steroids taper/withdrawl?

Hey guys...I started Remicade on 12/17, I THINK it's working, I'm feeling much better than I was on the 16th but still completely liquid BM, urgency/frequency, etc...but I'm not in any real pain. I'm also on 25mg of 6mp.

Anyway When I started Remicade I was on 30mg steroids (tapered down from a short burst of 40mg). I've since tapered to 25 for 5 or 6 days and I'm on 20...today being the 2nd day I'm on 20.

Lately when I get up from a laying or sitting position I get really dizzy for a short time and I feel like I have no energy, but my heart also feels like it's racing, today being worse then the previous few days (I think it only started the past week or so on a consistent basis). Is this a steroid withdrawl symptom anybody has experienced? I really don't want to go back up, but maybe I should go back to 25 for a short time or will my body start adjusting?

Always consult your doctor of any serious changes that you are undergoing that worry you. We can only offer advice, and so a professional opinion is always the best.

With that said, steroids will seriously mess with your body. There are a lot of side effects with most. I would recommend google searching some side effects for your specific drug.

If you just got the disease, you will probably still see some symptoms for a little while yet. If you are still experiencing bleeding (for more than two days) or other serious issues, i would recommend going up a bit on your dosage, or staying at the current level for an extra round. (as in, if you ween every 2 weeks etc)

UC is all about going into remission and if this is your first flare up you can expect a rollercoaster type ride as you go on your path to remission. You want it so that it's more downs than ups, but it's all a part of getting better.

Thanks for the responses. It could very well be an iron deficiency...I don't think I've had my iron levels tested yet.

I'll talk to my doc about it on Jan 7th which is the next time I see him (next Remicade infusion) unless it starts getting worse. In the meantime I'll increase my iron intake just in case, won't hurt.

Another question about Prednisone...I know our bodies are supposed produce about the equivalent of 5mg of prednisone per day. Does that mean we won't actually start kicking up production until we go below that level? Wouldn't that make the last 5mg taper extremely important (like taper 1mg/week)?? I've tapered pretty rapidly in the past (10mg/3 days), but I'm just curious.

I'm feeling much better today! Still a little weak/dizzy when I first get up but nothing like a few days ago. And I'm still on 20mg pred, if all goes well I'll taper to 15 on Tue or Wed. Can't wait to get off of it, I'm not having any major obvious side effects (that I could tell are from pred), but it makes me nervous being on it for this long.

I've been eating more iron the past two days and I took my wifes left over prenatal vitamins which contain a lot of iron, not sure if it would be that fast. I was also kind of sick the past few days (sore throat), maybe that had something to do with it.

Left over prenatals... awesome! Def got that iron and folic acid :D

Hopefully that was the issue and you'll be tapering with ease the rest of your journey :D