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Can you air travel while on prednisone?

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Ulcerative Colitis
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Posted 4/13/2013 11:19 PM (GMT 0)
I'm just curious because my friend offered to take me on his friends CRJ-200 today but i had to say no because my doctor said i can not fly in an airplane when on prednisone. I remember in 2009 He had to quickly taper me off it so i could go to poland. But i've googled it and havent had many answers, maybe someone here knows?
Posted 4/13/2013 11:38 PM (GMT 0)
i'm on 10mg of pred right now for an arthritis flare up & will still be at 5mg when i leave on a flight next week, so i would hope its okay! my gi certainly hasn't advised me against it.
Posted 4/13/2013 11:43 PM (GMT 0)
I'm just so confused. He told me 2 years ago i couldnt go while on prednisone because the change in air pressure could cause me to stop breathing or go into shock
Posted 4/14/2013 12:22 AM (GMT 0)
I travelled in February when I was on 40 mg. The doctor knew about it and did not advise me against traveling. I was fine.I have never heard this before.
Posted 4/14/2013 12:27 AM (GMT 0)
I've flown on a plane at least 10 roundtrips in the past year or so I've been on Prednisone. In fact I'm just flew to Maui yesterday. My GI knows I travel alot and he never said anything was wrong with it. In fact I went to Bali a year ago and that was in total about a day of flying one-way. No issues I was on 40mg then. I'm on 7.5mg now. I've flown on huge jets to small CRJs, no issue.
Posted 4/14/2013 1:07 AM (GMT 0)
Thats strange.. how long were your flights? The flight to poland is 8-9 hours. And how do you taper off pred? my doctor tapers me 5 mg at a time.. is that to quick?
Posted 4/14/2013 1:14 AM (GMT 0)
colitis: I think your doctor really doesn't know what he's talking about with this. He may believe this himself but I have never heard this before in all the decades I have been in contact with people with autoimmune diseases, almost all of them being on pred. I'm willing to bet that if you asked every other doctor you knew that not one of them would agree. If you did a bunch of surfing on the internet I doubt you would find anything about this. Your doctor has this imaginary fear that is all in his head.
Posted 4/14/2013 1:22 AM (GMT 0)
I think you're right gary.
Posted 4/14/2013 1:58 AM (GMT 0)
Agreed, the doc is out to lunch. No such issues with pred in the air- have flown on long flights on high dose with zero issues vis a vis being in the ground- the same unpleasant feelings of being on high dose pred on the ground, that's all. Docs are not Gods, and many are amazingly ill informed- sad but true.
Posted 4/14/2013 2:55 AM (GMT 0)
Hmm sounds fishy. My neighbor has been on pred for almost 7 straight years and frequently travels cross country for cancer treatments at mayo clinic. Her doctors probably know she lives on the other side of the US since she stays for weeks at a time in the hospital.
Posted 4/14/2013 4:09 AM (GMT 0)
I just wanted to chime in and say I have never heard of this either. But I never thought to ask my doc.

I flew (albeit very low altitude) while on 40 mgs and it was a very bumpy twisty ride - no problems.
Posted 4/14/2013 3:36 PM (GMT 0)
I travel for work, lot's of time in the air. I have never heard of this. My Internal Medicine doc and Gastroenterologist knew this and never cautioned me in any way. It may be a good question for the airlines.
NB
Posted 4/14/2013 3:53 PM (GMT 0)
I have flown 2000 hours much of it as a commercial pilot and I have no idea what your doctor is talking about. I just tapered off pred for the last time but have taken it many times and in all my flight training and written exams for 7 licenses I never heard of anything like this. Nor in any of my research on pred. Perhaps you have some kind of sinus problem specific to you that caused him to make that remark ?
Posted 4/14/2013 5:17 PM (GMT 0)
I took a few flights back and forth America and Germany while on pred. No problem. I think I was on either 40 mg or 20 mg.
Posted 4/15/2013 3:45 AM (GMT 0)
Thank you all for your replies. @aguywithuc No i didn't have a sinus infection but I was thinking maybe he wanted me off the prednisone since I was going to a different country for a month where i could have gotten sick easily.
Posted 4/15/2013 8:00 PM (GMT 0)
flying for me while I was on pred for three months made me sick for sure. I don't know but the air pressure made me bloat up really bad! I was ok until we were up in the air and my belly kept expanding. Weird right? Then when I got back from vacation...pneumonia!

I hope you do great! Wear a mask maybe?

Posted 4/15/2013 8:03 PM (GMT 0)
Was it just your belly or your face too?
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