Does pred work as well the second time?

Unfortunately, as you get older, your body wears down, and it becomes less effective. For some that may happens over 39 years (like me, newly on Simponi)...or 5. Depends on the person and sometimes how long you let it go before you start on it.

Bottom line? No one really knows how long it takes to finally stop working......sorry!!!!

I've only taken it once...I am the lone voter so far. Anyway that is what happened with me on Entocort the fourth (or third?) time that I took it. Worked perfectly all three times then didn't do much of anything the last time and I switched to pred.

Honestly the pred didn't do anything either, it was the DMSO that put me in remission.

For me it worked really well first time. I had for 4 weeks starting 30 mg and went in remmission for 2 years. For next flare, it did not work flared withing 3 months of tapering. So on steroid(prednisone and now Uceris) since June 2013 and also added 6 mp.

Didn't work well for me the second time. Not going to bother a third.

It depends on how frequently you use it and how long in between. I just had to go up to 40mg/day for a flare in the fall and it worked within 4 days and I was feeling on top of the world. I'm flaring again and have been on 60mg/day for almost a week and it isn't touching me! I can't believe it. It has always helped me, but I've rarely had to take mega doses of it. I can't believe it's not doing a thing. My advice is use it if you need it but do it sparingly. This stuff is the devil.

I have a weeks worth of pred leftover from a year ago. Can i just take it or do I have to wait for the doctor to call back? I forgot how horrible this is.

Well the pred helped within hours. I have zero symptoms now and feel amazing (knock on wood).

I voted no, but with the caveat that some people see very good results the second, third, etc. time. Pred is more likely to carry on working well if you leave long gaps between courses - at least two years. It also helps if you don't linger on Pred for months and months at a time.

At any rate, that worked for me for a few years - well, sort of worked. A day or two of Pred would put me into remission, but then symptoms would start creeping back as soon as I started cutting from 40mg. I was never tempted to linger; just did the 8-week course and finished. Pred never actually got me into remission for longer than a week or two, but what it did was knock severe flare-ups on the head and enabled me to keep on functioning for another year.

However, from 2011 onwards, the flare-ups got even more severe and would return far, far sooner. I started needing to be hospitalised and put on IV steroids. The IV steroids (along with oral Pred afterwards) continued to do their job, but not maintain it: eventually I could no longer come off the steroids at all or even taper to a low dose. I also did not have the same sense of well-being from earlier courses: I was tired and still felt a bit unwell, even on 40mg Pred.

Just one final thing: the first ever course I took was the best one: had the most energy and euphoria. No course after that had quite the same magic, but maybe 'cos by that time I was more ill with the Crohn's.

tap: Cool! Interesting on the Prozac. When I briefly tried several antidepressants most made me flare. I have taken Singulair off and on since I was a child though. I do eat a lot of wheat.

I have zero symptoms within 3 days of taking it. So yep, I'd say it works like MAGIC! :)

Awesome, glad to hear. Works like a charm for me every time as well. I'm not sure on how many times, now, maybe around 6 or 7. Probably more. Hopefully if I get into trouble again it'll continue to work. Like you it's always around day 3 that things drastically improve.