What can you tell me about Prednisone?

After I pick up my RX tomorrow, I will be on a "burst" of Prednisone: 40mg for 2 days, 30mg for 2 days,. 20mg for 2 days and then 10mg for 2 days. Then I will be done. I have had a rough couple of days this week with pain and fatigue, although not as bad as my first flare.

Any advice on when to take it? How to avoid any side effects?

Beth

Good Morning Beth,
My rhemy put me on a burst several months ago. I took them in the morning with orange juice, so the orange juice covers up the bitter taste. You may even want to eat something with it, some folks it gives an upset stomach. Hopefully this will make you feel better. I woke up the next morning after taking my mega dose with more energy than i had in years.
Hope you feel better soon
Melody

Wow, Melody...you are right about the nasty, bitter taste! YUCH!

So it sounds like your Prednisone worked right away, right? I am wondering what is going on with me as I took my first dose yesterday and last night my joint pain was the worst it had been in a long time. It was way off the charts. I am a little better today, but still have a lot of joint pain. I am wondering if I was a little late on starting the Prednisone and this flare is getting away from me.

Beth

Hey Beth,
May work different for some folks. I had been on methotrexate for a couple of weeks before i started the predisone. My rhemy staggered my tappering off very slow too. Took me weeks to get down to 10 mg.. It just may take a while to get in your system.
Hope you feel better
Mel

Hi Beth,

Prednisone usually works fairly quickly, as to it's effectiveness it depends on the person, some people go crazy and some people don't feel any of the side effects at all! How are you feeling with it? I hope your pain has settled down!

Take Care
Love and Hugs
xxxMaz

I am at the end of my Prednisone "burst" and it does appear to have helped with the pain. Now that I am done with this dose, it will be "wait and see" as far as what happens next.

Because of the cold & rainy weather moving in, I have much more stiffness in my knees, hips and shoulders. Any suggestions on how to deal with this?

Hugs!
Beth

Hello Beth
Glad to hear you are some what better after the pred burst.

As for the weather and the stiffness, the same thing is going on in my neck of the woods too the only thing i find that helps me is to try and stay warm and not go out unless i have to, but thats not always easy to do.

Anyway wish you the best

and heres some from the yardman

Take care
Ray

Hi Beth and Ray,

Beth, I can only reiterate what Ray says, the best thing to do is stay warm and rugged up! So get out the longjohns my dear Seriously, I wear thermal leggings and long sleeve t-shirts through winter, I find they are a life saver!

Ray, where have you been, we've missed you, glad to hear from you again

Take Care
Love and Hugs
xxxMaz

Beth,

Sorry to hear the prednisone burst has not helped take away the pain . The weather can be our worst enemy, as Ray and Maz said try and stay warm as possible and take it easy. I wish you the best and hope you beat this soon.

Take care.

Melissa

I agree with Maz, thermal undies are a lifesaver !!! A candle light soak in a warm tub also makes me feel better too.

Melody

Hi All,

Beth glad to hear you are feeling a bit better after the prednisone burst. It does seem to help with the pain. If the pain starts to return from a flare maybe your doctor can keep you on a low dose of pred for a little while longer or give you something for intermittent pain. If it is the weather, I don't think there is too much we can do. I agree just get comfy and cozy in your pj's or under a blanket. I hope you feel better soon.

So it has been about 9 days since my last 10mg dose of Prednisone. The joint pain is coming back. I have raw spots on the top of my mouth and side of my tongue and my shortness of breath is back....again. And, I'm tired, as usual. Does this mean I'm headed for a flare or just that the Prednisone actually helped?

It probably didn't help that I stayed up late last night watching the election results.

Hugs,
Beth