Hi Lonie2,

Yes 5mg is a pretty standard & low dosage of prednisone. I was on it for about 2 months & didn't experience any significant weight gain or any higher blood pressure readings.

And when weaning off your rheumy will probably want you to gradually tapper off instead of an abrupt stoppage.

The question is not so much how much you're taking as to how long you have to take it.

5mgs is low but if you take it for the next 2 years, then you might be on that dose for life. If it's for 3-6 months, then chances are you can get off of it.

So take it and be aware of how long you are on it and then demand that you wean off if it.

Jen

I wouldn't worry about 5 mg to start. I have taken up to 100 mg, and I have always been able to get off of it, when the other meds are working. Prednisone should be used to take up the slack while waiting for other drugs to work.

If Plaquenil and Arava aren't doing the job, push the RD to give you a biologic. They are much stronger.

Oh yes, and there are worse things than dramatic prednisone weight gain. Like not being able to get out of bed or dress and feed yourself. I've been able to lose large amounts of weight and keep it off, so long as I didn't have to go back on again.

Marlene...don't be too cavalier about prednisone. I remember the days when pred was first used and people died. My father's secretary spent months in the hospital trying to build back her immune system from excessive amounts of pred for her RA. If given too high or too long, it suppresses the immune system and then kills it. Many died in the 1950's from this miracle drug.

I know the docs know all about it but I also know of people who have been stuck on pred for life due to adrenal gland suppression and the glands never re-started once stopped. My doc even worried that I would fall into that class after pred for months for asthma. Couldn't get off without my lungs going nuts. One month of pred took 10 months to wean off.

It's a great drug when you need it but can be a killer if not judiciously watched by doc and patient. We need to know as much about it as they do.

gentle hugs.......Jen

Let me quickly add that knowing does not mean refusing. But once educated, we can understand why we need to limit the drug and get off once told to do so.

I've had so much pred for Ra and allergies/asthma that I am now allergic to something in the pills...probably a filler...and I have to take the far more potent form called dexamethasone. I prefer to get injections directly into the area needed as far less gets into the blood stream and does it's thing to the immune system.

And beware, if you have or are prone to diabetes(any type) that steroids will raise the blood sugar. I was close to 500 after an IV shot of dexamethasone.....almost in diabetic coma! It has that kind of side effects too.

Knowing is preventing trouble.

hugs........Jen

Thank you Oceans11 that makes me feel better. The worry about the weight gain wasn't vanity I have enough health issues I don't want to make things worse and the moonface I finally have my skin under control I don't want anything that could drum up skin issues again. Like I said these meds scare the hell out of me and its helpful to hear about others who have first hand knowledge.

I just spent 2 weeks on 10 mg of Prednisone, and 3 weeks on 5 mg of Prednisone. I'm now down to 5 mg every other day. Initially I was worried about weight gain and raising my blood pressure, too, but I didn't have any problems with it.

you can always refuse prednisone - it is given for your own comfort as a bridge before the disease modifying anti rheumatic drug(s) kicks in.

after my first diagnosis where it was used for diagnosis at a higher dose while also doing blood work and mri's and I innocently and stupidly said "i'm cured!" :) - it was a no go....

i do not take it in any dose, period for RA. and the rheumie is OK with that. I take it frequently for pneumonia, bronchitis, reactive airway and asthma. in those cases it is a high taper to get my breathing good. during those times I am o u t of my m i n d

everyone is different on here. I react horribly to it. of course we have had these discussions on here endlessly where the pros and cons of every palliative thing (narcotics, nsaids, pred) are discussed. whatever works for you.

not taking it works for me and is supported by my rheumatomlogist. we tinker more with the dmards and the biologics (I am on methotrexate instead of your arava - kind of sisters) and actemra and nsaids (which I can take very modestly) and stay squarely out of pred land. for those that tolerate it, I salute you and say alleluia, for you. For those that have awful symptoms on it, at whatever dose, welcome to my world.

depot

i used it when i first was diagnosed with RD and discovered that nothing less than 10mg helps the pain. most people i have spoken to do not experience dramatic weight gain or moonface when they used it for a few weeks here and there. my concern would be that if you're taking prednisone and it helps, how do you know if the plaquenil is working?

like depot, i now refuse prednisone for RD related concerns. i have to take it from time to time due to asthmatic bronchitis and at those times it's like 60+mg for a week or more and generally don't have a hard time getting off of it - for now.

I, too have been concerned w/ prednisone but am going to talk to my doctor about it this coming week bc the fatigue is so horrible.... I can't take large dosages bc it makes my heart race ... I can't take the steroid packs like some ppl on here talk about.
But I might can take the lowdow.
Best of luck to you.
xo Sun

Be aware of your eating and pay attention to what your body wants versus what your body thinks it needs, I suffer from Binge Eating Disorder and this medication is very triggering, just take a minute before putting food in your body and incorporate movement

I have been on plaquenil /generic, and prednisone 5 mg since 2011.
and I have lost weight.
let me go back and say this.
I was overweight to begin with , had HBP to begin with.
my BP is the same as it was....all this time, but more recently it is closer to going downward probably bc of weight loss and activity , combined with my BP meds.
alltogether I have lost 41 or 42 lbs. I am finally one pound under what my incorrect weight says on my drivers license !
woo hoo.
when I see the look on people's faces when they ask me about either my weight loss or the fact I am on prednisone, they always say but I thought it causes weight gain ?
well , it does ..but in my case it helped my pain and stiffness initially enough so I could walk more and now am slowly adding cardio and strength training to my ability.

in the past few years (bc I did not want to take the oxycodone he gave..mostly bc of constipation reasons) he would tell me to take an extra 5 mg pred when needed/.
but recently my concens with this, led him to give me an extra rx for prednisone of 2.5 mg, for my really bad days to add to the 5 mg instead of taking ten .

my final note: I HAD liver disease. Now that we think I am cured, we are now talking about adding biologics .
that scares me more.

ThisToo, that is very encouraging about losing weight. I can always lose when I am off prednisone, but not on the higher doses. I remember when I was waiting for Rituxan to work, I was on 15 mg, and I just didn't care what I was eating. I remember once in 11 days I gained 15 lbs. and I didn't care!

That is what bugs me about prednisone the most. It's not like I am fighting to lose weight, I just don't care! I'm on 10 mg now, but I am in a lot of pain. I still have 1 1/2 months till I am at 6 months for Orencia and it is supposed to be working. I do get about 1 day a week I am better - my hands are loose.

So my goal is to maintain, and when I get on 5 mg or less, actually start tracking what I am eating and maybe losing?

I am also pretty sick of looking in a mirror and wondering whose face is there. I got down to 0 mg of prednisone in Nov. to see my Rheumatologist. I could see my cheek bones, and my belly melted away. But there was too much pain and disability. I couldn't even get out of bed to play flute in the worship band for Sunday morning church. That was when I finally went back on the higher dose.

Anyway, keep up the good work.

@AngelaF31 - I do get what you are talking about the triggering. There is no doubt I have been through that. I never had an eating disorder before prednisone, but I certainly have one now.