Steroid questions

[*Cari*]

We have been through the ringer the past three months with three hospitalizations. My husband has had three doses of remicade and also does mesalamine enemas daily. He was not getting any better and had been on steroids for a short time.

This hospitalization they started the steroids again and he is doing amazing. It's like I have him back after a 3 month nightmare.

What exactly are the steroids doing? When he stops them will he get bad again?
We finally have some hope but we are scared too.

 

[Manzyb]

Prednisone helps reduce the swelling and inflammation in the intestine making things a bit more comfortable. How much is he on?

Hopefully, if he stays on steroids for a bit and the Remicade can really get in there and do its job and when he weans off of it he won't start getting symptoms back.

Glad to hear he is doing a bit better!

 

[*Cari*]

He's on 60 mg every morning. Is that a lot, normal or does he have room to go up. The other two times he was on it the weaned him very quickly. Hoping they do not do that again.

 

[*Cari*]

His next infusion is not till June 22nd.

 

[Manzyb]

60mgs is a higher dose. I know the last time i was in hospital they were giving me 60mgs and I felt a lot better pretty quickly. I stayed on 60 for a month and then started dropping after that.

So he's doing Remicade every 8 weeks then? I started out at every 8 and then went to every 6 weeks when it wasn't helping as much, then I eventually started taking it every 4 weeks and that did the trick for me!

 

[Manzyb]

He does have room to go up. I know at one point my uncle was taking, I want to say like 100mgs. Don't think that is suggested for very long, but he has Wagoner's disease and it helped him out tremendously. The highest I have ever been on was 60mgs.

 

[*Cari*]

Yes remicade right now is every 8 weeks. He's done 5 mg/kg but they are thinking of going to 10mg/kg on his 4th infusion.

Thank you so much for all your help.

 

[tots]

I was on prednisone after a stricture along time ago. 80 mgs a day. My Dr always tapered me fast. Everytime I tapered off I got sick again with in weeks. I finally switched Drs. He put me on a low dose with a very slow taper.

Good luck!

Lauren

 

[CLynn]

I was diagnosed back before Remi and Humira were even thought about being used, so prednisone was the drug of choice for my GI with me for many years. The highest I was ever on was 80 mg a day. Wow, I only needed about 5 hours of sleep a night and my house was never so clean. Figures that was before I had kids, lol! And I would be on the prednisone for much longer periods, as it was all there was, really.