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Feeling very faint when I stand up.

Posted , 5 users are following.

panamabob
panamabob

I have been on Pred for more thsan 2 years and for me they worked fine. I settled on 10 mg p day. I

1 like, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • panamabob
    panamabob

    Posted

    (CONTINUED)  i can go lower to around 6.5 and then invariably I get a flare, About 8 weeks a go I started to feel faint when standing or walking. My GP diagnosed a virus in my ear.I can see thelogic of this diagnosis as he obviosly thoughtmy balance mechanisn had been affected by a virus, However,the condition has persisted. I had my Pacemaker adjusted slightly but no real change.

    I have checked my blood pressure and it is on the low side 165/57.I notice I feel better first thing i the morning before I take my 10mg of Pred. I am wondering if Pred dosage is my problem. Could an extended period of tome on 10mg daily be the real cause of my problem??

    • Oregonjohn-UK
      Oregonjohn-UK panamabob

      Posted

      Bob - I too take BP meds and have done for the past 15 years, started just after I retired in 2001.   In December 2014 I started to have fainting feelings/light-headedness when I moved quickly and particularly when I stood up.  I went to see my GP, as I had for a period of time been checking my BP on a regular basic and found I was mostly 'normal', whereas I had been around 145 in the mornings until the meds kicked in.  The GP reduced my BP meds by half and the fainting/light-headedness stopped quite quickly. 

      In context this was 6 months after starting Mr Fred at 30 mg and by this point I was between 20 - 15 mg and then reducing by 1 mg down.  Coincidentally I also stopped using my inhaler for Asthma and have not used it since ( in use from my teens!!)  So there may be some good in Mr Fred!   75 male - PMR for 18 months, started at 30 mg reduced by 5 down to 15 and then 1 mg down to 10 mg (within 6 months).   At present I'm at 4.5 mg and coping reducing very, very slowly.

      Best of luck, John

  • MrsO-UK_Surrey
    MrsO-UK_Surrey panamabob

    Posted

    Bob, we can't really answer that question for you as it could be so many things, including your body rebelling at being on 10mg for a long time,  any blood pressure lowering medications you are taking etc, and your GP should be investigating further.  Apart from vertigo, there is another condition called labrynthitis and if this is what you have then you need the relevant medication.

    ​​You don't say how long you have been on 10mg, but if it is a very long time, then you should be trying to reduce back down, especially if you say that you can usually go to around 6.5 before experiencing a flare.  At least if you can get down to around 7.5 then you are getting towards the lower, and what are considered to be, the 'safer' doses. 

  • panamabob
    panamabob

    Posted

    Mrs O,

    I think you are 'spot on' I have been taking 10 mg for about a year.I had given up trying to reduce which was very silly and possibly dangerous. I take so many tablets,the last one I suspected to be the villain was pred. I thought 10 mg was safe. It clearly is not..Today I  took NO PRED  and my condition has improved dramatically. I am feeling much much better already. I believe the 10 mg was gradually poisoning my system.If the improvement continues I have to work out somehow ,what dose to take.DO I take 9? or 8? Hard to say. The answer will be the dose which does not affect my system adversely,yet masks the PMR symptoms.I was beginning to think I was not going to recover. But today, life seems sweet again.

    It goes to show that Pred is not a medicine to be blase about.

    Thanks Mrs O. Your post has reinforced my own diagnosis.I do so hope the improvement continues and is not a false dawn.

    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey panamabob

      Posted

      Goodness, Bob, you should not just stop taking your Pred like that.  After such a long time on steroids, you are putting yourself in a very dangerous situation.  Please get back on them asap (NOW), perhaps trying 9mg and seeing how you feel after a few days.  Perhaps even 9.5mg would be better as after being so long on 10mg any reduction might be a shock for the body so the smaller the reduction the better. 

        

      ​You mention taking "many tablets", and if you haven't already done so, do get them all checked out with a good pharmacist to make sure that they are all compatible with each other.  If there are any interactions going on between them, that could also be a reason for you to feel the way you do.

      ​Please come back and let me know that you have taken today's dose of Pred.

    • panamabob
      panamabob MrsO-UK_Surrey

      Posted

      Mrs O,

      Thanks for your concern.I only ever intended no taking any Pred for one day,just to discover if it made any difference. Yesterday it did.This morning I took 7mg. I am trying to determine just how much to take in order to kill both birds with one stone.Some of the 'dizzy' symptoms have returned but not quite as severe.

      Frankly I don't know where this takes me. GPs are so in the dark with this condition. To furthur complicate matters Im unsure whether the Pred/PMR is the real problem.

    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey panamabob

      Posted

      Bob, if it was me I wouldn't have reduced from 10mg as far as 7mg.  That can be a shock to the system.  The latest advice is never to reduce by more than 10%, and remember that the lower you get on the steroids, the higher the percentage drop.  9mg would have been wiser.  Dropping by that much all in one go is quite likely to bring on your "dizzy" symptoms what ever is the real cause of those.  Are you taking blood pressure pills?  If the dizziness continues, I think I would get your pacemaker checked again to see if that needs further adjustment.  You need a thorough check over and expert advice, Bob.
  • panamabob
    panamabob

    Posted

    Thanks Oregonjohn and Mrs O. Today I saw a different GP and he seemed confident it was not Pred related and thatit was indeed a stubborn virus.He prescribed CINNARIZINE. It worked from the first dose.  It put mr to sleep for 3 hours but I awoke symptom free. I just hope and pray the condition has gone away with the help of CINN.

    I am reducing my Pred too.9MG for two weeks and then 8.5 and on down.

     Thanks again.

    • MrsO-UK_Surrey
      MrsO-UK_Surrey panamabob

      Posted

      It sounds as though your GP has hit the nail on the head with the Cinnarizine, Bob, confirmed by the immediate good response, so it looks as though it was vertigo causing the dizziness all along.  It's all to easy to blame everything on Pred isn't it and, once again, your experience proves that Pred isn't always the culprit.  So glad you are feeling better.
  • panamabob
    panamabob

    Posted

    Thamks Mrs O.I am very relieved. This forum is a great support with so many willing to help.

      Bob

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