How long have you been on Prednisolone for?

[IAmTheWalrus]

I've been on it for nearly 5 months! No side affects, which is nice, I guess. But what's the longest you or someone you know has been on Pred?

Just curious.

 

[Misty-Eyed]

I was on it for 7 years. CERTAINLY not recommended lol

 

[IAmTheWalrus]

Oh, I meant at one time. Like some people are on it for 1 ,2 or even 6 months. I guess you meant 7 years on and off.

 

[ThanksP]

last time was on 40mg for 6 months. This time I've been on it for three months at 40 with no end in sight.

my biggest side effect is Moon Face of which I am terribly self conscious. I'm also a ball of steroid energy so I get some bad insomnia.

 

[vonfunk]

2.5 years, with the exception of a couple week long periods it has been continuous.

 

[Cat-a-Tonic]

I am going to lose this competition - the longest I was on pred was for 6 days. (My GI put me on it but then decided to take me right back off it again so that I could undergo more diagnostic testing without having pred in my system.) However, I have been on another steroid, Entocort, for 7 months and counting.

 

[Misty-Eyed]

I wish it was on and off!!

Nope.. there was not one day in over 7 years that I didn't take some pred. I'd get ill ever ytime they lowered the dose

 

[Jennifer]

I was on Prednisone for a straight year with the dose constantly going up along with adding on other medications to get my flare under control until I was on the highest dose for all of the medication for my bodies weight to handle. Then they went for surgery. 5 months is not unheard of and many have been on it longer than a year to get a flare under control. I've taken Prednisone 4 different times in my life and each time I took it I was on it for at least 6 months.

 

[Astra]

I was on it for nearly 11 months last year to get my flare under control, and it worked.
I started on 60mg in hospital and managed to taper to 5mg, but in between it yo-yoed, alternating between 20mg and 25mg, it was hard work but it healed me good and proper.

 

[IAmTheWalrus]

Have to say, very interesting posts. I've been stuck around the 10mg-15mg (of pred) mark for a bit so my doc increased my Imuran to 150mg from 100mg. Hopefully this helps me get off the pred and into proper remission.

Ah well, guess we'll see. :/

 

[ThanksP]

How long is condsidered too long to be on Pred? My primary doc seems really worried about my GI using Pred so often and at such doses., I'm a prime cadidate for Osteoporsis and don't want to add that to my stockpile of whacky medication.

 

[slightlysilly]

By the time im done with it, it wills be a year... im tapering at 1mg per month. Im at 7.5 mgs right now.

 

[Jennifer]

How long is condsidered too long to be on Pred? My primary doc seems really worried about my GI using Pred so often and at such doses., I'm a prime cadidate for Osteoporsis and don't want to add that to my stockpile of whacky medication.

That really depends on the person and the dose. My doctor didn't want me on it longer than needed. So he had me on the highest dose (for me the highest was 75mg) for a year, then decided to go for sugery and started tapering before the sugery and continued the taper after the surgey. So I guess I was on it for longer than a year in total (I forgot about the taper). So I guess in my best GI's mind, one year at the highest dose is the max he's willing to have me do. Being on high doses for years isn't good but even lower doses for years will eventually do damage.

 

[SdN]

I've heard after tapering off of prednisone it still takes a while for your body to get back in 'balance' from all of those extra hormones. Does anyone know if this is true or do you have any experiences with it? I'm interested in how well (or poorly) someone responds to stress after having been on prednisone for several months and then tapering off.

 

[MADiMarc]

SdN,
I never really had a problem with pred & I was on 60 mg a day for over a year. I had problems sleeping but that was about it. Oh, and I got really hairy and gained lots of weight. I didn't have mood swings or anything really out the ordinary that way. My periods didn't change either (bummer).

Now my bones are that of a 90 year old woman (I am 45). That is what scares me.

Good luck & hope this helps some,
Michele

 

[SdN]

[edit]

found my answer in another thread