Prednisone for first time while pregnant

ttiwedas · you!
Posted 5 hrs ago
Has anyone else tried Prednisone while pregnant at 20mg per day? How are the side effects at that dosage, and how quickly did you see your symptoms improve?

I was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis in December 2013, and found out I was pregnant in January. I am currently 13 weeks pregnant and I have been in a flare that has been gradually worsening throughout my pregnancy so far. I have tried Rowasa on its own (which gives me horrible cramps and bloating pain), Rowasa alternating with Colocort, and Currently a Colocort nightly on its own. All this time my symptoms have gotten worse a little each week, especially the bleeding. My doctor just prescribed prednisone for the first time- 20mg for one week, 10mg for one week, 5mg for one week. I'm hoping that this will be effective in ending my symptoms, but I am extremely nervous about taking the steroid, especially while I am already hormonal.
Any advice or experience would be greatly appreciated.

Hi wonderlost - I took pred while pregnant to treat an asthma flare. My dose was much smaller than yours but it did help me.

What else are you doing to treat your UC? No oral meds?

Rowasa and canasa made me way worse. The side effects were as bad as if not worse than my disease.

I took prednisone with all 3 of my pregnancies. How far along are you? Are you past 7 weeks? The biggest concern with pred and pregnancy is that very high doses (way higher than 20mgs) can potentially cause cleft palate. The palate forms between 4-7 weeks. Given that your doc is starting you at 20 and tapering you down, I would not worry at all. I took doses ranging between 5-25mgs and all 3 of my kids were born healthy and with no problems.

You are wise to be concerned, but there is extensive information to show that pred and pregnancy is pretty low risk. Your baby will be ok and the risk of flaring is far more dangerous. I'm no expert, but I am happy to share my experiences and any information I have. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Ok- just went back and read that you are 13 weeks. That is great! I wouldn't worry about this at all then. The side effects I notice the most (pregnant or not) is that around 20 mgs and higher I get night sweats and sometimes I have a hard time sleeping. You might get that, you might not. Also, it's possible to feel a little anxiety, but since you are only at 20 for a week, any side effects should be short-lived. Also it can make you feel a little shaky, so don't panic, that will go away too.

Stef

Post Edited (Stef17) : 3/27/2014 4:42:30 PM (GMT-6)

I had a flare in first tri, they bumped my remicade up two weeks and it helped put me into remission again. Hope it's just all the hormones from first tri. Good luck!

What about something like asacol? It's a 5-ASA drug, mesalamine that you take orally, but stays in tact until it gets to the colon. I took that with all of my pregnancies and even breast fed while taking it. Lialda is another one like that, but I don't have any experience with it pregant or not. It's kind of hard to tell what's going on because your diagnosis is so new and it's hard to say what is actual disease activity and what could be influenced by hormone changes. It's not uncommon for pregnancy to rock the boat a little. Also, it could be possible for things to settle down on their own once you get into the 2nd trimester. With my girls I was sick as a dog until about 14-16 weeks, then things settled out and I was ok. I think it was a combo of active disease and pregnancy hormones. It could be the same thing for you.

Does your doctor have a plan? I think prednisone is an excellent first line of defense, but you need to have a back up plan. Don't panic if he decides it's good to keep you on a steady dose of pred for your whole pregnancy. I know it won't be fun, but it will be safe. They are probably hesitant to treat you with major stuff because of the pregnancy so they will be playing it safe to get you through. Have you seen a maternal/fetal medicine specialist yet? Your OB can refer you to one. Sometimes they know a little bit more about meds and pregnancy than your GI just because they see so many different scenarios on a daily basis.

Kazbern,
The meds say sfrowasa on the box. I'm thinking its a brand name?

Hi,
While in my second pregnancy during the first trimester, I was in a flare with my uc and was hospitalized for a week . I was put on iv steroids 75 mg every 8 hours. I was really nervous about being on so much steroids but my GI convinced me it would be safer for myself as well as the pregnancy . He felt that controlling the flare was more important. I ended up with a very healthy 7.5 lb baby boy and I was on steroids during the entire pregnancy .

Diagnosed with uc 1993 - procosigmoiditis
Currently - pancolitis- mild to moderate
Also have idiopathic pancreatitis
Medications on now - asacol, cortifoam , prednisone . 5 Asa suppositories
Past meds - entocort, 6mp, - both caused pancreatitis