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        Cluster Headache Help and Support >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies >> How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
        
(Message started by: findjoshua on Nov 23rd, 2007, 4:29pm)
Title: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by findjoshua on Nov 23rd, 2007, 4:29pm
Hi everyone.  Unfortunately the CH's are back and the Imitrex and O2 seem like very ineffective tools for this battle. I got a pred taper, which I am starting as I ramp up on Verapamil.  I have a neuro appt as well to try to get reassesed as it's been a while.  How long does it typically take for the pred to start squashing the CH?

I don't recall from my last taper, but I think it was kinda fast.

Thanks,l
Joshua
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by brewcrew on Nov 23rd, 2007, 4:39pm
Depends on how much you weigh, but if you start around 80mg per day, you should start feeling the effect (i.e., no more h/a or greatly reduced intensity) within 24 hours.
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by Pinkfloyd on Nov 23rd, 2007, 6:32pm

on 11/23/07 at 16:39:40, brewcrew wrote:
Depends on how much you weigh


I've never heard that. Why would either the time for therapeutic effect or the size of the dose, be linked to the weight of the patient?

Bobw
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by Sean_C on Nov 23rd, 2007, 6:37pm

on 11/23/07 at 16:39:40, brewcrew wrote:
Depends on how much you weigh, but if you start around 80mg per day, you should start feeling the effect (i.e., no more h/a or greatly reduced intensity) within 24 hours.


Bill that in noway ever happen in my case bud, usually a week or better, thats if it even worked at all.

Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by chewy on Nov 23rd, 2007, 7:35pm
24 to 48 hours for me.
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by brewcrew on Nov 23rd, 2007, 7:45pm

on 11/23/07 at 18:32:55, Pinkfloyd wrote:
I've never heard that. Why would either the time for therapeutic effect or the size of the dose, be linked to the weight of the patient?

Bobw

A doc is going to prescribe more to start for a 300-lb guy than he will for a 110-lb woman.

The smaller dose might have little to no effect on the big guy, and if the smaller woman took a large man-sized dose, she might just kill off her entire neighborhood before the authorities realized what happened.
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by brewcrew on Nov 23rd, 2007, 7:47pm

on 11/23/07 at 18:37:33, Sean_C wrote:
Bill that in noway ever happen in my case bud, usually a week or better, thats if it even worked at all.

It's always been no more than a day to become completely effective for me. After that point, the headaches are virtually gone, but I'm ready to strangle the first son of a bitch whiner that crosses my path.
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by chewy on Nov 23rd, 2007, 8:00pm

on 11/23/07 at 19:45:47, brewcrew wrote:
if the smaller woman took a large man-sized dose, she might just kill off her entire neighborhood before the authorities realized what happened.


Or at the very least close down 3 Buger Kings, 4 Papa Ginos, and a varied amount of Dairy Queens.
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by Sean_C on Nov 23rd, 2007, 8:29pm

on 11/23/07 at 19:47:34, brewcrew wrote:
It's always been no more than a day to become completely effective for me. After that point, the headaches are virtually gone, but I'm ready to strangle the first son of a bitch whiner that crosses my path.


I have to say for me it must not work then  ;;D

I would be in heaven if I had relief in that short of time  ;;D

Sucks to be me, I haven't found a prescribed preventative medication thats worked effectively since Sancert. I miss it.
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by JDH on Nov 25th, 2007, 12:35am

on 11/23/07 at 19:47:34, brewcrew wrote:
It's always been no more than a day to become completely effective for me. After that point, the headaches are virtually gone, but I'm ready to strangle the first son of a bitch whiner that crosses my path.


That's pretty much me until the taper starts.

Plus I like to eat a lot...and I mean a LOT! :o



Jim
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by brewcrew on Nov 25th, 2007, 9:26am

on 11/25/07 at 00:35:50, JDH wrote:
That's pretty much me until the taper starts.

Plus I like to eat a lot...and I mean a LOT! :o



Jim


Yep - the massive eating part almost goes without saying. I think I once asked Pat to bake me a pie. And I meant it - it was for ME. ;;D
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by vietvet2tours on Nov 25th, 2007, 10:09am

on 11/25/07 at 09:26:52, brewcrew wrote:
Yep - the massive eating part almost goes without saying. I think I once asked Pat to bake me a pie. And I meant it - it was for ME. ;;D


 Eat pie at the Y and save on the calories.

        Potter
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by brewcrew on Nov 25th, 2007, 1:22pm

on 11/25/07 at 10:09:41, vietvet2tours wrote:
 Eat pie at the Y and save on the calories.

        Potter

You're a pig.
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by vietvet2tours on Nov 25th, 2007, 2:43pm

on 11/25/07 at 13:22:38, brewcrew wrote:
You're a pig.


   ;;D
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by justthe2ofus on Nov 28th, 2007, 7:51am
Usually within a day (24 hrs) for me....Just came off a pred taper, it worked fairly quick this time.
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by findjoshua on Nov 28th, 2007, 8:04am
Thanks all.  The taper began working in about 36 hours.  I am on a pretty long one. 60 x 3, 50 x 14 and so on.  In the past as soon as I came down from 50 I would get hit, so we're doing long 50 this time.  Ho hum.  I can't wait till it's over.

