Accidentally skipped two doses
Posted , 11 users are following.
My daughter just had her first baby and in the excitement I forgot to bring my Prednisone with me to the hospital.
48 hours later, I was exhausted. True, I had less sleep than usual, but could forgetting my Prednisone for two days affect me so severely?
I was in the process of weaning myself down from 10 mg to 5. Now it seems that I need more like 8 mg to feel less exhausted each day. Just wondering if I did any lasting harm to myself.
1 like, 10 replies
EileenH susanjeanne
Posted
You won't have done lasting harm no - but it was long enough to be without 10mg/day for you to end up feeling pretty ropey, especially with all the excitement which required your body to respond with cortisol - and it couldn't. It was a rather risky error - so do me a favour NOW and put a packet of pred into your handbag/wallet or whatever you call it! I don't leave the house without 24 hours worth of medication. And you should have asked at the hospital - they should have realised what a risk you were taking and found you some pred.
You aren't trying to go directly from 10 to 5 are you? That is not going to work well. Under normal circumstances your body produces the equivalent of about 8mg pred per day in the form of cortisol in order to function properly. While you take more than 8mg it doesn't produce any more - like the central heating switches off when you put the wood burner on. It isn't a simple case of flicking a switch though - and the body is thought to take a month for every month you have been on pred to settle down. From 10mg you shouldn't try to go faster than 1mg per month and even that is a bit fast for some.
Twopies EileenH
Posted
susanjeanne EileenH
Posted
I’ve been tapering 1 mg. every couple of weeks which may be too ambitious. But I’ve been on the medication for two years and my doctor wants me at 5 mg ASAP. Just can’t succeed if I push it too quickly. The fatigue comes back with a vengeance. Suspecting that I may have CFS too, since my fatigue is the main symptom. Very difficult to get much support on that opinion though.
BettyE Twopies
Posted
When I had PMR first time it took 3 years to get to zero pred. but I was back to normal pretty quickly Second time ( five years later ) was more of a problem and it took 5 years to get to zero. BUT... here's the good bit; I reckon it was only 18 months to be normal again and that took in having a new hip, too.
Doesn't prove anything and we're all different but I hope you might find it hopeful.
Twopies BettyE
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EileenH Twopies
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EileenH susanjeanne
Posted
Your GP not thinking it through. You need what you need and forcing you to reduce to a dose that is too low will just result in a return of the PMR and needing a much higher dose.
You are already at a physiological dose - the same amount your body makes and needs anyway. If you reduce further - your body will top it up eventually but it needs time to get the factory process up and running after being shut down for months, years.
Two years os nothing. PMR lasts ON AVERAGE 6 years and the long term effects of PMR-dose pred are not bad. This is the most recent research from a top PMR group at the Mayo:
https://www.medpagetoday.com/rheumatology/generalrheumatology/66912
Fatigue is almost certainly your worst probelm because your adrenal glands aren't keeping up with your needs already - the amount of pred you absorb will be somewhere between 50 and 90% of the dose you are taking so certainly less than 8mg already and probbaly less.
If this GP won't listen - find one who will.
susanjeanne EileenH
Posted
She’s really adamant about getting down to 2 mg by spring. I don’t think I can do that by May!
I was worried only because I’ve been on prednisone for two years - but never at more than 10 mg. I guess she doesn’t agree with dropping very slowly, but I can see now that it makes all the difference in the world. Thank you!
Silver49 EileenH
Posted
It's still possible, Eileen. I know of someone who was on it for 15 years. They managed to get off for a short time but had to go back on for a short time. They're now off completely and have been for a year!!
EileenH Silver49
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