mg sounds like a low dose and you'll be on it for a relatively short period so you are unlikely to have too bad side effects. My advice would be to take the full dose first thing when you wake so you can sleep.
Posted 12/20/2013 1:46 PM (GMT 0)
Predinsone is good at what it does: stopping the bleeding and reducing diarrhea. For that benefit, Prednisone has a number of nuisance side effects that seem to hit people randomly, not everybody gets all of the side effects, but everyone gets some of them. Things like acne, insomnia, increased appetite that can lead to weight gain, mood swings, moonface, energy bursts, and so forth. Those are temporary side effects, as your dosage of pred is decreased so do the side effects. Once you are off of pred then the side effects are gone.
Posted 12/20/2013 2:14 PM (GMT 0)
yup, sean pretty much said what I was thinking -

good luck -
Posted 12/20/2013 2:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hi! I had the exact same dosage this past summer and am happy to say I had very few side effects. I didn't gain any weight - I actually lost weight, no moon face, acne etc. I did have trouble sleeping because it upped my energy level so i felt tired but energetic at the same time if that makes any sense. I was having diarrhea about 6 - 8 times a day and within a day of starting the prednisone that stopped. I felt much better while on it but in my case within a few days of tapering completely off of it my symptoms came back so I had to go back on it for a longer period of time. The second go round I still didn't gain weight but I was puffy - my clothes felt tight.

I had more trouble once I was completely off of pred but I don't know if it was pred withdrawal or the 6MP that I am currently taking.

Don't be nervous and good luck!
Posted 12/20/2013 7:54 PM (GMT 0)
i took my first prednisone ever this morning! 4 pills at 5 mg each. so far so good, but i can hear my tummy gurgling still .... fingers crossed!
i'm trying to get normal, formed BM's.
Posted 12/21/2013 6:23 AM (GMT 0)
awful tasting buggers. seriously the grossest pill on the planet.

good luck with formed poo! I dream of the days.... :D
Posted 12/21/2013 9:17 PM (GMT 0)
Eat bananas to avoid getting cramps in your muscles, hands and feet, from low potassium caused by the prednisone.
I get a ferocious appetite/weight gain, moon face, and facial fuzz. All goes away after you taper off it.
Posted 12/21/2013 9:45 PM (GMT 0)
I tapered down to 30mgs a day today, taking 2 in the morning and 1 at night, hopefully the hobbit feet thing will decrease I hope, its super uncomfortable and hard to walk sometimes :( oh and pretty much none of my shoes fit, hope your experience is better than mine!
Posted 12/21/2013 11:24 PM (GMT 0)
I agree that 20 mg isnt a very strong dose, but may depend on your size. I also think its a mistake when a doc says in advance what the taper will be. You should not start to taper until it starts to work, whether that's a week or longer!
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