Any positive results on Prednisone for colitis?

blueyes, a 6 week taper is pretty quick and does seem to work for many. If you're on and off prednisone in 6 weeks, you shouldn't have too many negative side effects. The worst case on a 6 week course could be a bit of bloat and water retention, a round face, maybe a bit of acne but chances are you won't have too many problems. The problems arise when people can't get off prednisone because their flare ups return.

There are tons of people who do a short course of prednisone, it stops the flare up in it's tracks and they are able to taper off and maintain with their regular meds for years.

Thanks Collicat!

Yes we are in Grande Prairie Alberta. She is seeing a pediatric GI specialist in Edmonton at the Stollery Children's Hospital. After her 2nd iron infusion her hemoglobin went up to 65 from 57. She is going for another today and also starting the prednisone. She's very nervous and scared from all she has heard of the pred. Just hoping for some positive comments to show and help her be more positive through the experience.

Hi mama_blueyes,

I can completely relate to how your daughter is feeling--I actually had to ban myself from reading stuff about prednisone online for a while because most of what I found was so negative and it was really getting me down. I was also in a situation where I really had no choice but to go on it and it really was a miracle drug for me because I was in such bad shape at the time. One thing to keep in mind--usually what you read online is pretty skewed towards the negative because people just tend to talk less about things if everything's going straightforward and well.

Like notsosicklygirl said, 6 weeks is a very reasonable time to be on prednisone. I've been on it for about four months (which is longer than I'd like, but my great new GI doctor is working to get me off asap) and the only side effect that I experienced within the first two months was increased anxiety. I started taking anti-anxiety meds to deal with that and they helped tremendously. I've experienced a few other side effects since then (puffy face, minimal acne, issues with appetite and weight gain), but I've been assured that these are all temporary, which I continue to remind myself if I'm having a particularly down day.

So to sum up, it's going to be okay. I found that if I do my best ignore the negative/scary thoughts that like to creep into my head, my body is in much better shape to let the medicines help me to heal. I hope that the prednisone works quickly and that she starts feeling better very soon :)

For two days I've been off Predn. It was my first time, firs experience with it, and I had 6-7 weeks taper, starting with 30mgs per day. it was amazing, the difference for me was immediate, and I couldn't believe it. After the very first dose I had my energy back, even more than before (before the flare up, I mean ) The bleeding, urgency stopped as well the first day, and my BM went back to normal (well formed, not too hard, no mucus, no blood) within maybe 2 days. I think it was great, especially that my colitis from left side had changed into pancolitis, so the changes are within the whole colon.
And so far, so good.
My side effects:
- at the beginning I couldn't sleep, 3-4 hours a day was max, but I felt great, I had so much energy;
- I was hungry all the time, have a few pounds in plus now, but even now I weight less than before the Predn;
- maybe two weeks ago, some dark "male" hair started to grow on my face and I noticed them also on my fingers; I still have them, pick them out from time to time, and waiting for them to disappear on their own;
- I got some dark spots on my face, but I had some before.... I'm not sure if that side effect is common between teenagers, maybe it become more obvious with age
- week ago, while on very small dose, I got the acne on my neck, back of it. But it is not too bad.
- What worries me the most is the hair loss. But I think it is mostly because I'm also on Lialda, and hair loss it the strongest side effect for it.

I had no round face, no problem with the fat neck, acne all over the body, joint or muscle pain. There was something strange, because I felt some kid of fluctuating flank pain. I wrote about it before in different post. Now, while I'm off Predn it is kind of vanishing but I still can feel something from time to time. If I were at home, I would see my GI for it, but I'm in Europe for a while and decided to see doctor here only for the emergency

So for me, Predn was efficient and worked fast. Side effect were mild, as from what I read online. i would rather not to have more experiences with it in the future, as what I'd read seemed scary for me as well. Of course, you won't know how and where and where it affect you until you try it. But there are "cases" when you have no choice and just hope something will work.

Hope your girl feels better fast.

Peace&Harmony - are you taking your pred with food? I found that at higher doses, I needed a bit more food to ward off the tummy acid. Normally, I just have yogurt/fruit in the morning, but on the higher doses, I had to eat something like a sandwich, or toast with PB.

Thanks for sharing some truthful and POSITIVE stories for Prednisone. It's definately nice to hear something outside of the negative for a change. Wishing you all well and I will definately post again in some time to hopefully have some positive results of my own. :)