I Have Been Thinking... | Arthritis Information

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I have been thinking if RD does not take me off Remicade and I get to continue taking it, that I will ask her if I can try to get off the prednisone. I really do not need it when the Remicade is working. I do not even notice it is time for my next prednisone dose, like I did when I was on Humira. My body use to tell me around 6pm that the prednisone was wearing off. But since being on the Remicade I do not sit around and wish time would hurry up and get to my next prednisone dose.

 
I am on 10mg now, have been for about 2 months. I was doing 5mg, but she bumped me back up to 10mg when I had that bad flare where I had to get an IV pain med along with my Remicade infusion.
 
I really think the Remicade is helping me THAT much. That I am eager to get off the prednisone. I have been on non-stop prednisone for over 3 years now. And if you would have asked me when I was on Humira if I wanted to ween off the pred. I would have laughed in your face, well not really. I would have looked at you like you were the NUT
 
Even with 10mg of prednisone, I still swell really big and crazy. It is not like it is keeping me from swelling. It does however help with my stiffness. But that is about it.
 
Yep, I guess I am going to ask RD to let me wean off the ole prednisone. I am tired of being a pred junkie. I don't blame you- I want off too. Ask the question- it can't hurt.Go for it.  The worst that can happen is she says no.ask the doctor and begin to wean yourself off preds!!!!   yippee!!!   wonderwomanGO FOR IT!
Glad you're feeling better! hi joonie as you say you are on 10mg for a bad flare. maybe you are now on the
combo that works best for you.. as others say. you wont know untill you try
to reduce..
good luck.. Boney

Good idea. It will probably be a long weaning process. I was on pred. for over 5 years. Getting from the big doses down to 10 mg. was fairly quick. But then it was super slow. But...I am now pred free. I am so glad to here that Remicade is working!!

BeckyI got off pred as soon as I started remicade..
 I might take a weeks treatment every now and then, but  otherwiswe I dont touch the stuff.
Good for you Joonie, just take it nice and slow. I was one of those people who loved pred. I had no ill effects except weight gain which I was willing to live with in exchange for pain. However, it got old - the weight gain, so i weaned myself very slowly. I was on it for a year and a half and was at 10mg when i decided i had enough. I went down 1/2 mg  every two or three weeks, if pain lasted more than 2 days, I'd go back up and wait a couple of weeks and go down 1/4mg. I went slowly by bits and pieces,lol. At my appts I would tell rheumy what mg I was down to and he was happy. I never did ask if I could go off, but now that Im done with it, he knows I will never take it again.
 
Best wishes girlie! hugs too!
Deb
Good luck with the pred taper, Joonie. As everyone has said, do a slow taper. When  I was coming off of it, my RD gave me a dx for 1 mg tabs so that i could control the rate of taper. I did the same thing as owiemom reducing by 1/2 mg's at a time.... I used a pill splitter to get the 1/2 mg's.wow only 1/2 a mg? I'm at 10 and I thought my doctor said I would go down 1 mg now but I'm waiting for him to call.
I want off! Besides the appetite, I thought the "whisker" problem ended pretty much since I got down on my dosage but my eyes are not too good close up with my contact lenses in.
 
This weekend while they were out I got a close up look at my face and was horrified to see black hairs on my face near my ear and jaw line! I don't know how long they've been there! I don't even know if it's all that noticable and I don't want to call anybodys attention to it if they haven't seen it LOL!

Thanks everyone for your encouragement!

Remicade still seems to wear off 2 weeks before my next infusion, but it is not as intense as when it was 200mg and wearing off. The stiffness is the worst for me. I can take the pain, but the stiffness and the pain that comes along with trying to move stiff joints is just not my favorite.
 
I will talk to RD Thursday about getting off the pred.
joonie
you are not scared of those needles any more!!!
anna

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