i'm allergic to prednisone so I can't take it.
I do take Celebrex daily for inflamation. (celebrex is supposed to be much easier than other NSAIDS on my stomach)
I don't know if it has the "miracle remedy" that prednisone has, but it's all i can do for my pain & copd.
The one time i did do prednisone IV & followed with a week of pills it didn't seem to help my breathing any & made all my joints feel like they were on fire. not sure if that was part of the reaction or not.
I always wonder if prednisone really makes that much difference in breathing or if it's just a band aid while the antibiotics get working.
I'm kind of glad i can't take it as i dont have to deal with the side effects of it.

when i have a flare up my dr gets on it fast with antibiotics & that seems to help me the most.
(also, I have anti-anxiety med & i'm on the lowest dose of e.r. morphine and the morphine really makes a difference in my SOB & keeps me comfortable as possible for the pain)

http://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=f4a4cf97-6b6d-4406-a141-7d6a087667aa

http://www.nps.org.au/medicines/hormonal-and-metabolic-system/corticosteroids-oral-and-injectable/prednisone/panafcort-tablets

I think some people take some herbal medicines instead of prednisone ..but I wouldnt mess with herbals unless under a drs.care they can be very dangerous,,,I dont think there is an alternative if there is I never read about it neither has my pulmo,dr,...prednisone works best for reducing inflammation of the lungs but it can really have bad side effects...nobody wants to take it but it is the only one thats works well...and it can be the drug from hell for some people,,

Im a great believer in doing whatever works for you....with Pred. i have no side effects that are mentioned and it works perfectly for me....

Am i going to pay in the end???? MAYBE.....but all i care about is tomorrow and not have to struggle because of fear of what MIGHT happen in the future......What future????

My Opinion.....
Peter

My dad has COPD and feels weird on prednisone also, but no side effects (other than feeling weird). I also would like to know options he could take instead! I am currently on prednisone for an asthma exacerbation and I feel really weird and paranoid. But it is better than I felt before that. Thank you for bringing up this topic!!

Thanks.

May I know and ask the difference between Asthma and COPD? Thanks.

Here are the details:
http://www.everydayhealth.com/copd/the-differences-between-asthma-and-copd.aspx

However, the major difference is Asthma is essentially treatable and can be controlled, COPD however, is progressive and can only be slowed.

Montelukast (Singulair) is the only medicine I take faithfully every day for COPD.

Without Montelukast, I have inflammation in the throat which causes me to choke on tiny food particles and some pills.

According to this study, long-term treatment with montelukast is safe and improves COPD control in elderly patients with moderate to severe COPD.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14971876

Thank you very much, researching that article now.

Ludwig Aigner from Paracelsus Medical University in Austria presented findings at the October 2015 meeting of the Society for Neuroscience in Chicago which showed that administration of Montelukast to older rats rejuvenated their brains, returning the same functionality as that of young rats. Human trials are planned, starting with Parkinsons patients.[11]

The researchers conducted the experiment with montelukast because it reduces inflammation in the lungs and they thought it might also reduce inflammation in the brain. Some research has suggested that decline in memory skills may be associated with inflammation in the brain.[12]

Jump up ^ Hamzelou, Jessica (23 October 2015). "Old rat brains rejuvenated and new neurons grown by asthma drug". New Scientist. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
Jump up ^ Yirka, Bob. "Asthma drug found to rejuvenate older rat brains". medicalxpress.com. Retrieved 3 November 2015.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montelukast

Greetings.. I quit taking prednisone. Some people get along fine with it, I don't. But I needed something....so I researched and here's what I found:

For the inflammation caused by COPD I take Turmeric Curcumin 750mg; 1 cap twice a day- every day. I take this instead of prednisone. Turmeric is a spice. For me it works just fine, not just on the lung inflammation but it also relieves my arthritic pain and stiffness. I breathe a little better and I move a little better...in fact better then when taking prednisone. It works well for me.

It can be beneficial, sometimes, to explore outside of the box. (Just my $.02)