Prednisone not working... Any help?

Hey guys,

I'm 16 and I live in the UK. I've had UC since I was 8-9 years old, so having the disease for around 7-8 years now I'd say it hasn't been the most stable ride haha.

Basically I've had around 3-4 major flares within that period which have required me to go onto Preds. The first 2 times however - the Preds worked great - yes I got a major moon face etc. but it really helped. I used to be on Balsalaside along with the preds.

However now I've had a flare up and I've been on Preds for a few weeks now - currently at 15mg decreasing by 5mg every week. Started on 40mg for 3 weeks then decreasing by 5mg each week after. And I'm on Pentasa 2g a day too. Note: I'm no longer on Balsalaside because it caused severe stomach pains. I have been off of it for around 2 years now. The pentasa used to work great, but now that I've had blood again...

Being totally honest - I haven't been well during this period at all. I have had blood but not a lot to be concerned about. However for the past few days now I have had a lot of blood in my stools and just today had mucus - yet I haven't had abdominal pains, which is strange, but who knows haha.

Could anyone help me with the next step - We're going to call the Doctors in a few days if it doesn't calm down.

Does anyone have any experience or just generally have an idea on what they're going to put me onto now?

Hi Thanksmem

My heartfelt commiserations at having uc! I am based in uk as well, but have found this forum really useful. I was diagnosed at 19 and have had uc for the last 34 years, though it was mild to moderate whilst I was younger. Ipoop's suggestion is really good and I have found the rectal meds excellent. Because uc starts low down, the enemas get to the right place without all the systemic damage of using Prednisolone. The best enema for me is Salofalk Foam enemas - much easier to use than liquid. I was squeamish at first but you really get used to them. Also I am doing the specific carbohydrate diet - I'm grain free, dairy free, low sugar and alcohol free. I find it has made my digestion much better - less of a war going on inside. Consider also whether stress makes your symptoms worse and perhaps consider good stress relieving options - gentle exercise (swimming and walking) and meditation/mindfulness.

Hope things start to improve. X