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BlackDog
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Prednisone Taper Question
« on: Jun 20th, 2003, 2:56pm » |
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Hi Everyone,
I am 15 days into my 1st ever prednisone-taper. 60 - 40 - 20 to today 5mg. 
I have noticed since my 3rd dose, that my cycle started becoming way off balance: More HA's, more frequent, odd or unusual times, but all were much less severe (K3-7) than the 1st untreated week of this cycle (K7-9). Then as I hit each taper things changed a bit more but always for the better, except the 1st taper when I felt like having a cigarette (haven't smoked in 10 years). Today I went to 5 mg from 20 and in 4 days I go to nothing. My morning CH was gone and today it is back. My evening and night time CH was getting better, now has been getting worse for two days (before this last taper).
I know a lot of this is apprehension (sp?) but I feel like my CH is now getting worse after 2 weeks of getting better. This is only my second ever cycle and my first to be treated so I don't know what to expect.
Can anyone tell me if what I am going through is normal, and what to expect when I finnish taking Prednisone. Also, if anyone can tell me, how do I know if the cycle has been broken? Last year my logs just stop. I never noted anything, just stopped making entries into my HA log. (but that wasn't until August  )
Thanks for replying this
Darren 
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| « Last Edit: Jun 20th, 2003, 3:00pm by BlackDog » |
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cbolony
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Re: Prednisone Taper Question
« Reply #2 on: Jun 20th, 2003, 4:12pm » |
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Drren the url did not work just type in Prednisone in the search button on the top of the page
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eyes_afire
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Re: Prednisone Taper Question
« Reply #3 on: Jun 20th, 2003, 6:04pm » |
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Hi Darren. Ususally Prednisone is not taken with the intention of breaking a cycle, but rather merely for a short holiday from the pain. Only in extremely rare cases can prednisone help break the cycle. Almost always, when the prednisone is tapered the CH will return.
Usually clusterheads take prednisone to keep the pain away until another preventative becomes effective, such as verapamil, which make take up to a week to have a proper effect.
--- Steve, one of many...
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BlackDog
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Re: Prednisone Taper Question
« Reply #4 on: Jun 20th, 2003, 6:45pm » |
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Steve, cbolony
Thank you. I was under the wrong impression. I know I could have found the answer here, if I searched...it is just hard to do the research right now (ya know). I am either having a CH or recovering from one it seams lately. I am now scared sh**less as I dont see my Neuro until Tues. and 5mg doses of prednisone run out Mon. She never Rx'd any other preventive and I did not know enough to ask then. So any other thing will take another week to start?! ....
Just gets better and better. (sigh)... I'm going to the Funny board for a while.
Darren
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stevegeebe
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Re: Prednisone Taper Question
« Reply #5 on: Jun 20th, 2003, 7:41pm » |
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Darren I don't know what to tell you. I can only relate to you my own observations.
I started Prednisone taper on the 11th at 80 mg for 5 days and 60mg for 5 days so and so... I had postponed starting this treatment because the stuff that I was taking was keeping things bearable. Then the ass got hold of the keys so I started the Prednisone.
I was ready for the break.
The best way that I can describe the current situation is that Prednisone has disturbed the gyro's of the Beast. Headaches are irregular in both intensity and time...all over the place. Let-ups are a day here and a day there. Bad days are... just that. I'm sleeping well but I know what type of day it's going to be the second I lift my head up in the morning.
At this rate I don't worry about when the taped ends. I'm still waiting for my break!
Good luck my Friend.
Steve G
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smfaison
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Re: Prednisone Taper Question
« Reply #6 on: Jun 22nd, 2003, 3:28pm » |
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Hi Blackdog,
I take Prednisone and used to take Sansert as well. I always had my Imitrex if I got a CH anyway. I have been as high as 40mg of Prednisone per day. One of my old neuros said to start tapering off if I had gone a week with a CH. I used to use the 10mg pills, which I could break in half. I would drop in 5mg increments. If I went a week without a CH, I would drop another 5. What always happens is that I get down to a low dose and then hit a relapse and end up going back up to 40mg. My spells always last about 4 months, so I would yo-yo back and forth on the dosage during the 4 months. I always felt like crap when I was dropping the dosage. But at 40mg I feel like crap anyway, so I'm usually anxious to get the dosage down. Hope this helps ;D
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Dave_W
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Re: Prednisone Taper Question
« Reply #8 on: Jun 24th, 2003, 3:59pm » |
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Hi Darren,
Eyes_afire said it very well -- I've used prednisone to get me thru the tough period before the verap / lithium take effect.
My main problem with the taper used to be the day or two or three after the last 5 mg dose. Aches and pains! I talked to my doc about it, and since then I've stretched the taper out by breaking the little pills into halves, then into fourths so I can taper even lower for a few extra days. It really helped.
One bad year (1999) nothing worked, and I wound up going almost six weeks at 80 mg/day. Gained darn near 40 pounds, went from a 16 shirt to 17-1/2 and from a 44L jacket to 48L. I ate everything that couldn't outrun me (Big Macs are very slow, by the way).
Hope you get thru it OK! Let us know how you do.
Pain Free Days, friend...
Old Dave
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