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Prednisone not working?

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Posted 2/19/2014 3:34 PM (GMT 0)
So after being in a flare for almost a month before someone did something about it, I started on 40mg of prednisone last Wednesday. I started to feel better around Saturday or Sunday with my number of BMs dropping from 25+ to about 10 per day. But starting again yesterday I'm back to 25 at least. Is this the prednisone not working? Should I see if they can bump my dosage? What else can I do? For a college student right around all of the first sets of exams, this is the worst timing possible.
Posted 2/19/2014 4:07 PM (GMT 0)
Has your stool been tested to rule out any infections, such as C Diff? If it's not an infection, something Pred and take a little longer to kick in, so maybe in a few days you'll start to see an improvement. After I was on 40mg of Pred for 12 days, it was not working at all and I got my GI to bump me up to 60 mg, after 12 days that did nothing either. Not many people realize this but while pred works for most people, it does not work for everyone. Hopefully you get to feeling better soon, one way or another.
Posted 2/19/2014 4:09 PM (GMT 0)
Hard to say, as 1 week is not a lot of time for pred to do its thing; might take longer. Although it also could be your flareup getting worse. Certainly, call your GI and tell him/her what happened and see what he/she thinks. I've heard of oral dosages of pred up to 60mgs daily.
Posted 2/19/2014 5:20 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry about your flare. Stress can trigger things. Have you adjusted your diet at all? It's possible your bad day was due to something you ate or drank. Alcohol should be off limits.
Posted 2/19/2014 6:07 PM (GMT 0)
Unfortunately pred is famous for this....it's a nasty med...are you also on any maintenance meds along with the pred? Pred is generally used with maintenance meds to help kick them into gear so by the time you've weaned off pred the maintenance meds are starting to work (or at least close to it) or pred is used for temporary relief, just a short break from disease activity in some cases (like mine where I couldn't tolerate or was allergic to maintenance meds) eventually though, pred stopped working all together for me.
Posted 2/20/2014 5:07 AM (GMT 0)
Each time I take prednisone, it takes longer for it to kick in. The first time I flared it only took three days for me to see dramatic results! But this past month it took about two and a half weeks before it started helping. And it was slow at helping, rather than dramatic results like the first time I took it. It just takes time! I would also recommend that you take iron and probiotics, and don't eat anything that will make your disease worse. For example, when I'm flaring I stay away from dairy and corn and wheat and hard foods that might scratch my insides. And I think that sleep and mild exercise is really beneficial! So I always try to get to bed early, and since prednisone makes me stay up late, it always helps if I go for a walk or something to make me tired enough to fall asleep. Patience is key! Just give it some time to kick in!
Posted 2/20/2014 5:10 AM (GMT 0)
Also, I too am in college and know EXACTLY what you are going through. I had a nightmare last week when I had to miss my chemistry lab, then make it up the same week. I would not recommend bumping the prednisone up, it's a horrible drug to be on, so you don't want to be on such a high dosage for a long time. The most I have ever been on for prednisone is 40mg. Just focus on your school work and don't over stress. It will all work out in the end! And get plenty of sleep!
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