When first dx'd with RA, they put me on a predisone pack - A high dosage of about 30 mg per day that slowly diminished down in dosage until I had finished the "pack" (3 weeks). i have since taken several smaller "dose packs", ususally 2 or 3 months apart, and each lasting about a week.
I see others take low-dose prednisone as a regular component of their daily medication bundle. How many out there periodically take high-dose, short-term prednisone packs versus daily, low-dose, long-term predinisone medication.
I dont do either. But if I had to go back on, I would rather take a higher dose for a few days, than to stay on it. The side effects are worse with long term therapy. Of course if you are doing the high dose paks every 2-3 weeks then it is probably about the same and the constant low dose may work better at controlling symptoms.
I dont take it anymore due to osteopenia.
I've been on high doses for five years. Not good. Doctor is not happy. But it helps me function. But the doctor has threatened that evil monsters will come and carry me a way if I don't get my prednisone down. (Not exactly the way he worded it.)
But I would think Crunchy is right, if they are giving you packs that often it's probably harder on your body than if they gave you a lower dose daily. It would be worth discussing what the strategy is doing it every 2-3 weeks.
I've always just taken it in short doses like you mentioned. After all these years I'm glad that my doctor has choosen to prescribe it this way because I hear of so many of my friends here having such a difficult time getting off of it once it's nessesary.
I've just used it during diffiuclt times as we tweek my meds. Never long term as part of my medication "bundle" as you mentioned.
I started out with the high dose pack. Then nothing for a month, then 20 mg. per day, plus lots of shots. I haven't had a shot in 3 months. I had tapered down to 5 mg., but then that didn't work, and I'm back up to 10. I want off it. I hate the side effects, but I can't function, yet, without it. My doctor said stay on the 10 mg. for another month, then start to taper again.I used to get pred injections monthly, or use the dose pack to get me through. Pred causes damage and I have plenty of it. Would I do it again...yes it was the only way I could function . During that particular period in my life I was attending college, working 2 part time jobs and raising 2 kids on my own. Add in all the household duties and the lawn, I had no other choice but to use pred at the time.
I still prefer the injections and pred packs over taking the daily dose though. For me I took it to like get over the "hump" of a flare adn the horrid pain. I still cried at night though because it hurt so bad, but the pred did help. I was told it would do damage and it did. But as I said then and I will still say it now, I will deal with it when the time comes just like anything else.
Boy, I hear people talk about prednisone usage and I think what dosage am I?
I have taken high doses (>80mg) and have slowly tapered over three years to 7.5mg today. As for the after-effects, I have lost 4 teeth and have osteoporosis in my hip and spine. I am scared to death of avascular necrosis. I do not think I'll be able to go lower than 5mg, as I have a tough enough time controlling my symptoms with my current meds (200mg Imuran, Kineret, NSAID) on the low doses of prednisone as is. I can't imagine what my symptoms would be without steroids!
One always has to weigh the long-term effects with the short-term benefits. I take what I take to get me through today. Tomorrow will bring its own problems and I will cross that bridge when I come to it. Till then I'll do what needs to be done to get me through the day!
Take care,
Joe
Joe, I hear you clearly on that one. I just shrink into a ball of unmoveable misery and pain without the prednisone or worse. I hate getting blasted by the doctor for not being able to come down on it. In my mind, I screaming, "then fix me already" and I'll stop taking it. I also worry about the necrosis. I didn't know it could hit your teeth.
Dr Smith, from Lost in Space, had it right, "Oh the pain, the pain, the pain." Except he was a whimp and we are not.
I have been on Prednisone since last March. I'm now taking 7 1/2/mg now. I hate taking it because of the problems it can cause. The weight gain has been terrible. BUT...... If that is what does the trick for me, then I will take it.
What is Necrosis? I don't think I've seen that one on here.
Trisha
Long-term steroid use cause avascular necrosis, or bone death. the use of steroids decreases blood supply to the heads of larger bones causing them to actually "die". Most have problems with the femoral heads, or the "hip bone". I have a friend who has taken steroids for three years (same as me, yikes!) and he has already had one hip replaced and will have the next one done next week.
He was told by his doctor that the femoral head just crumbled in his hands during his first replacement surgery.
Weight gain, increased blood sugars, increased appetite, loss of bone calcium...the list is seemingly endless!!
Deanna...
sometimes I want to shrink into that ball of unmoveable misery and pain and call myself a wimp!! But, I don't get paid to do that, so off to work I go (hi-ho, hi-ho).
Joe
I had RA for 25 years and been on prednisone for nearly all that time. I'm at a point now where my rhummy doc says the medicine cabinet is empty for me. I've taken all the NSAIDS (terrible stomache problems now), all the DMARDS (can no longer take since I've had two septic joints), everything else (plaquenil, 6MP, mtx, arava, etc.) with no or little success. All that's left is the 10 mgs of prednisone.
I'm in a motorized wheelchair (shoulders are even worse than the hips) and I need help to bathe, do laundry, etc., but I'm living alone in my home and I'm content. Every problem I have including liver failure and kidney failure has been caused by my RA or the drugs I have had to take for it, but if I hadn't made the choices I did, I'd have been bed-ridden years ago.
Kathy