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Finally starting to taper Prednisone! When did you see results?

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Posted 5/9/2014 12:06 AM (GMT 0)
Hello all --

As of now, I am starting the tapering process -- yay! I'm currently on 40 mg, and will start to taper 5 mg/week starting this Saturday. I have began a low sodium, low carb, low fat, low sugar diet and saw a loss of 1.2 lbs in a day after incorporating a mile of brisk walking into my day! Today, I biked 1.38 miles and I'm already starting to see and feel the difference.

My question is: When do most people begin to see diminished symptoms (Moon face, weight, acne)?


I know medicine works differently per person, but I'm just curious as to when people began to really see this hell of a drug wear off!

EDIT: The Prednisone was prescribed to me as a result of a UC flare up. Began on April 10th - 60 mg, May 2nd - 40mg.
Currently on sulfasalazine to maintain my remission.
Posted 5/9/2014 1:04 AM (GMT 0)
question: what in the world are you eating? air??

as for side effects, they usually go away weeks/months after you stop the drug but sometimes, they are irreversible.
Posted 5/9/2014 1:31 AM (GMT 0)
Are you taking a maintenance med to keep you in remission once the pred is tapered down?
Posted 5/9/2014 1:32 AM (GMT 0)
I didn't really experience any extreme side effects. I did have a great increase in energy (gone for the most part now) and an increase in appetite (although I sadly only gained half a pound, I desperately need more).

My acne started getting really, really bad when I started to taper. My face was actually crystal clear when I was at the highest dose, 40mg for three weeks. It went absolutely horrible at around 30-25mg and then gradually decreased at around 20-15mg but then my symptoms returned due to azathioprine not kicking in yet, so I had to bump up to 30mg again. When I bumped it up my acne disappeared again for the most part. I hope I can shake off the pred for good this time!!
Posted 5/9/2014 3:35 AM (GMT 0)
My moon face went away when I got down to 3 mg (I tapered really slowly; time between getting from 5 mg to zero was probably a month). The raging appetite went away around the same time.

The extra weight took months after I was completely off Pred but I didn't make an effort to diet.

Good luck!
Posted 5/9/2014 2:03 PM (GMT 0)
It took me about a month after getting off pred to start to see my face back to normal, ahhh I hate the moon face! As for weight, well as soon as I stopped eating bags of doritos while taking pred, the weight seemed to start to come off, weird... :P
Posted 5/9/2014 2:45 PM (GMT 0)
Oh, those blasted doritos and other bags of chips too! :)
Posted 5/9/2014 2:56 PM (GMT 0)
The energy bursts are common on high dosages of pred (around 40 mgs or higher in my experience) and seem to be the first side effect to go. The insatiable appetite/weight gain side effect went away at around 20mgs of pred for me. The acne side effect was the very last to go, around 7-5mgs of pred before it went away. I never really got moonface so I cannot comment on it.
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