Question About Prednisone & Voltarin | Arthritis Information

I am currently taking 5mg of Prednisone. I am doing well on it and haven't experienced too many flare ups. My doctor wants me to continue taking Prednisone as my main source of medication. She says that at my small dose, it will give me less side effects than more serious RA Inhibiting drugs.

Can anyone please share your thoughts on this? In your experience, is Prednisone the safest drug to regularly take? I expressed my concerns at taking a steroid long term, and my doc said that it can be dangerous...if you are not taking it for a specific reason. I guess I'm just looking for peoples' experiences with taking 5mg Pred.for a long time.

My final question: I saw my doc again last week b/c I was having occassional flareups and she added Voltarin (75mg twice a day) to my regimen. I took it for a few days and stopped b/c it was making me very nauseous. In your experience, do you eventually get over the nausea? Is it common to prescribe these 2 drugs simultaneously?

I'm trying to read up on this as much as I can, but there is so much information out there, that I'm getting a bit overwhelmed. Thanks for any help you can offer. /FONT]

twilight_muse39304.5603356482

Welcome to AI Muse.

I take it you've been dignosised with RA?

If that's the case then no....I don't think this is a good treatment plan long term. Not at all. 5mg Predisone daily and Voltarin? Is she in question as to what's wrong with you perhaps?

Predisone is an awesome medication....don't misunderstand. It's just not a long term solution for anyone. If you do infact have RA she should soon be starting to try different DMARD (disease modifying agents) to slow the progression if the disease. You are not on anything at all that will slow the progression. RA will not go away and predisone should only be used long term with those that have no other choice. It should only be routine for those that can not be control with DMARDS and antinflammatories alone.

Long term steriod use can cause lots of problems. There are many options in the DMARD family that could help you. Please suggest this to your doctor.

I suspect I don't really understand your dignosis. Any doctor would know that long term predisone use is not the best option for anyone. I can't really understand why he/she would say that.

The goal should be to use it short term to get you to a managable place while you start a long term treatment plan. Only once it's been determined you can not manage without it should you even consider that as a long term option.

Always make sure you have something on your stomach while taking Voltrian. It's a good idea to coat your stomach with the majority of these meds anyway. With as many things as we take long term it's not unusual for us to have stomach problems due to the meds. Any precautions you can take to avoid that is best.

Best of luck to you. Hope we see you here more often. Study up on treatment plans for RA. I really think yours needs some tweeking.

Welcome again.

Thank you for you thoughts, Lovie.<?:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><O:P></O:P>

I’ve seen 2 different rheumatologists. One wanted to start on an “aggressive” treatment course right away, and the 2nd doctor is the one who wants me to stay on prednisone for a while longer, to see if the symptoms will work themselves out. I decided to stick with her b/c I’ve been doing well with Prednisone, but now I’m concerned that I’m not treating my RA (she says if the prednisone stops working, she will prescribe stronger medication).

I do have serious concerns with not starting on DMARDs, but I also appreciated that she wasn’t quick to throw medication after medication upon me. I need to read up on all this a lot more b/c I suspect I will not want to stay on prednisone past June. <O:P></O:P>

twilight_muse39304.5600810185

Muse we have so many friends here that can't stop the use of Predisone now. Even a low dose like 5mg or 2.5mg. They hate it...but know without it their pain is not managable.

If at all possible don't let your body get too use to it. Sounds like you've just been on it since December so that's really not that long. I can't remember how long I was on it at first. My first RD gave me predisone right off the bat but slowly...but surely got be off of it as soon as I was on another medication to control the RA. Granted it make me feel close to normal really quick....but on proper treatment some can get the same results.

I've been on it on number occations but for me it's just been an emergency solution during really rough times as we tweek my meds. Sort of like a pick me up during low periods.

I'm not saying I'm right and your doctor is wrong....but do your own research. Ask around some more. I know that all of our friends here would not be taking predisone on a daily basis if there was any other alternative. I've got a feeling that you would do well on a mild DMARD and probable some NSAIDS mixed in as needed.

