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New CH.com Forum › Cluster Headache Help and Support › Medications, Treatments, Therapies › swollen ankles/feet, stiff joints: med. reaction?

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swollen ankles/feet, stiff joints: med. reaction? (Read 2290 times)

Gail

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swollen ankles/feet, stiff joints: med. reaction?
Jun 29^th, 2009 at 10:45pm

I took prednisone for 5 months and verapamil (up and down doses) for 2.5 years. The beginning of May, my new neurologist increased verapamil to 240 3x a day, which I did somewhat quickly (from 200 mg 2x/day to higher dose in less than two weeks). I then went off of prednisone and the next day my ankles and feet swelled up. Five weeks later, my joints really hurt. All kinds of bloodwork has been done and no live/kidney or heart issues are evident. They've checked thyroid and Lymes, neither are an issue for me. I'm tired but my counts are fine. It's hurts to walk and more than that, hold, turn or twist any joint in my body. Has this ever happened to anyone?

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Re: swollen ankles/feet, stiff joints: med. reaction?
Reply #1 - Jun 30^th, 2009 at 12:47am

Prednisone usage requires a tapering off of the drug, talk to the doc he/she should be acutely aware of this. After a 5 month usage the tapering can take weeks to months before stopping.

Pred mimics and thus decreases the production of cortisol for your joints and the body will stop making it after a while. Other issues can arise from stopping prednisone too quickly as well.

What you say sounds like prednisone withdrawal symptoms and can cause greater issues untill your body restarts producing on its own wich may not happen for a while if not properly tapered.

A call to the doc is in order.

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Kevin_M

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Re: swollen ankles/feet, stiff joints: med. reaction?
Reply #2 - Jun 30^th, 2009 at 3:41am

Five months of pred use is an unusual usage for clusters with tapering important, I'd be apt to agree with what MJ says.

Quote:

my new neurologist increased verapamil to 240 3x a day, which I did somewhat quickly (from 200 mg 2x/day to higher dose in less than two weeks).

Concerning the swollen feet, that is a reaction I had the first year of increased verap use, and definitely know of another saying similar. The two different reactions can possibly be from each different drug.

The doc's usage advice with pred may not seem fairly right and verap should be increased gradually as well as tapered down gradually. Increasing to 720mg/day, swollen feet are possible.

Quote:

med. reaction?

Has this ever happened to anyone?

I'd believe, yes med reactions and can attest to swollen feet in the past from increased verap.

I'm of course not a doctor.

« Last Edit: Jun 30^th, 2009 at 3:48am by Kevin_M »

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Batch

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Re: swollen ankles/feet, stiff joints: med. reaction?
Reply #3 - Jun 30^th, 2009 at 7:04am

Gail,

Call your doctor ASAP!!!

A taper off prednisone used that long should take several weeks to over a month to do safely. If you stopped without a taper, you're feeling the symptoms of prednisone withdrawal now. SEE YOUR DOCTOR!!!

A slow taper off prednisone will help address the adrenal insufficiency that develops during prednisone use but does not eliminate it. The taper gives your adrenals time to ramp back up in the production of corticosteroids and other hormones that are suppressed when taking prednisone. I was on prednisone for nearly a year for another condition and my doctors at NIH put me on a taper schedule that lasted over a month!

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Take care... and call your doctor.

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