Steroids.......

Daddima-glad to hear your dose is reducing, sounds as if your system has had enough! Hope you're feeling better than you were despite the steroids.

I'm doing pretty well at the moment, saw consultant in September, had chest CAT scan and lots of allergy tests. As a result my inhalers have been changed and I'm permanently on an antihistamine. Being outside in the cold weather isn't too good-as soon as I breathe in cold air my airways spasm. I'm not letting it stop me going out though, I wrap my face in a woolly scarf and get to my car asap! Not ideal but I'm not sitting inside all winter.

Hope you manage to keep reducing your dose.

How are you all doing now?

I started on 60 mgs pred about 6 months ago, and it's gradually being reduced. I'm very breathless, have tremors, can't sleep, have moon face,and have lost loads of hair. Apart from that, I'm great!

Thanks for that info Anno-will bear it in mind.

The lovely practice nurse who took my BP today gave me a graph of my BP over the last few years. A huge spike in BP coincided exactly with the period in 2011 when I started on 20mg of prednisolone and since then it has been up and down - happily, now well on the way down. It's something to think about if you're taking steroids, specially over a long period. The nurse also told me to have my blood glucose checked next time I have a blood test because steroids can also be responsible for the onset of type 2 diabetes. So I booked a test next Tuesday.

I had a six week course of steroids for a colitis flare up too AlieOxon. Did the trick but gave me swollen feet heartburn and insomnia.

Aha! Progress! Am breathing better and cough much less. On downside I have the shakes but better that than the wheeze.

Onwards and upwards.....

Claudia-nice to 'hear' from you.

Yes, that's pretty much what happens with me normally-week of antibiotics and sometimes a short burst of steroids for a week. My gp tends to go with 30mg daily for 5 days. I have my home nebuliser and salbutamol nebs as well. Previously this lingered in the wardrobe for months at a time but I've had to use it quite frequently over last couple of weeks. I also have combined inhaler (Symbicort) twice daily, salbutamol inhaler, plus Montelukast and Carbocisteine. I'm managing to keep an acceptable peak flow....as long as I don't move about too much ... and my sats are ok.

Damn thing just seems to have got a real grip this time.

Posted that too soon.

Asthma dosages tend to be quite high but over shorter periods of time. A week is pretty standard so I'm quite concerned about this lengthier course. I've always tried to keep steroids as a drug of last resort-I've always been concerned in case I became too used to them and then they wouldn't be as effective if I was really ill. Perhaps of course this <is> the really ill and I don't recognise it.

I've got a vast amount of emotional stress going on at the moment which probably isn't helping either.

Hi everyone, Katek I was interested to read your post as I am a very bad asthmatic too. I am also concerned that you have been prescribed steroids again, for wheezing. Is this normal? Does anyone else know?
I will have a chest infection, take antibiotics, 5 days of steroids, then tailing off daily 5,4,3,2,1, until the course is finished. My problem is coughing and the steroids help to dampen that down.
If you are wheezing, would you not be better using a nebuliser with salbutamol?
Do other people have the same problem with steroids that I do, which is, I am so so so bad tempered? I absolutely hate taking them, but can't stop coughing without them. Thank you.

It's not an easy drug to live with but I have to breathe.

I had a spell when I was on prednisone for 2 years. Started on 50mg for about 6 months and then graduallly and very slowly reduced. Face was like a balloon, the hump between the shoulders and I could 'eat all day every day'. Put on 2 stone.

Yes it was a miracle for me. I had an attack of cerebral artritis and after agonised suffering for a week went to the emergency doctor who picked up what it was immediately, within 48 hours I had relief.

The side effects were hard to bear, especially the tremors.

Was very happy when I eventually weaned off and started to look and feel a bit more normal.
Having said that...... sometimes they are very necessary and good at what they do.

The starting dose for PMR was 20mg and I thought my face hadn't got too fat until I saw a photo of myself taken three years ago (fat granny). It's not been too bad since I got below 10mg and now I am on 6, and hoping the rheumatology prof will let me go on reducing. What is gross is my non-existent waistline. Think hot air balloon!

Well, I'm back from doc with 6 weeks worth of prednisone, never mind one week! I've to start on 8 (40mg) per day for a week, then decreasing by 5mg per week. Knew I sounded like a set of old bellows but wasn't expecting that. If it's got to be though it's got to be but not looking forward to lack of sleep.

Anno-do you get the 'moonface' with your long term use?

I've had pred for 4 years, for polymyalgia. It's been up and down but currently going down and I am hoping to be able to reduce further when I've seen the rheumatologist next month. Yes, they are a mixed blessing but with PMR, the effect is almost instantaneous and the relief is amazing. I also have pollen allergy which starts in February with willow and hazel catkins and just goes on and on. Blossom time is beautiful but miserable!

Hopefully things will improve as pollen count drops, it has been a bad year for asthmatics and other allergies. My poor Sil can hardly see and lives in sunglasses with a foam moulding behind the frame to try and protect his eyes from allergens.

Steroids are a mixed blessing aren't they? Amazing effect on all sorts of inflammations but side effects can be difficult. DH had them once for a reaction to industrial weed killer ( don't ask-long story!) and couldn't tolerate them. Like you Alie , I get very hyper and end up tiring myself out.

I've managed to get an appointment for 10.20-it was the nice receptionist today!

And I am on steroids for a colitis flareup due to stress - and struggling at the same time to get rid of a throat infection which isn't helped by the steroids - so have also been on amoxycillin for that.......

Steroids make me feel hyper and amoxycillin makes me dizzy! Yuk.

Feel for you. I'm taking extra steroids at the moment due to pollen allergy that's really had an effect this year. Worst year for five years.

Will the diminishing pollen count help Kate? I don't know anything about athma, but do know it is very distressing.

Thank you Roses-it's a total pain! I just get sooooo frustrated with it

Oh, poor you Katek , hope the move goes well for your family and you feel well enough to manage the children. Asthma must be rotten.