How to get through the morning? | Arthritis Information
I'm on my 7th day of prednisone (inc to 20 mg 2 days ago) I have been taking the entire dose in the AM with breakfast.But the 4 hrs following the dose are torture-severe pain in the arms,hands,pelvis and legs until the pred kicks in.
How do you get through the morning?I guess I could try splitting the dose and taking 10 mg at say 5AM but the pain is so severe staying in bed for the next 3-4 hrs isn't much of an option.
How long does it take you to get relief?
How do you handle the mornings?
Any advice would be appreciated.
Wow, sorry it's taking that long to take effect.
I'm off Preds now but the first regimen I was on was 20mg/day.
Mornings are horrible but I don't recall it taking any longer than a half hour or so to feel
it helping.
Hi...
I went through the same thing when I first started taking prednisone. What has helped me is to divide the dose. For example, when I was on 18 mg. of prednisone a day, I would take 10 mg. in the morning an 8 mg. at night. It really made a big difference in my pain level. I still feel some stiffness and pain in the morning, but not nearly as bad as when I took the whole dose in the morning. I also take my morning dose immediately after getting out of bed, then sit quietly with my cat purring in my lap and a cup of coffee. By the time I get out of the shower, I'm doing a lot better. I had to figure something out, because I work mornings! Now that I've tapered down to 12 mg./day, I take 8 mg. in the morning and 4 mg. at night. Hope this helps you...
Jannie
I had the same problem with taking preds in the morning, and i started taking the full dose a couple of hrs before bedtime. I do have some soreness before going to bed but I go to bed and I have very soreness in morning. I have had PMR for over 2 years and I started taking at night after probably the first year. I was down to about 10mg a day when i started taking at night, I am now down to 4 mg a day. hope this helps
Thanks to the three of you for your prompt replies-it helps knowing one's problems are shared and not unique.
Starting tomorrow I am going to take 12.5 mg in the AM and 7.5 mg at bedtime. I'll try that over the weekend and post results.
It took nearly 3 weeks to get some relief for me. I only had 10mgs in am!
Subsequent Rheumys agreed I should have had a higer dose at the start!
I also tried am and pm and always went back to early am as I got better relief during the day / evening . For the last 2 years I take with breakfast in bed and then up a few hours later.
Good Luck I hope you get the wonderful relief very soon and then watch out for , SuperWoman!!
Hugs Lyn
thanks,Lyn
In healthy people the level of these steroids in the
blood varies throughout the day, being highest after waking and lowest at
night. This is why we are advised to
take the dose in the morning as it may be important in getting us
going in the morning and letting us wind down at night.
So there is a good reason for being advised to take the dose am.
mrs UK2009-11-14 01:09:51moise............i am 75, woke up one morning and could not get out of bed, without severe pain, no stairs, could not lift feet very far without whimpering. sed rate over 90, diagnosed and put on ,40 mgm. pred. (just looked at past records) in three hours, i was basically pain free. i did not have that am, pm pain prob. that you have. i wonder, if you just are not on a big enough dose. i am pretty small, 120 lbs, maybe that 20 is not a large enough beginning dose.. this was a year and a half ago. i have steadily reduced the mgms since then, grimacing in pain all the way...............am now down to 2 or 1 mgm and intend to further it, but not sure at this point. anyway i feel lucky to have gone down this far. i take a cazillion pills, fish oil, msm, minocin, dha, glucosamine,(just started) and maybe more, it is hard to keep track. lots of fish oil, it seems to help quite a bit...................it is a work in progress.
good luck , but i wish you would either check back with your doc, or get another opinion. in my opinion, that first dose should be big enough to knock it back and then you work from that. but it is just my opinion, from an old lady...........lol
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