STEROIDS - ANOTHER ARTICLE BY DOROTHY BYRNE

Hello Beev

You will have already read Mrs O and her answer to the carb question

and steroids When you have nothing better to do !! Google things like \" how do I lose weight when taking Prednisolone ! or how not to gain weight when taking prednisolone \" and other similar things to that and you will get lots of answers up lots of them American One thing you should do is really cut the salt as well as the carbs

It is great that you can continue with your exercise but I do think it depends on what you have done before and if it isnt causing you trouble thats great I exercised a lot more with my first bout than I have been able to with this one but I am so much better than this time last year and have started this new light exercise programme which as the weather improves I will up

Never had acid reflux so I cant help there After reading about AA Im glad Im not taking it any more I think because i was only taking it once a week i was just looking on it as an extra boost of Calcium

I want to know the difference between Prednisolone and Prednisone ( I think !!) as I keep seeing them mentioned but I think Eileen is busy with family so will have to look it up !!

Have a good weekend

Mrs G

[quote:762849637e]I want to know the difference between Prednisolone and Prednisone[/quote:762849637e]

1st one UK spelling

2nd one USA spelling

otherwise no difference.

Thank you Mrs K

Sometimes it its difficult on some of these sites to tell if you are on a American site or Uk site and until you get into the info and you realise it is USA

Mrs G

Here I am....at it again, bothering everyone :roll: First, thank you for concern about husband fall on the escalator. :oops: This morning he has no pain, inly slight bruise on back. :D Taken note of looking for lifts from now on ! :wink: Sensible and secure....Now, either I will bore you to tears.. :wink: or raise some interest :?: Seen doctor at surgery. needed to check blood results. ( After all, thei stuck enough needles on me :!: :x Results all negative :?: Am I that healthy :?: :roll: It does not feel like it to ME :? Anyhow, this is what I need help on :

At the present moment I am taking everymorning, 15mg Lansoprazole, 7mg Prednisolone, one calcichew-D3 Forte tab.(Twice daily ),One Vitamins A & D capsules- ONE Trimethoprim 200mg tabs( Twice daily, antibiotics, for urine infection) and once a week Risedronate Sodium 35mg tabs. At my p0revious appointment, said doctor cancelled the Risedronate Tabs, because, as she said, I was taking Calcichew.....This time, she cancelled the Vitamins A & D, and told me to take Risedronate once a week....and promptly gave me the prescription for them... :oops: :roll: If this goes on, I shall soon have to get a small basket to put all my tabs boxes in ! :P :oops: and my breakfast time increased somewhat, to allow for the swallowing of all these AIDS ! :cheers: I am going to be very grateful for some opinions expressed by my dear friends on this subject. If all those results, from all the blood they keep taking from me, and the ECGs they keep plugging me on, and all the flipping X rays.... :roll: Why do they keep telling me :All OK ??? Why do I feel uneasy ? :oops:Please, some help to put my mind into a more optimistic frame :chick: :love: Granny Moss.

[color=green:168ddd4ce5]Granny Moss[/color:168ddd4ce5]

I think you need Eileen. I've little experience no the drug front. I take [color=red:168ddd4ce5]Prednisolone [/color:168ddd4ce5](6mgs. with fingers crossed ), [color=red:168ddd4ce5]calcium/Vit D[/color:168ddd4ce5] Cod liver oil;, glucosomine, green lipped mussel ( supposed to be anti inflammatory ) Vit C. Just the red highlights from the doctor the rest from Healthspan.

However, I know all about being told all bloods are normal when I was feeling really ill. Infuriating. :monster: :steam: With me I'm sure that, much as I couldn't do without it, it is the Pred. that makes me feel ill if I am on more than 9 mgs. After that everything improves VERY SLOWLY. :zzz:

Maybe just one or a combination of what you are taking accounts for your poorly days. Might be worth asking if any of your drugs could be the problem. Unfortunately, if you read the leaflet inside any of them you wonder why they are prescribed at all as they all seem to have undesirable effects. It makes it very hard for anyone to be able to account for many of the symptoms we complain about. :boing:

Dear Granny Moss

That's good news to hear that your husband doesn't appear to be in any pain this morning following his fall yesterday - definitely the lift in future!

