Spondylitis Association of America Forums General Discussion General Message Board for Ankylosing Spondylitis and Related Diseases prednisone and scaried

My dr put me on a 6 week treatment of prednisone. has anyone tried this and does it help. i am just concerned because of the side effects from prednisone. will the prednisone help me feel better from my AS or will it not work at all. she told me that if this does not work then she is putting me on MXT. HELP

Be very careful. Prednisone is a powerful drug. It can help, but just as often it can cause other problems.

I know some people have good experiences with it, but personally, I think Prednisone is evil and would never, under any circumstances, take it again.

Do not stop taking it suddenly. You need to taper off Prednisone very slowly to avoid some of the possible side effects.

That's just my two cents.

Spenser23

I have had to take it before, and it did help me. I have often just taken a low dose (10-30 mg) for a short time. What dose will you be on?

Like Spenser said, no matter what, you have to taper off of it when your six weeks of being on it are up.

Try to avoid sodium as much as possible and drink a lot of water. Take it in the morning as it will keep you up at night if you take it later in the day. Watch your appetite as it may make you very hungry (especially if you're on a higher dose). If you're aware of these things in advance, you can avoid some of the side effects.

I'm right there w/you kerry. I am in a flare and my rheumy wants me to up to 10mg a day for a few days and then I can tapper back down to 1mg.

I'm not looking forward to being on it but I am looking forward to the pain coming down. It's a win/lose situation.

I CRAVE salty foods when I am on a higher dose of prednisone and I will be working hard to keep it down!! WATER - yes, will do that. Thanks for the reminder catwoman!

Joyce

Prednisone has helped me through a lot of flares over the years. Everyone reacts differently to different meds. As long as you know the side effects and what to watch for, it is probably worth it to try to see if it works for you. Will you be on a low dose or higher dose. Dose makes a big difference with side effects.

I was just on 20mg for about 6 weeks. It did help, but I started getting myopathy from it, so I tapered down to 5mg and now I'm back up to 10mg until my appt with the rheumatologist in December.

I was on 40mg for 4 months last year during chemo and I got some serious myopathy then. I definitely have a love/hate relationship with prednisone.

Prednisone works amazingly for me, but I only take it either in low doses, for short periods of time, or when my symptoms are REALLY bad. I've never taken it longer than a month at a time. Prednisone for me is best as a "knockout drug", that is, when symptoms are extreme, a short trial of Prednisone (usually like, a week long) can pretty much get rid of symptoms and I can switch back down to the low-dose NSAIDS.

But everyone reacts differently to any medication. Personally the only "bad" side effects I've ever experienced from Prednisone are insomnia and increased appetite.

Prednisone has a specific job, so I am not sure your doctor said pred OR MTX. Pred is meant as a bridge drug, not to be taken for ever. It does amazingly well at reducing inflammation and saves lives. If you are in a serious flare it will prevent damage, like if you have swelling where it can damage tendons. It is excellent to take in the beginning to reduce the inflammation enough so that the drug you start has a better chance. I take it when I go on vacation or like Turkey day so I can have a good active day.

Do not just stop it. you must taper off because it replaces chemicals that are made by our adrenal gland. If you stay on it a long time, your adrenal gland can be lazy and stop doing its job. Then you have to do an even slower taper so it relearns. Sometimes, it just stops (usually after years of pred use) and you have to stay on low dose pred for ever.

It has many side effects and they are much more common than most other drugs, including MTX. Instant weight gain is one, I pack on 20 pounds no matter what, but most leaves when I get off it.

Anna

A short prednisone taper can make all the difference in the world for me at times. I start w/ 15mg for two days, then cut down to 10mg for two days then 5mg for two days, and I will halve that dosage if I still feel twinges at that point. It certainly can affect my sleep so I do try to take as early in the morning as possible, and I try NOT to take it unless there is really a solid flare going on. I don't really like the side effects, but they are tolerable when pain relief is paramount. ...Jen

My rheumy has me on low-dose prednisone (2.5 mg daily) which I'm supposed to take from now on. I've been taking it for nearly 2 years. Now you guy have me concerned that this is not a good idea. Is there anyone else that takes prednisone every day?