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        New Message Board Archives >> Medications, Treatments, Therapies 2002 >> prednisolone did`nt work
        
(Message started by: cher on Feb 24^th, 2002, 9:00am)

Title: prednisolone did`nt work
Post by cher on Feb 24^th, 2002, 9:00am

hi, just wondering who here has taken a course of prednisolone/predisone and it did`nt work?

i started on a course, starting at 8 for the first two days tapering down by two tablets every two days, this is what the doc prescribed. Well, i`m on the last two tabs and am getting hit hard.

tomorrow will be another trip to the docs to see if i should up them again and to get more imitrex,imigran, to keep me sane.

God help you anyone who is suffering at the moment, i feel for you all so much, my head is up my arse, i`m on my own with two kids and worried sick. But, I`m getting there slowly. My sweetpea is 3000 miles away and can only help by me waking him up at 3 am in the morning, crying down the phone, thanks pumpkin for your help.

god bless you all

and i love ya

cher x

Title: Re: prednisolone did`nt work
Post by susan on Feb 24^th, 2002, 2:11pm

I feel your pain sister.... I will pray for you and hope you find a pill, shot, etc... that kills the beast for you, much love and hope..... susan

Title: Re: prednisolone did`nt work
Post by Elizabeth on Feb 24^th, 2002, 2:13pm

Hi Cher x - can you give us a bit more information?
You said 8 pills...how many mg per pill? 10mg pills?
Did you get any relief while on the prednisone? After the first day, my headaches decreased - while on 4 or more 10mg pills per day, I was almost headache free; once I went below 40mg, they returned.
Best of luck!
Liz

Title: Re: prednisolone did`nt work
Post by cher on Feb 24^th, 2002, 2:25pm

liz, the preds are 5mg, so that`s 8, 5mg tabs for two days, then 6 tabs for two days, 4 tabs for two days then two tabs till they are gone, but then i noticed there were still a load of pills still left in the bottle, the doc got it wrong, no wonder it has`nt worked.

how are you doing anyway?

love

cherx

Title: Re: prednisolone did`nt work
Post by Elizabeth on Feb 24^th, 2002, 2:38pm

wow, cher! pills left can't be a good thing... you're gonna call the doctor tomorrow, right?

ty for asking how i'm doing.... I haven't found the right medication for me yet - I am trying alternative therapy that seems to be helping (nothing new folks...it's helped many already) although it's turning me into a complete b*tch! (don't say it, charlie.... just don't.....)
I'm always happy to be able to say that I'm vertical - some days that's about the best I can do, other than saying 'I'm breathing' ;D

Good luck, cher! Keep us posted!
Liz

Title: Here's the problem...
Post by KarenT on Feb 25^th, 2002, 12:14pm

That's basically a Medrol Dose Pack, something that's really only good for poison oak/ivy and other assorted rashes. At least that's what the neuro that got Will on the right regimen told me. (only after we had gone through the whole pack given by another neuro) :)

He said that it takes higher doses of Prednisone for a longer period of time. This guy's dad has CH so I felt I had to trust that he knew what he was talking about. Dr Callahan put Will on Prednisone 80mg daily for 5 days,then 60mg for 5 days, 40mg for 5, 20mg for 5 and finished with 10mg for 5. He also told him to take one over the counter Pepcid/Zantac and one Tum daily. Said it would decrease the irritation of the stomach lining due to the Prednisone and the Tum would help with calcium replacement (we were doing Verapamil at the time).

I hope today finds you feeling a lot better. :-*

Title: Re: prednisolone did`nt work
Post by don on Feb 25^th, 2002, 6:34pm

If you haven't done so already, start a preventative at the same time as your initial doses of the pred. When the affects of the pred begin to taper off, the preventative should kick in. I use verapimil

Title: Re: prednisolone did`nt work
Post by bdenkew on Feb 25^th, 2002, 8:57pm

Cher,
Not sure if there is a difference between the dosage of prednisone and prednisolone, but I've always had to start with at least 60-80mg of prednisone per day for about five days before I was headache-free enough to begin to taper down. This last time I even had to go to 100 mg for a couple of days.