Thanks all,
Joshua
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by justthe2ofus on Nov 28th, 2007, 8:11am
That is pretty much how my taper went...Anything below 40 for me set my hits back off again. So I stayed at 40 for around 2 weeks.
Good luck and PF wishes to you.
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by brewcrew on Nov 28th, 2007, 8:13am

on 11/28/07 at 08:04:44, findjoshua wrote:
Thanks all.  The taper began working in about 36 hours.  I am on a pretty long one. 60 x 3, 50 x 14 and so on.  In the past as soon as I came down from 50 I would get hit, so we're doing long 50 this time.  Ho hum.  I can't wait till it's over.

Thanks all,
Joshua

The first few times I did the pred taper I would start getting hit as soon as I dropped below 40mg. So you're not alone.
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by Damon on Dec 3rd, 2007, 2:52am
  I go on a pred taper 2x a year, I know the schedule by heart. My neuro starts me off with 40mg 4x for 4 days, 3x for 4, 2x then 1x for the last four. My experience is that it takes 2-3 days to kick in.
  Hope it kicks in quick
 
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by cart7 on Dec 14th, 2007, 6:55pm
It took about 24 hours before it kicked.

The side effects were mutha's though.  I'll never take that crap again.  2 weeks later and I still don't fully have my sense of taste back completely.  
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by tigerman on Dec 14th, 2007, 9:59pm
Funny ive used this many times for poison ivy,cause I survey land.Maybe thats why the attacks seem so bad now , its been 2-3 summers since I had some prednisone?Heck I 'm  miserable & longing for answers that cannot be answered.
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by brewcrew on Dec 14th, 2007, 11:30pm

on 12/14/07 at 18:55:12, cart7 wrote:
I still don't fully have my sense of taste back completely.  

I've never heard of this side effect before. That must suck.
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by Patrick_A on Dec 26th, 2007, 2:42am

on 11/25/07 at 10:09:41, vietvet2tours wrote:
 Eat pie at the Y and save on the calories.

        Potter


LMMFAO, I pissed my pants when I read that. Then pissed again when called a PIG. LMFAO
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by swimchica623 on Dec 26th, 2007, 12:26pm
With the whole weight/dosage issue.....the standard is supposed to be 1mg per every kg that you weigh.  Sometimes you might have doctors prescribing up to 2mg per kg (so that will be at least about 120mg) and starting the taper from there, but other doctors believe when you get doses up that high you see no extra benefit from the medicine, just extra side effects.  As far as using prednisone for asthma, I definatly see benefit with a extra large dose, and a few doctors at Jefferson use as much as 1000mg when things get really bad for CH so...its debatable.  But I don't think it works any faster, just better maybe.  The only way to get steroids working faster is if you get a dose of salumederol or decadron IV at the hospital.  
Lisa
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by brewcrew on Dec 26th, 2007, 12:32pm

on 12/26/07 at 12:26:04, swimchica623 wrote:
With the whole weight/dosage issue.....the standard is supposed to be 1mg per every kg that you weigh.  Sometimes you might have doctors prescribing up to 2mg per kg (so that will be at least about 120mg) and starting the taper from there, but other doctors believe when you get doses up that high you see no extra benefit from the medicine, just extra side effects.  As far as using prednisone for asthma, I definatly see benefit with a extra large dose, and a few doctors at Jefferson use as much as 1000mg when things get really bad for CH so...its debatable.  But I don't think it works any faster, just better maybe.  The only way to get steroids working faster is if you get a dose of salumederol or decadron IV at the hospital.  
Lisa

I didn't think I was losing my mind. There's a reason nurses have you step on the scale during a doctor visit.
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by swimchica623 on Dec 26th, 2007, 9:46pm
hahaha yeah some medicines are based on weight, prednisone is the only one i can think of off the top of my head but I know there are others.
They can also use that moment to scold you for eating too many Christmas cookies.   :-X
Title: Re: How Quickly Does Prednisone Work?
Post by cart7 on Jan 3rd, 2008, 11:13pm

on 12/14/07 at 23:30:18, brewcrew wrote:
I've never heard of this side effect before. That must suck.


Here's my list of all the side effects I experienced as I waited for my neuro appt.

Lost sense of taste (everything had a metallic taste to it,  lasted nearly 3 weeks after the end of the taper)
Blurred vision.
Heart racing.
Weird acne that started popping up on my back, face and arms.
Usual puffiness.
Over eating even though I couldn't taste anything.
Difficulty in sleeping even though it knocked the CH right out.

The worst was a few times when my little finger would spontaneously curl over the ring finger on my hand, it happened on my foot with the baby toe doing it to the toe next to it!!  I sat there and watched it, realized I wasn't doing anything to make it happen.  That scared me the most, I started the taper immediately, I'd rather face the CH's than all that crap listed.   :o


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