Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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Prednisone therapy

JoanneandDevin
JoanneandDevin

Is anyone on an alternate daily dosage of low dose prednisone? If so, How is it going? How long have you been on it this way?

depotblue
depotblue
yeah sure marlene we all do whatever we have to breathe. I have had home oxygen also so it can get like, wicked scary man.

radad feel better - tapers suck with the moderate to severe return of RA symptoms - I always have that to dealt with when I taper from a lung attack. Plus the worsening fatigue and exhaustion - I wish that rheumatologists would delineate this part of the getting off with their patients more than they do. Your dose is high to me (humble opinion only) for what my rheum called a "bridge" - or the limited amount up to the point that the dmard of biologic of the year kicks in. I think rheumatologists should have to go through their own tapers before they script ha ha.

heal on.
nonightshades2
nonightshades2
5mg/day, working on almost two years. Had to have surgery (outpatient) a year ago and so the GP had me go to 2.5 for 2 wks, then 1 for 2 wks then 1 every other day for 2 wks and none for a week. It was too fast and I had a wonderful (extreme sarcasm) prednisone crash. When my RA heard he went ballistic. RA said that coming off too quickly can really screw up the adrenal gland, shut it down and since my Mom had Addison's then I must be careful. Pred is very dangerous, be very careful. My combo is pred, mtx and actemra.
Lonie2
Lonie2
I have been on 5mg prednisone for over 2yrs now. I also take plaquinel, arava. A little over 2 weeks ago I started xeljanz. The doc is saying if the xeljanz works he will slowly take me off of everything else. What is the safest way to come off of 5mg prednisone?
depotblue
depotblue
yeah get it marlene. pred is for breathing. i just got out of the hospital for pneumonia and I was exposed to legionnaires. good huh? the dose to get me to breath per 24 hour period? 160. so yeah it does make me breath. but for Rheumatoid. no. starting to taper have not slept. am going to throw a party when I am breathing the pneumonia is gone and I am at zero steroid.

hope you feel better radad and get your med changes to work for you!

good luck with the xeljanz joanne!

Marlene sounds like a good plan for you!
Lonie2
Lonie2
Lindsey I’m so glad you told me that I had no idea. Prednisone is a mean little bastard! So if I go down 1mg at a time every couple of months it will still be hard but the healthiest way to do it? Depot I’m so sorry to hear everything your going through. Wishing you health, wealth, and happiness! RA really does test us!