I'm not surprised that you are feeling confused :? concerning all the tablets especially with your Dr telling you to stop the Risedronate at your last appointment but now at the latest appointment telling you to start taking it again! :roll:

I'm not really able to help much here as I only take the Prednisolone - my stomach was unable to tolerate the Lansoprazole and the radiographer at my DEXA scan told me not to take any calcium supplements as it may do harm to my sole kidney which has a below normal filtration rate. Instead of Lansoprazole I have relied on a daily live yoghurt before the Pred to line my stomach and although I can't see what's going on inside :lol: , so far (after almost 4 years on Pred) I haven't had any adverse effects. I am awaiting the results of a recent Vitamin D blood test to see whether I need supplementation with that. As Betty has already suggested, you need Eileen who has all the research information available to advise you re the need for all the various drugs and their possible interractions. Meanwhile, the good news is that all your blood tests are normal so you must be doing something right! :cheers: :wink: :lol:

MrsO

Dear mrs K and Mrs G

I wonder if we are lucky in having Prednisolone prescribed as following the query I looked it up and it says that \"although both Prednisolone and Prednisone are equally as effective, they have a very small chemical difference which means that Prednisone has to be converted to Prednisolone in the liver to become biologically active. Therefore, for this reason and because it is more easily absorbed, Prednisolone is the drug of choice particularly when hepatic disease or insufficiency is present\". Do you think, therefore, that if the liver hasn't got to do the extra work that we are safer (and luckier!) when being prescribed Prednisolone than the Americans who are being prescribed Prednisone?

MrsO

Hello Mrs O

It does sound like that but I think Eileen when she comes back !! will be the one to confirm this

Had a very nice day today as weather was beautiful and we went and had a very long lunch and plenty of wine !! with some very good friends I was aching a bit this morning and my back was very stiff and I thought Oh no !! but when I got down to my horses I remembered I had decided to get down some very big bales of straw in my barn yesterday and had struggled as everything is above my head !! so I felt happy it wasnt PMR just me doing things I shouldnt and I feel fine now

Rain tomorrow so an indoor day

Hope everyone is feeling OK

Mrs G

Hi everyone........ have been up on the north Norfolk coast today doing some gentle birdwatching along with hubby and our very dear friend who has been diagnosed with bowel cancer and now awaiting his radiotherapy to start prior to surgery.

Weather grey, cold and overcast and I was wrapped up warmly in warm and waterproof layers....... took things very gently and did not walk far and sat when I could and rested..... by lunchtime was hobbling in pain with left hip and groin :cry: Had to stop using my binoculors as could not lift my arms without pain..... all this on 20mg :?: :?:

Have decided am just going to have to get used to all of this as this is what life is going to be like for the next few years....... at least I could stretch out on the back seat of the car and sleep for an hour after lunch whilst the men continued birding!

Having a quiet day at home reading papers and relaxing tomorrow though :lol:

Hope everyone doing well......

Mrs.G. Glad you had a lovely lunch and wish we had had your weather. Saw the sun twice which was reassuring but we had a marvellous day on Tuesday here. Wall to wall sunshine.

I smiled when I read your relief that you felt when there was an ordinary non PMR reason for your pain. We moved some large pots a couple of days ago and I had the exact experience. \" Oh, goody, an ordinary pain!

Hapy Sunday to all, Betty. :lol: :ok: :guinness: :tea: whichever does it for you.

Oh fifties girl

That doesent sound too good at all !! 20mg should be working for you perhaps not completely but enough to function reasonably on so it obviously needs further investigation soon My Dr did say to me not to worry if I had to go up to 30mg with my 2nd bout as my bloods were much higher than the 1st bout but I didnt need to

I dont really know how many people do have to go higher than 20mg to sort the pain probably only a Rheumatologist would know that I really dont think you should think that this will be your future for the next few years as Im sure Drs or Rheumies would consider this is not the way you should feel with medication

Im doing my Nordic walking Eileen is doing her skiing Beev is in the gym so just think that will be me once they have this sorted out

Have a nice restful day tomorrow and I hope things improve for you soon

Best wishes

Mrs G

Hello again Mrs G

I've had that \"Oh no!\" feeling so often wondering if it's the dreaded PMR at first before tracing the pain back to some extra exertion :roll: And when we get down to the very low doses of Pred and feel more normal (whatever that is! :wink: ) it's even more easy feel over-confident and overdo things and find that the muscles aren't able to take it having been weakened by the steroids. I'm sure that Nordic walking is a big help with strengthening the right muscles and hopefully you're feeling the benefit from that now.....apart from the tiredness that sets in after the walk! :roll: I can't wait to get back to it but I'm still waiting for a new group to be set up that will do the shorter 3 or so mile walks as opposed to the 5+ miles being done by the current groups.