Predisone has some nasty side effects when used long term and even the ones they consider just bothersome are enough to drive you mad.

HELLO....where are all of our predisone users? Let's give her some more suggestions. I'd like to hear from some of you that do take it on a daily basis and wish every day that you didn't.

I would be very concerned about the joint damage that can continue to occur. Prednisone can take the symptom away, but not the effects of the disease. My mother ended up with huge nodules on her hands because she had prednisone for two years and they didn't try any of the preventative meds.

I am new to this and diagnosed and heading for my first appointment. My goal is to use the preventative meds, but I am willing to temporarily use prednisone for symptomatic relief.

Good luck, let us know how you progress.
Just a short note. I am one of those people that has been on low dose pred. for over a year. I am having a very difficult time getting off of it and I have put on 20 pounds. Also, it treats the symptoms not the disease. I am weaning down and am at 2.5 mg. but very difficult, my body has become dependent on it. Pred. literally speeds up the aging process and does not treat the disease only the symptoms. Good luck on your research. I know how good pred can make you feel but long term you will suffer consequences.

Arizonara~I was put on predisone on my first visit to the RD. After a long struggle it made me feel better so quickly. My RD was sure that was a sure sign it was RA. I'm seronegative and its one of the criteria she used to dx'ed me over 12 years ago. I had a very quick response to it.

Two weeks later on my return visit we started sulfersalizine. And slowly lowered and then stopped the predisone all together. I've managed very well over the years on continuous DMARD treatments...for years on the weaker ones such as plaquinel. When ever a problem arrose that I couldn't shake I'd take a few weeks of predisone while we increased my dosage and gave the increase time to catch up; so to speak.

Granted it's taken a little more and a little more every year to continue with the same results but I'm 12 years out. I manage a very reasonable life style. Work full time. Have an active family. I do have to work hard to balance this with rest but all in all I'm doing very well compaired to somes early predictions. I contribute this to my doctors early treatment plan of DMARDS verses pain relief.

Some folks are far worse off right from the start and it's very stubborn. It doesn't get better even with the predisone. Those are usually the ones that honestly need it long term; they just have no real choice. You've just got to try early....while you can to figure out which type you are.

Either way eventually we learn that we have to do what we have to do to manage.

I really appreciate hearing this, because I was diagnosed at almost the
same time and am also on prednisone & cortisone shots and was
wondering whether stickiing with it is the right thing, because it really
does work (I can walk!). Now I know, for my next appt. with the RD, that I
need to push for something else.

This is hard for me to write because pred helped me when I was so very ill, but also caused other medical problems. I had been on monthly kenalog injections for many years just to make life bearable, I mean literally so I could walk and move in LESS pain. THe pain and all was still there.

I was on daily dosage for a short period of time.

It does age you more rapidly. It caused osteo arthritis in me and so now my bones are bad. I HATE that I had to take it to survive during the years before Enbrel.It caused so much damage to my body.

I thank the heavens above that my RD restricted my usage of it as much as he did, and would try and talk me out of using it by trying different meds. IT IS JUST A QUICK,TEMPORARY SYSTEMIC SOLUTION. I just cannot stress that enough.

That is really all I have to say about it because it is so bittersweet for me.I will always have this disease as many of us here may never enter into remission. Slow the disease while you can. The damage is irreversible, painful and crippling. Permanently.

I have been on Prenisone for about 5 weeks and am weaning down now. I need to get off of it b/c I have osteopenia. I dont want to be on any more meds than absolutly neccesary. I was really pleased with Prednisones results but I know I cant stay on it long term. Since I have decreased, I have been having more swelling. The other day it was my toes, yesterday it was my hand. When I was diagnosed, my doctor started me on Methotrexate right away. I think that you may need to ask your doctor about starting something else because you have to realize that meds like MTX take up to 3 mos to start working. You dont want to be on steroids for several months and then have to wait even longer to see if a new med is going to work. I know that every case is different but it is still something to take into consideration.

Good Luck and welcome

Good luck!