PREDNISOLONE QUESTION

My son has been put on another course of prednisolone - the second in 6 months starting at 40mg. This time he has been given enteric-coated tablets - they are helping his back, (AS) but he can't get rid of the tummy pains or the loo visits which is strange as pred always helps. So are the enteric coated tablets different and could that be why they aren't helping as he usually has the others. Any ideas?

My second round of prednisone didn't help as well as my first and I have heard others say the same. How long has he been on the 40mg?

Hello, I'm from England aswell, and have taken many of the same medicine. I found that the enteric coated prednisolone is more effective, as the medicine gets to where it is needed.

I've just read your signature, I'm assuming it's your son with the UC? From reading your post, it sounds like he's been ill for a while. I have some ideas based on my own experiences.

Firstly I am wondering if he's just so ill that he needs a higher dose of steroids than can be taken orally, and he might need to go into hospital for some intravenous steroids? Especially if he's been on steroids for a while, that suggests to me that this is a bad flare-up. Sometimes a lower dose of steroids just isn't enough. Also I had a lot of trouble getting off steroids, so maybe the doctors are trying to reduce his dose too fast? I had trouble with the doctors being so concerned about my bones, that they tried to rush me off steroids, so I kept getting ill again.

Secondly I notice he is taking Mezavant. I was on Asacol, then Mezavant, then back to Asacol, as I found Mezavant to be really ineffective. When I was on Mezavant, I felt like I couldn't relax, as I needed the toilet all the time. The doctors were surprised, as they said most people got on better with Mezavant, but maybe your son is like me.

Thirdly, just a general tip for flare-ups. When I am ill, I stop eating for a few days, and just drink Complan instead. I find that it gives my colon a little bit of a rest, and it has all the nutrition you need, like vitamins, calories etc. The plain flavour is the best one, because the other flavours can make the nausea worse.

Is he bleeding at the moment?

That's ok, I hope it's of some use. It's good he's not bleeding.

I have found that my symptoms differ sometimes, sometimes it's more blood, sometimes more pain. The pain is definitely a symptom though.

I'm back on Asacol now, and I find it to be so much more effective.

I have to admit I have no experience of biologic, so I can't really comment on that.

But what I would say is it's his body, and he knows better than the doctors what is working and what isn't. I think they sometimes have different priorities, and therefore different ideas of treatment.

He's so tired because he's very ill. When I'm ill, I just sleep all the time. I have heard a few times that UC causes tiredness. Also, his body is fighting, so that will be using all his resources.

I know he probably wants to avoid hospital, but it's the better option in the long term, because he will just get more poorly otherwise. The last time I was in hospital, I had to go to A&E, and it was a sunday. I think the wait was about 4hours, but it was 3 years ago now.

Good luck anyway, let me know how he gets on.

Hi, I think a steroid drip would really help, I had one last time I was in hospital and it helped.

It must be awkward to talk to him about these things, but he should really check the toilet and the toilet paper for blood every time he goes to the toilet. I even still do it now.

I have to admit I'm a bit surprised he hasn't been admitted to hospital for IV steroids, but I do bleed a lot when I'm ill, so maybe that's why. I think they should be monitoring the pain, and maybe be concerned about de-hydration if he's going to the toilet that often.

I was 21 when I first started having symptoms, and was 22 when I got diagnosed. I got sent for counselling in the end, as I couldn't cope. It's a horrible thing to have to deal with when you're young, and you should be enjoying life. It might sound stupid, but for me, having pets helped. I don't know if he's an animal lover.