Mind if I join you?

[Grumbletum]

I had the blood tests after I got the results of my CT scan but must have got my wires crossed ( fairly common these days on the Pred!! ) I thought they said move on to Aza if the higher dose of steroid didn't work, but my GP left a message today to start as a replacement for Pred, so on the lowest dose possible at first while I'm tapering the Pred.
TBH, I'm not unhappy about it. I reduced my Pred by 5mg yesterday, and I can feel a little, suspicious niggle on the right today. Do you think I'm being paranoid? Is a 5mg reduction likely to make a difference and that quickly?
Off to surf the club now. I've said it before and I'll say it again : thank the Lord for this forum and the good people here :ghug:

 

[DustyKat]

Hey Helen,

Normally Imuran, or another drug, is used as a replacement for Prednisone and you start it whilst on the Pred.

Imuran takes about 3 months to be fully therapeutic which is why you take both drugs at once. When you say you had the blood tests is that the TPMT test to see if you have the enzyme to break Imuran down? If so, and you do have the enzyme them you shouldn't need to start at the lowest dose. Matt started on 50mg of Imuran whilst he was awaiting the blood test result and then moved to 100mg, his calculated dose, once the result was in. At that point he was still on his full dose of Prednisone.

I'm not sure about the Pred reduction and your symptoms, Pred didn't really do anything for Matt either symptom wise or side effect wise, but I do know with some of the patients I have looked after that they are very sensitive to Pred reductions. They do feel the effects within 24 hours.

Take care, :hug:
Dusty. xxxxxxxx

 

[Grumbletum]

Thanks, Dusty I'm not sure if they were testing for TMPT. GP just said to me it was a full blood count to see if I was OK to take the drug. I assumed that was checking liver function and stuff? She wants me to start low and work up.
I'll ask the GI about it on 17th.
How's the kids- they still doing OK?

 

[DustyKat]

If you received the results quickly then it probably wasn't the TPMT, it takes at least 2 weeks for results, well it does here so I wouldn't imagine it would be different there? (((shrug)))

Kids are fine thanks hun. Sarah is at a conference in Perth, WA that is!, and is holed up in some swish hotel over there, lucky bugger...:lol:
Matt is still doing well, might update his thread...

Take care mate, :hug:
Dusty. xxxxxxxx

 

[Grumbletum]

Yea, it did take 2 weeks to get the results, so I'll ask GI about what they tested for, dosage etc. Get the tabs on Wed so will see what she's started me on.
Just read Matt's update - way to go xxx