Liquorice and Prednisolone!

Posted , 25 users are following.

Hi fellow sufferers.  Some of you may know this already, but I thought it might be helpful to let you know what I've found out about Prednisolone and Liquorice. 

I've been suffering from the usual dreadful fatigue and other symptoms of both PMR and reducing Prednisolone and I'm now down to 5mg a day and have stabilized at this level.  However a couple of weeks ago, while having an episode of feeing particularly dreadful, I questioned everything about both Prednisolone and PMR and in doing so, I looked into what might be in my diet that could react badly with Pred'.  Bingo! Liquorice!!  Apparantly it's the one most important thing that shouldn't mix with Prednisolone and it makes withdrawal symptoms much worse.

I like herbal and fuit teas and a particular favourite of mine contains liquorice.  As I've all but cut out alcohol, I've tended to drink this tea before going to bed and sometimes during the day.  I haven't drank it now for two weeks and the headaches have subsided.  I feel much less fatigued and fuzzy and generally better in myself.

Hopefully this might just be useful for some of you to know.

4 likes, 54 replies

54 Replies

Prev
  • Posted

    OK, how about OUZO. It is one of my guilty pleasures.
    • Posted

      Will it possibly depend on the fact that it is real licorice that causes the problem whereas usually pastis/ouzo etc are made with anise? Anise, fennel and licorice are different plants - but all have a similar taste.
  • Posted

    After suffering from Chronic Regional Pain Syndrome for more than 30yrs, I've been through what seems to be every "pain relief" known to man, with little success in actually achieving relief from my pain.

    At the age of 22 I was told to "learn to live with it". Now aged 56 I'm still in the learning process.

    Following from almost a year of blood tests, scans, etc I've now been given the diagnosis of PMR. 😧😊 great to be able to give my health condition a proper name at last. Having been dogged by Mr Arthur Itis for years and knowing I shall be sharing my body with PMR for the rest of my days I've decided to name it Jack and get to know it a whole lot better.

    First thing I did before taking first dose of Prednisone was read the patient info leaflet and sat for ages in awe over the sentence " avoid eating liquorice whilst taking prednisolone tablets". Obviously I've started reading the why's and Whatnots of this statement; and that's how I managed to find this forum.

    Here's hoping I've found like minded folks who can offer advice and support.

    Thanks for reading, Ali

  • Posted

    "knowing I shall be sharing my body with PMR for the rest of my days "

    Not necessarily at all - PMR burns out and goes into remission in 2 to 6 years for 75% of patients. Only about 5% of us have really long lasting PMR and some people have even got off pred after 10 or more years.

    Do post on a new thread - this is old and many of the current members of the forum may not see it.

Report or request deletion

Thanks for your help!

We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.