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...
I've not had to take prednisone at all, don't care to do so but may not be an option as I read from what's happened to some posters.
Anyway, reading RASally about the wedding and the 25mg burst. Okay, I get that. What, though, is the need to taper? Why? Can someone fill me in on the details so that I'll be mentally p;prepared if the day comes for me?
Anyway, reading RASally about the wedding and the 25mg burst. Okay, I get that. What, though, is the need to taper? Why? Can someone fill me in on the details so that I'll be mentally p;prepared if the day comes for me?
That is my understanding. Be interested in others adding their thoughts to this.
Linda
How the heck are you?
here is a different view straight from my doctor:
i have had a 30 mg iv push in my rheumatologist's office for a flare without ANY taper. her recommendations, that would be the doctor... :) that there one with the medical diploma :). it took all of 5 minutes through a needle into a vein in my arm then off I went.
but I don't take ANY prednisone on a maintenance dose no night shades.
I also have been in the hospital for pneumonia and received a huge amount inpatient as a one burst with no taper in the form of an IV bag: solumedrol.
as to my other bursts for pneumonia, in the form of a pill starting at 80 for the last pneumonia and tapering to zero within 10 days.
starting at 60 for the next pneumonia and tapering to zero within one week. looking at my last bottle for pneumonia the doctor ordered: 60, 40, 40, 20, 20, 10, 10
otherwise I am on zero.
as I taper i become more and more fatigued and more and more swollen until I am worse off RA than I was before, this is my own consequences only. many use and get better benefits on here. However, it is the ONLY thing that opens up my lungs so I do not have to need oxygen when I have pneumonia. I feel it plays a mean headgame with my RA called here I am on a fake cure for so many days (at that high level anyway)
I hate it. But when I have to choose breathing, I choose breathing.
that burst thing in the office did not work (I did it a couple of christmas's ago when I had to work through the 24th and was falling off my office chair). Again, it did not kick start a reversal of my flare, it just revved my heart made me ra-sicker about 3 days later. the rheumatologist wanted me to try it, so I tried it. did not work.
depot