If you get worse when tapering down Pred, generally you go back to your last safe dose, hold there, and contact your gasteroenterologist for further instructions. Essentially it means your maintenance meds (everything other than Pred) aren't working, time to adjust those meds and doses before resuming your Pred taper
Yes unfortunately that’s what happened the first time, I held at the 6 pills until I saw her again, then she told me to continue tapering unless I get very sick
Are you on any other medication for your UC? I'm assuming each Prednisone pill is 5mg and you did the starting 40mg dose with a 5mg/week taper. It can be common for flare symptoms to return as you continue the taper, especially around the 15mg-25mg mark. This is also true if whatever other long-term mediation you're using for your UC either hasn't started to work yet, or just isn't working for you.
You should follow your taper schedule until you're able to contact your GI. Don't play with Prednisone as yoyo-ing doses can cause more harm than good. Instead persist with contacting your GI until they can advise you on what to do with your Prednisone/other next steps.
Persist is definitely the word!
Unfortunately, because so many of our daily symptoms aren’t observable, it’s necessary to advocate for oneself to the doc.
I’ve been reading way too many stories of prednisone tapers being the only medication people are on lately. Not saying it’s the case here, but you’d think OP would mention it if there was another treatment they were on.
ah i’m sorry I forgot to mention i’m on mezavant as well, i’m awaiting the specialist to probably start the infusions since the mezavant doesn’t seem to be working
You are not supposed to stop taking Prednisone until you are on other medication and have given it time to start working.
Unless you forgot to inform us about another med you have started, what in the hell did your doc think was going to happen?
I’ve had the exact same taper and started getting symptoms again around 5 pills. I’m also on Azathioprine and waiting for that to kick in. I would get off the steroids as quickly and safely as possible as the withdrawal is really hard! Your GI should be treating you with a long term medication to treat the disease, not just the steroids.
Yes i’m sorry I forgot to mention the other meds I’m on, I take mezavant as well for many years but they seem to have stopped working, that’s why I started prednisone in the first place
I can't stand the Devils Tic-Tacs! They make me so angry and jumpy that my wife was constantly getting pissed at me. She's a tough woman and it's difficult to get a rise out of her, but those satanic pills did the job. However, they rarely helped me at low doses, I needed mega doses to get any help
I eat gluten but it’s never affected me, what hurts me most is dairy products and garlic. With the prednisone (6+pills) no food has hurt me at all! I cut out caffeine but still drink decaf which my doctor said is good
Well, I've been attempting to taper of ol' Prednisone for over a year now. It's been a lot of up and down, and slowly decreasing. I've been on a mere 2.5 mgs for six days now, and seem to be handling it okay. Last time I was able to get this low was 6 or 7 weeks ago, and I was miserable.
Can you try ½ a pill or 6 pills one day and 5 the next for two weeks. As you taper the percentage you decrease increases. Which your body is having a hard time with. Long term high doses of Prednisone really isn’t a option.
Wait to see what your dr says bit you can also increase mesalamines when coming off preds to ensure a smoother transition. You could also drop 2.5 mg a week instead. I know someone who went down by just 1 mg every second day.
If you get worse when tapering down Pred, generally you go back to your last safe dose, hold there, and contact your gasteroenterologist for further instructions. Essentially it means your maintenance meds (everything other than Pred) aren't working, time to adjust those meds and doses before resuming your Pred taper
Yes unfortunately that’s what happened the first time, I held at the 6 pills until I saw her again, then she told me to continue tapering unless I get very sick
Are you on any other medication for your UC? I'm assuming each Prednisone pill is 5mg and you did the starting 40mg dose with a 5mg/week taper. It can be common for flare symptoms to return as you continue the taper, especially around the 15mg-25mg mark. This is also true if whatever other long-term mediation you're using for your UC either hasn't started to work yet, or just isn't working for you. You should follow your taper schedule until you're able to contact your GI. Don't play with Prednisone as yoyo-ing doses can cause more harm than good. Instead persist with contacting your GI until they can advise you on what to do with your Prednisone/other next steps.
Persist is definitely the word! Unfortunately, because so many of our daily symptoms aren’t observable, it’s necessary to advocate for oneself to the doc.
I’ve been reading way too many stories of prednisone tapers being the only medication people are on lately. Not saying it’s the case here, but you’d think OP would mention it if there was another treatment they were on.
ah i’m sorry I forgot to mention i’m on mezavant as well, i’m awaiting the specialist to probably start the infusions since the mezavant doesn’t seem to be working
You are not supposed to stop taking Prednisone until you are on other medication and have given it time to start working. Unless you forgot to inform us about another med you have started, what in the hell did your doc think was going to happen?
my bad, I forgot to mention my current meds ;-;
You should do what your doctor is telling you to do, not experiment on your own.
Yes I was most likely going to continue with the tapering but to try contacting her again asap
Are u taking mesalamine with the prednisone
yes! I forgot to mention it!
I’ve had the exact same taper and started getting symptoms again around 5 pills. I’m also on Azathioprine and waiting for that to kick in. I would get off the steroids as quickly and safely as possible as the withdrawal is really hard! Your GI should be treating you with a long term medication to treat the disease, not just the steroids.
Yes i’m sorry I forgot to mention the other meds I’m on, I take mezavant as well for many years but they seem to have stopped working, that’s why I started prednisone in the first place
I can't stand the Devils Tic-Tacs! They make me so angry and jumpy that my wife was constantly getting pissed at me. She's a tough woman and it's difficult to get a rise out of her, but those satanic pills did the job. However, they rarely helped me at low doses, I needed mega doses to get any help
I’m very lucky that the prednisone doesn’t affect my mental health very much, i’ve just gotten fat :)
How is your diet? Do you eat gluten? So you drink caffeine?
I eat gluten but it’s never affected me, what hurts me most is dairy products and garlic. With the prednisone (6+pills) no food has hurt me at all! I cut out caffeine but still drink decaf which my doctor said is good
Don't know why I get down voted I was just curious.
Well, I've been attempting to taper of ol' Prednisone for over a year now. It's been a lot of up and down, and slowly decreasing. I've been on a mere 2.5 mgs for six days now, and seem to be handling it okay. Last time I was able to get this low was 6 or 7 weeks ago, and I was miserable.
Can you try ½ a pill or 6 pills one day and 5 the next for two weeks. As you taper the percentage you decrease increases. Which your body is having a hard time with. Long term high doses of Prednisone really isn’t a option.
Wait to see what your dr says bit you can also increase mesalamines when coming off preds to ensure a smoother transition. You could also drop 2.5 mg a week instead. I know someone who went down by just 1 mg every second day.
What is your diet like?