Urgent advice needed re prednisolone.

[Soybean]

Hi All,

I have been on Prednisolone tablets for 4 weeks. I started off on 40mg for 1 week, then 30mg for 1 week, then 25mg for 1 week, then 20mg for 1 week.
Today I took the last dose of 20mg and had my follow up appointment with the registrar at the hospital (instead of my consultant who I was hoping to see).

She stopped my Prednisolone, Calcichew D3 Forte and Ciprofloxacin. She increased my Azathioprine from 50mg daily to 100mg daily. Within the next 2 weeks I will be starting Infliximab.

I am really worried about the abrupt stopping of Prednisolone. Before she said she was going to stop it she asked me to talk through how I have been over the last month of treatment. The treatment has worked really well at stopping my arthritis, GORD and diarrhoea. I think it's helping the fistula too. But I did explain to her that over the last few weeks I've been getting more arthritis pain, had one instance of GORD and sickness after a tiny bit of pepper(?!) and more BM's that are heading towards D.

I asked the Dr twice if I should just be stopping it as I thought that the dose should be reduced gradually. She just said it's fine :confused2:

I really don't want to be unable to walk and eat again just because of improper drug management.

I'm going to my GP surgery for my final Hep B shot tomorrow with the nurse, so need to know if you think I should ask the receptionist to call through to the GP to check on her opinion, hence the urgency of this post.

Sorry to be all stressy!! :ybatty:

I've looked around online and it all says you shouldn't abruptly stop prednisolone but perhaps someone on here will have more insight?

Thank you. I appreciate that people may not be able to get back to me before my appointment tomorrow morning as this is a forum and not an emergency service! but thank you to any and all responses :hug:
Soybean xx

 

[Grumbletum]

I would definitely try to speak to the doctor. Even the leaflet with the pills advises not to stop it suddenly. I wonder if it's worth phoning NHS 24? They might be able to advise or suggest who to contact.
Hope you get on OK.

 

[Astra]

Hiya Soybean

Have you got any Pred left? 4 weeks is quite a long time, considering.
I'd be tempted to stay on for another week at 10mg, then a few days at 5mg, to be on the safe side.
In my own opinion, 20mg is high to just stop there.
Staying on Pred a bit longer won't interfere with your Aza.
Dunno, maybe someone else can advise? Withdrawal symptoms and adrenal shock are the dangers
read it here

http://arthritis.about.com/od/prednisone/f/withdrawaltaper.htm

good luck
xxx

 

[tiloah]

Get a second opinion. For most people stopping at 20 mg would be "ok" (although not advised) but considering your situation/history I would think that would be a bad idea.

What was her reason for stopping it?

 

[Soybean]

Thanks for such quick replies guys

Astra101, I haven't got any pred left unfortunately but I'll definately ask to speak to my GP tomorrow and see if she will prescribe me more.

diesanduhr, she didn't give me a reason. After looking at the meds I was on and hearing how I was doing she just said that she would increase my aza and said the IBD nurse will be in contact re starting Infliximab within the next 2 weeks. Both times that I questioned the pred she didn't say anything other that it's fine.

Soybean xx

 

[Mtchflknr]

I was on 20mg for 2 month when i stopped 4 days later all my old symtoms came back i was in tons of pain with really bad gas.
I kept on pushing to a different direction with treatment because the others just never worked for long and the side affects were horrible.
now im happy to say im off all prescription drugs and am on an all natural diet and i have never felt better ever not saying you should drop your drugs like i did but if you would like to know more about diet and a more natural way of getting better without side affects or needing to worry plz2 ask me any thing you would like i would love to fill you in on different methods of a quick and health recovery

 

[Soybean]

I managed to see my GP this morning. I explained everything and straight away she was like 'that's stupid!'. She prescribed me 56 pred 5mg and told me to taper by 5mg every 4 days, then down to 2.5mg for the last 4 days.

Thank you all for your advice, I am so relieved now that I don't have to suddenly stop the pred.

Soybean xx

 

[tiloah]

I managed to see my GP this morning. I explained everything and straight away she was like 'that's stupid!'. She prescribed me 56 pred 5mg and told me to taper by 5mg every 4 days, then down to 2.5mg for the last 4 days.

Thank you all for your advice, I am so relieved now that I don't have to suddenly stop the pred.

Soybean xx

I'm glad to hear that! Even if stopping it at 20 mg would have been "fine" I didn't really see the logic for doing so. Hope your taper goes well.

 

[Grumbletum]

Sounds much more sensible hope you have a comfortable tapering.

 

[silveyk]

Prednisone tapers. Patients with COPD exacerbations (emphysema and bronchitis) often do steroids for 2 weeks and then stop without a taper. However, for my patients with autoimmune diseases, I like to do a taper to avoid a rebound flare. I am not sure what a registrar is...as we don't have them in the US. We do however have physician assistants and certified nurse practitioners who can make decisions related to pharmaceutical interventions. I believe you are right to question stopping cold turkey. I wouldn't do it until you hit 10 mg...personally.

Dr. S (spouse of a crohn's sufferer)

 

[Soybean]

Thanks silveyk, sorry for the late reply, I've only just noticed your reply, for some reason I never got an e-mail notification. A registrar is the stage just before becoming a consultant. You're normally a registrar for 4-8 years. The consultants the top dog so to speak

Soybean xx

 

[hannah-rose]

I'm from the UK and my Registra was a nut case. He prescribed me prednisolone totally unnecessarily, and then I went to my GP for a second opinion and she told me not to take the steroids. I saw a consultant and he had a completely different approach approach to my treatment.

I don't like registras either!