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Questions about Prednisone

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 2/4/2008 1:43 PM (GMT 0)
Because of a flare that began about 2 weeks ago, my doctor put me on 40 mg of Prednisone for a week, tapering down to 20 mg for five days. I'm 26 weeks pregnant and my daily asacol and pentasa doses didn't seem to be doing the trick. I've only been on the Prednisone for three days now, but was wondering if you all know about how long it should take to start its magic. The only noticeable difference I see so far is less blood in my bm's. I'm still having terrible cramping in the morning and night accompanied by very loose stools (5-6 a day).

Also, my doctor stressed to me upon my initial diagnoses that my case was "very, very mild". Do you happen to know if cases that originally start off as mild can/often do turn to more serious cases?

Thank you in advance for your replies.
Posted 2/4/2008 1:48 PM (GMT 0)
Cocolicious, like everything else with this DD, we tend to respond differently. Often Pred will be effective within 24 hours, but for some it takes five days or more. You've said that you're having less bleeding, so it seems to be starting to take effect.

UC can indeed worsen, but in this case it could also be related to your pregnancy. Some women report that their UC gets worse during pregnancy.

I hope you're soon feeling much better. And congratulations on your pregnancy!
Posted 2/4/2008 10:05 PM (GMT 0)
I've had prednisone start working anywhere from as little as a few hours to a week. I'd give it some time. Yes, you might get worse, but you also might get better! Heck, some people have an initial case flare and then never have problems ever again. Think positive!
Posted 2/5/2008 3:50 PM (GMT 0)
I don't know how long it took for me, I was on pred for 2 months before I got better for my UC and also my kidneys it took 4 months and it was almost considered a failure for my kidneys (on it for a dual purpose).  I find out Thursday how I am doing w/that.

Also, I belive the hydrocortisone enema's are really what jumpstarted my remission.  It took about 2 weeks to get some good results.

HTH!

 

Posted 2/5/2008 6:26 PM (GMT 0)
Hi cocolicious,

I'm also pregnant (28 weeks tomorrow) and had a terrible flare in my 2nd trimester. My GI put me on 40mg prednisone to start but it didn't work, so he upped it to 50mg. That also didn't work. I ended up going into the hospital for 3 days for IV fluids/steroids and they also put me on Salofalk enemas. I've been flare free (no blood, no cramping, no frequency) for 6 weeks now. My advice is if you don't start seeing improvement soon look into IV steroids at the hospital. I was hesitant to do it, but now I'm so glad I did!

Good luck with everything! I know how scary a flare can be when you're pregnant!
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