Pred injections? | Arthritis Information

HI guys, just a quick question for you all.

I have been taking pred for nearly 10 years and along with the MTX, my tummy has been through the mill, my DR says all the meds I take, about half of them affect the tummy, I have GERD and constant tummy pain now every time I eat or drink. The tummy damage i have means I cannot absorb most minerals and vitamins through the tummy now and have to have iron and B12 regularly, the iron through infusion. I was wondering if it is possible to take my current daily dose of 10mg of pred via injection to bypass the tummy? Please tell me yes. Cheers Janie.

Sublingual [underneath the tongue] B-12 pills absorb much better than B-12 shots, I've found. The brand that works for me is called "Superior Source, No-Shot." Make sure it's the sublingual.

You did not mention Folic Acid. Are you taking it? Aytime you take MTX you should be taking 1-2 mg daily of Folic Acid. Get a prescription from your doctor. In this case you want the prescription and not over the counter.

Are you taking NSAIDS? If so, you probably should be taking Aciphex or another similar drug.

You seem to know an awful lot sam. Stephen,

The longer we have been battling "Arthur" the more we get to know - by experience, reading and from others on this site. More than we learn from some of our docs, sometimes!

Lorraine

[QUOTE=lorrie]Stephen, Hi Janie,

What do you take for the tummy problems? I'm starting to paddle closer to the boat you're in.

HI Austravel, I am on Zoton, and on really bad days RANI 2 on top of it, but to be honest if they are working then I must have it pretty bad, I keep refluxing, burping, almost vomiting when I burp, and my tummy cramps as soon as I eat anything or drink anything. My GP says she feels its only a matter of time for ulcers as the pred and MTX together are lethal, and I am on another couple of meds that irritate the tummy too, so I am hoping it calms down but the higher I go on the MTX the worse it gets. I tried to lower my pred by 1mg and flared like hell the next day - unbelievable that the body notices that 1 measly mg!!!! Best of luck, Janie. Hi Janie! I read somewhere (here? HI Waddie, yes, thats what my GP told me, the pred does do it too.

Thankyou so much for asking about Liam, well he is doing so well, our prayers are answered, he is back at school almost full time and I took him last Monday to be fitted for his new high school uniform for January, his primary school said he won't have to do any catching up as he is pretty smart and should cope well. After all he has been through he still suffers a little from anxiety but the school are aware and are putting things in place for him when he transfers so we can't complain, thank God for mercy and I hope Liam stays well, it is lovely to see him laughing again and playing with his brother more. We are so pleased for his brother too, he has missed Liam tremendously so hopefully we can all have a very happy holiday, I can't wait to have them both home from this next Friday for 7 weeks, yee haaaaa!!!!! Thanks again. Waddie and all my friends on here for your prayers and good wishes. Janie. Janie my guess would be no...steroid injections cause damage to the soft tissue which is one of the reasons joint injections are limited to 3-4 times a yearThanks Buckeye, I sort of thought the same but just hoped as you do sometimes!! Cheers, Janie. Hey Sam,

I get a bit confused about the class of drugs. I take plaquenil 400 mg a day. I'm thinking this is a NSAID? If so, what was this drug you suggest you take w/ it?

Regards,

Nori

Plaquenil is a DMARD (disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drug), not an NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory). Hi, Janie! I don't know anything about oral pred v/s injectable (other than knowing for sure you can get discoloration at the injection site and the same wicked mood swings), but I was glad to hear about Liam. I hope he continues to be well! :)Thanks Mel, much appreciated, Janie. Janie,

Regarding the abdominal distress: talk to your pharmacist. It's surprising how much info they have, plus they fill so many Rx's for people, they are bound to know what has worked for others.

I just figured out that Zoton is Prevacid [anti-GERD] in the USA.