Prednisone and night diarrhea

[valgalbraith]

Hi all -

I was diagnosed with Crohns at 18 yrs and it has been 10 years since....I have only had 2 severe flares which were controlled with prednisone and asacol which I eventually weened off both and wasn't taking anything between flares.

Now, I am on the third and most severe flare yet which has lasted about 4 months. It all came about after taking a new job, changing cities, etc....I have been on 40 mg of prednisone for a month now and have a colonoscopy scheduled for next week. I take the entire dose in the morning and my system feels fine for 14 hrs or so (5 am - 7 pm). Then, the night diarrhea/gas starts. I have to use the bathroom about every hour or so from 9 pm until 3/4 am. By that time, I pop the next 40 mg and everything calms down. I haven't experienced this with prednisone before, has anyone else??

Thanks for any input!

 

[tiloah]

Hi there, welcome to the forum. I am sorry you are dealing with this right now.

I find it unlikely that taking Pred, your inflammation is coming back quickly and severely enough to cause symptoms like that in between doses. However if you think the gap is a problem, it would be worth calling your doctor and asking if you can take half your dose in the morning and half later in the day. They usually give you one large dose in the morning so that it won't interfere with sleep, but it sounds like you are losing sleep already!

I highly recommend you continue your treatment "between flares." The medications are more effective at keeping flares under control than they are getting a flare under control once it's happening.

Keep us updated on what happens. I hope you find something that works for you and you start feeling better.