Also, do your best to get completely off prednisone for as long as possible at the end of every cycle. I didn't and now have numerous side effects as a result.

Best of Luck.
bdenkew

Title: Re: prednisolone did`nt work
Post by cher on Feb 26^th, 2002, 7:13am

hiya den and everyone else who has replied who to my post, i went back to the docs yesterday, well, for starters, he thought he was seeing my son, when the appointment was made for me, then, he did`nt even have my records out, then he asked me if i was having a cluster right then, huh? If i was and i wasn`t, I`d have scared the shit out of him.

he gave me a repeat prescription for the imitrex and also asked me to try in tablet form, Almotriptan, and, then gave me a bottle of 100, 5mg prednisolone tablets.

So I asked him, do i start the course again like last time starting at 8 tablets of 5mg and taper down again?

he said, i don`t know, what do you think?

well, i just told him the cluster did`nt break through on that amount so i would start at 8 again but taper down a bit slower this time, decrease by one instead of two.

he warned me that if i was to go over two weeks on these steroids i would be prone and at risk of developing diabetes, osteoporosis and other such ailments.

Well, to me the guy just did`nt have much of a clue how to prescribe the medicatoin but knew how they would effect me in the long run, seems a bit irish to me.

Anyway, i managed to get through the morning without getting hit so i was grateful for that at least.

It seems like many of us are our own doctors and do know more than they do, I`ve offered to give info to the docs, but in reply, `I hav`nt got time to read all that`

How the hell can they expect to treat all their patients correctly when they hav`nt got the time to even know how to start with one.

beats me.

well you guys have a good day

love ya

cher x

Title: Re: prednisolone did`nt work
Post by Margi on Feb 26^th, 2002, 10:27am

Hi Sweetie,

so sorry you're hurting again AND that you've got a nimrod neuro...

K, here's what Mike did. He started with a Pred burst - 3 days at 80 mgs., then tapering off by 5 mgs a day. Took him 17 days to do the course of the pred. By the second day, he did get a break but as he tapered, the clusters came back. He didn't like the side effects of the pred at all. The pred robbed Mike of his ability to control his emotions while under attack. He's always done very well with that aspect, unmedicated.

He also started a course of Verapamil, slowing building up to 720 mgs. a day. No real change in his attacks, once the pred got out of his system. In fact, Mike has just gone through the longest cycle EVER. He's at month 5 now. He's usually only ever gone 2-3 months max. We did have to decrease the verapamil and switch him to the SR version because of heart palpitations. Imitrex inhalers were able to abort a few attacks, but certainly not all. O2 stopped working for him as well.

However, dare I jinx him, I can see signs the cycle is finally dieing out. 48 hours between attacks right now and the attacks are weaker. Bigger, however, we've weaned him OFF the verapamil. He's not taking anything now. The Beast is dieing a natural death now, instead of a medicated one.

Just food for thought, Cher. I'm not saying you should go through your cycle unmedicated. Not at all. Just letting you know how this last one went for us.

Hugs

Title: Re: prednisolone did`nt work
Post by MOB on Feb 26^th, 2002, 10:42am

Hi Cher :)

Here is what Goadsby has to say:

"We start patients on oral prednisolone 1mg/kg to a maximum of 60mg once daily for five days, then decrease the dose by 10mg every three days. Unfortunately, relapse almost invariably occurs because the dose is tapered. For this reason, steroids are used as an initial therapy in conjunction with preventatives, until the latter are effective."

Hope that helps :)

Hope you get PF soon !!

Best Wishes,

Michael (MOB)

Title: Re: prednisolone did`nt work
Post by nancyc on Feb 26^th, 2002, 4:07pm

Several years ago, i was on prednisone...i was at work, at the drug cart giving out meds...one of the nurses said my neck turned red,and it ran up my face...i felt my pulse start racing...they had to rush me to the ER where my blood pressure was sky high...wont ever try a high dose of prednisone again....i do have a med pack here i have thought about doing if i get really desperate ...wish i could help you more...