I tend to get queasy easily anyhow, but lately I've been feeling quite sick (nauseous). Before pred, when I had untreated PMR I usually had no appetite. Once on pred my appetite went back to normal. And all was well till now, when I keep feeling sick, and get some tummy ache, altho not vomiting. I see this can be a side-effect of pred, although most people seem to complain about excessive hunger. I also wonder if it is the big doses of calcium, as I see that can make one nauseous as well. I am still on 10mg pred and taking 1000mg calcium carbonate. Plus mega-B vitamins every 2nd day and iron twice a week. Maybe it's all the supplements, not helping? Anyone else have nausea that comes and goes? I am SO careful about what I eat. On the up-side, no pain, no stiffness! yay!
Hi Chico,
I'm sorry to hear you're not feeling well. Do you take your pred and supplements with food? I know that calcium and iron can be hard on your stomach. You might want to ask your doc about getting something for your stomach. I take Prilosec, it available in generic now so it's not too expensive but it will save your stomach from all the meds. My husband has a heart condition and takes lots of meds and he is prescribed the Prilosec also. I think there are other althernatives also.
My sister takes a lot of calcium carbonate and it gives her nausea.
Hope you feel better soon!
Kathy
Thanks Kathy, yes I'm very careful about taking pred and all my supplements with food (a full meal). I'd better do what you suggest and take some stomach meds - need to see the doc I guess. I have read that calcium in the sort of quantities we take for bone protection against pred can cause nausea. I guess that combined with iron and pred and a twitchy stomach, and I'm a sitting duck for nausea! groan. I'm starting to feel like the old woman who swallowed a fly - and pred is the fly. You start taking it and you end up taking a myriad of other stuff to counter the effects of each one.
I like the song too, and we even have a Swedish version.
When I started taking pred, I was told that in order to avoid ulcer, I had to take Omeprazole. I googled prilosec to-day (http://www.drugs.com/prilosec.html) and found
Generic Name: omeprazole (oh MEP ra zol)
Brand Names: Prilosec, Prilosec OTC
so it is the same active ingredient as my Omeprazole. A year ago, my face got very red in the summer, and the doctor told me that it could be the Omeprazole. He suggested I skip it and I have felt OK even without the Omeprazole.
During some months, I have had free medicine as I had reached the maximum and I have free visits to doctors, labs and hospitals until June next year (I have also reached that maximum). That is Swedish health service. However, we have to wait very long in many cases for operations and also for examinations. If you live in an EU country (Sweden is one of those) you may also try to get operations and examinations in another EU country but mostly you have to get an approval first from the Health Service.
Ragnar
Omeprazole is the generic I take, couldn't remember the name last night. My doc says it can also deplete you of Magnesium but my magnesium levels are ok and I've been taking it for a long time.
I looked up that song you mentioned, I had never heard it before...that is funny. I guess we all need to watch out for the "horse" LOL.
It seems like most medications are a catch 22.
Ragnar: In what way did your face turn red? I have tons of broken blood vessels in my cheeks, I always cover them up well so I've never talked with my doc about them.
Have a wonderful day/night!
Kathy
Chico,Hi Kathy!
My red face looked like I was sunburnt but I have had rosacae many years ago - what Reni wrote about. Visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosacea
Ragnar
aha. omeprazole, I actually have a big swag of the stuff, brand name Losec, already! Doc prescribed it for me, gave me 3 months worth and I never used it. It'd use-by date is end of next year, so I guess I could try it. I originally got it because I used to get a lot of reflux. But I decided to treat my reflux with careful eating, small meals and avoiding troublesome foods etc. And it did work. But of course that was pre-pred, pre-iron, pre-calcium etc. So how do you guys find it, any side effects?Hi Chico and all. Had been on Losec for years.. no side effects... after developing esophageal ulcer from taking Nsaids for 13 years and I now take Nexium.. no side effects either. I find this works even better for me. I have not been nauseus from the Pred, that was before I started the pred.
I have oesto but can not tolerate calcium or the prescription drugs
Still at 5mg pred and doing okay in my nearly 2 years PMR stint. My husband is having knee scope surgery to repair a torn cartlige tomorrow and I am so grateful it was'nt this time last year.
So hang in there fellow pred heads... It does get better, well most days
I'm a big fan of Prilosec (omeoprazole) (spelling?). I had acid reflux and had great difficulty swallowing pills, and would often get food, especially meat, "stuck". It worked like a charm in a very short time,so it might be worth trying.
Concerning the calcium and iron. I presume you're a lady, since men have to be really careful about iron intake, and from what I hear, shouldn't take any iron supplements since excess is not excreted and builds up in the blood. I suggest you stop all the iron, calcium and B vitamins, etc., for a week and see if it helps the nausea. If not, maybe you need to see your doctor. I'm also experiencing a mild nausea recently and have quit the supplements to see if they are the cause. I seem to remember somewhere hearing or reading that if the nausea is not present after eating, but comes on when the stomach is fairly empty, that one might be getting a peptic ulcer. The occurrence of nausea in my case seems to follow that pattern so I'm keeping my eye on it.
Thanks for the advice everyone, I am taking yours Bob and refraining from the supplements for a week to see how the nausea goes. Re the iron, i get irregular and very heavy periods and never know when one is going to come along. They tend to deplete my iron, so I have been taking 2 iron tabs a week as a maintenance, as I don't want a repeat of the anaemia I had last December. But I have stopped it and the calcium meanwhile. yes, my nausea is the same pattern as yours, feel sick when I wake up, and in the night, but immediately better after eating, then after 1/2 hr to an hour later. feel sick again. And I get stomach pain, and reflux if I'm not careful (I am very careful!). So really, I guess I already kinda know I have a dicky tum, but pre PMR I took good care of it and all was under control. Now though I guess a combination of the pred, calcium and stress of the illness (yes, I am a worrier), the stomach has taken off on its own, doing whatever it wants!
Chico ....
how about trying a different kind of calcium like Calcium citrate?
Lynn...
here in the US we have calcium fortified Orange juice. (8oz has 300mg of Calcium. Nothing like that over there/
Hi Chico,
I just started on Calcium Citrate as Lynn mentioned. I didn't know there were different kinds but thought I'd ask the doc what kind in case there were some brands better than others. She just said to avoid calcium carbonate and take calcium citrate. I also just started taking Vitamin B12. She said to get the Vitamin B12 "dots"? But I couldn't find them so went with Naturemade brand tablets. It's only been few days for me but no nauseau yet.
Sorry you are having problems with the darn supplements. It's a catch 22.
I hope you're feeling better, you take care....Kathy
Chico, I stayed off the vitamins and minerals the past week and I'm not experiencing the mild nausea now. It's always guesswork to say that I found the problem. I'll start taking them again and see if it returns.
Hope you're doing better yourself.
I take the B12 dots - the ones I have are by "twin labs" and are vegetarian.