I met a man in the drug store today that has a dad with RA. He was diagnosed with it 20 years ago. He has had so much pred in the last 20 years that he developed diabetes.
Then he broke his ankle about 6 months ago got an infection and they had to remove his leg. Although he's doing well and medicare got him a electric wheelchair right away. He is driving around now and soon he will get a prothesis.
What I want to know is is so that some people never get off pred??
What can be used in place of pred.
Hello,
First, 20 years ago, people were on higher doses of pred for a long time. Now a days, they try to put people on the lowest dose for the shortest time. It's purpose, to be a bridge until the proper meds are working-we should be tapered off or else maintained on a low dose, like 5mg.
But many people don't want to get off it. It feels like it helps so much that they think that that is the drug to take. Despite what their doctor says, they stay on it. Prednesones' side effects are much more common and more serious than many of the drugs we are offered. But the other drug side effects seem worse (I'm thinking MTX for example). Plus it feels so much better to be on it, that it is hard to believe it actually isn't helping.
Sorry about your friends father, that is what prednesone does.
Bee