Follow-up to Dexascan Results and Pred Query
Posted , 8 users are following.
I did post and have had response in Another Place but some of you aren't on there.
He went to GP yesterday - initially student/trainee was only one in room as GP in meeting - asked lots of questions re condition and meds and wy not on AA?
OH replied that he wasn't going to take a drug with potentially evil side effects if there were no indications of need. GP then came in and she's happy withe bone situation as dexascan showed bones OK.
However I'm not sure re her recommendation re rate of reducing pred. He's currently on 20mg pd ad she said to reduce by 2.5 mg every 2 - 4 weeks until 10mg then have a review. He said that when he asked re prescription for 1mg tabs later on that he was told not available (hmm - there are numerous suppliers UK)
Rheumatologist who assessed him during 3days hospital in June unfortunately died following climbing accident - he hasn't had a follow-up from Rheumatology.
He has spent this morning up and down a ladder sorting out a new, faulty electric light outside the place where he keeps his tractors and motorbikes.
0 likes, 6 replies
EileenH jones10939
Posted
What I didn't say in "The other place" was he sounds to be doing OK!!!
BettyE jones10939
Posted
I guess your husband just has the 5mg. tabs.. That's ok when reducing by 2.5 as cutting in half is feasible but it's not quite so simple when he gets lower, is it?. Cutting them in half when he gets to 10 is going to be a reduction of 25% which may well be too high. Why on earth are no 1mg. tabs available?
jones10939 BettyE
Posted
Silly man didn't ask why not available - but he will politely ask when he goes for the review at the 10mg stage, pointing out the 1% recommendation.
He's currently on 5mg and 2.5mg to make up his daily doses - for some reason the 2.5 are coated.
EileenH jones10939
Posted
Oh how stupid!!! (Them, not him). Why do they mix the two sorts of pred? They make such a fuss about giving us e/c when we want it and know it works better - no logic at all.
Plain pred takes under a couple of hours to be absorbed and have an effect if it reaches a sufficient level in the blood. If it doesn't, it won't be as good. The coated pred takes up to 5 to 7 hours to be absorbed and reach its peak in the blood - which may even be too low in the early stages of PMR although there is pred in the blood for much longer and once things are settled may have advantages. But everyone is different and you have to find out.
BettyE jones10939
Posted
I guess your husband just has the 5mg. tabs.. That's ok when reducing by 2.5 as cutting in half is feasible but it's not quite so simple when he gets lower, is it?. Cutting them in half when he gets to 10 is going to be a reduction of 25% which may well be too high. Why on earth are no 1mg. tabs available?
rich38490 jones10939
Posted
Agree, it sounds like a very steep taper. Most of us think of the taper in months, not weeks. If he reduced 2.5 mg every two weeks with 20 mg as a base, he would be down 25% after the first month. I would not do that. 10% per month reduction is a rule of thumb and even at that, it varies greatly with each patient.
Best wishes.