Like you, my back has been playing up again over the last couple of days and I've had to resort to the support girdle for the second time in a couple of weeks. In fact, I've just been doing a bit of Googling about beds with a view to possibly changing the present one. It isn't very old - it's a Dunlopillo latex mattress on a slatted base which I was assured keeps its shape and springs back but I'm finding that it is no longer really springing back and think I may need something more supportive without being actually orthopaedic. I had an orthopaedic previously which used to be highly recommended for back sufferers but the current view is that they are in fact too hard for sufferers. Some people recommend the Tempur mattresses but I think I may go back to a non-foam one. Others recommend either an air bed or a water bed - the mind boggles! :lol: :?

\"A long lunch with plenty of wine\" - sounds naughty but nice. I'm still being boringly good and dieting but out for a meal on Monday will put paid to that and I saw what looked like a box of chocs being hidden away today......Valentine's chocs maybe! :love:

Do hope your stiff back has completely disappeared by tomorrow - enjoy the rest of the weekend in spite of the rain.

[color=darkblue:b2cb0a0c89]fiftiesgirl[/color:b2cb0a0c89] Hope you had some of our welcome and much needed sunshine for your lovely day out in Norfolk :tit:

Happy rest of weekend everyone!

MrsO

Hello \"Girls\".... 8) BettyE-MrsO-Mrs thank you for your thoughts. Mrs G. Wine ? I did not know One can drink wine while on steroids :shock: :wink: but I will ceratainly do so tomorrow,(sunday..) A lovely plate of tagliatelle al pomodoro....and a full glass of Montepulciano Vintage 1909...a very good summer, on the hills of Abruzzi :P

PS. Montepulciano, lovely red wine from the sunny Abruzzi hills, near Pescara- which is almost opposite to Rome.

Fiftiesgirl, North Northfolk Coast can be very windy and very cold even in July ! :erm: :roll: You enjoyed your day out, and that is what matters.

BettyE. I know what you mean by \"just ordinary pain ! \" I am convinced more and more, as I talk to people, that none have even the slightest idea or understanding of What PMR Pain is ! :twisted: I have neve had pain in my life, that compares with PMR pain, without steroids ! :cry:

At same time, I dread looking ahead of having this problem for the next few years :roll: So, one day at a time for now, will have to do :ok: :redwine: :rainbow: Sleep well, all, and from me it is Good Night ! Love, Granny Moss

Hi Fifties girl,

You really do seem to be going through the mill at present :cry: .

I think another trip to your doctor for repeat blood tests might be well worth considering as I had to up my pred from 11 to 15 again recently and my rheumy advised that if I was still in pain at 15mgs that I needed to get the ESR and CRP checked again to see if they were coming down :roll: .

Thankfully, I am at 14 again now, and the plan is for me to reduce by 1mg every two weeks then check blood again when I get to 12.

I am lucky, in a strange way :? in that any increase in joint inflammation shows up straight away in my blood results, so it is easier to see when I need to increase the pred :wink: :o

I know you must be getting very frustrated that the 20mgs is not doing what it should for you ......we all want to get off the steroids, or at the very least, get them down to single figure doses :wink: but , unfortunately, the bodies do not always comply :roll: :oops: :lol:

Hope you feel much better soon,

very best wishes, Pauline

Hello Mrs O

Yes when I get a pain anywhere I do think its PMR and if say its in my wrists I forget I might have carried lots of shopping the day before as it never hurts on the day only the next one !! I was being a bit over ambitious yesterday as when I pulled one bale of straw down some others fell as well so I decided I would put them back ( I like things to be tidy ) so I better leave it to my husband in future I said to him the other day this time last year I was leaving all the wheelbarrows to him so things have improved a lot

I tend to wear a knee support when I exercise and do my Nordic walking now Mattresses are always difficult I have known people spend a fortune on them and then get rid of them as until you sleep on them you are never sure Really good bed shop near us where I would say you get \"old fashioned service \" and we were very happy with the new one we had I did lie on a water bed once and felt sick !!

Yes diet went out of the window today They make their own different varieties of bread ,handmade chocs to go with your coffee and brilliant food Did probably an hours walk by the time we had a wander from our friends and back so does that help !!

Yes Granny Moss you can certainly have wine on steroids !! Have had Montepulciano We had a lovely holiday in Tuscany once stayed in Lucca it was beautiful and all the wine was good !! Had some seafood pasta in Pisa which was the best I have ever had

Glad you seem to be doing OK now Pauline and I too am one of those that the bloods tell the story which makes it easier for the Drs I think

I was thinking today is my reduction regime too slow now but I suppose if I get there in the end thats all that matters Im only going so slow because I had such a blip last year and I wanted to get my adrenal glands up and running again

Hope everyone has a good day tomorrow

Mrs G