Prednisone/Prednisolone.......ugh!

[Lemongrass]

Clockwork Orange, may I ask if you were on the prednisolone just for asthma, or was it for an arthritis condition as well?

I can only speak from my experience of course, so none of this may be relevant to you!

I have inflammatory polyarthropy (a fancy way for saying I have inflamed joints but it's not rheumatoid arthritis). I've been on prednisolone for seven years now. Started on 7.5mg per day, then on 5mg for about four years. Whenever I flare I increase the dosage for a few weeks. I'm currently coming off taking 10mg a day for a week.

I keep trying to lower my dosage as the side effects of that much prednisolone for so long are vile. I've managed to get down to 1mg a day and then my joints decided to flare up again.

But as I also have asthma, the prednisolone completely masks it at 5mg. As soon as I start dropping the dosage, I have to go onto a preventer again (Seretide). But as I'm sure you know, preventers take some weeks to be fully effective.

How long is it before your ride? Maybe you could talk to your GP about taking a hit of prednisolone for a few weeks to get you past the ride, then taper off. Or if it's a while away, try a preventer.

I think being active is the important thing, and although I don't like taking 6 different tablets morning and night, if I didn't, I wouldn't be able to move.

Good luck!

Edit: BTW, I hope I didn't sound too unfeeling! It's just that I've learnt over the years to be a bit dismissive of pain as I don't like sympathy. Believe me, I do feel for you. I hate it when it's a choice between the unpalatable and the unpleasant!

[ClockworkOrange]

...................But as I also have asthma, the prednisolone completely masks it at 5mg. As soon as I start dropping the dosage, I have to go onto a preventer again (Seretide). But as I'm sure you know, preventers take some weeks to be fully effective.

Hi Lemongrass and thank you for taking so much time to write such a lengthy reply.

The reason I started on steroids was they discovered I had Aspergillosis (the following gives a brief explanation).

Aspergillus is a fungus which occurs everywhere throughout the world, that feeds on dead animal or plant material, and in this role it is vitally important to the environment to recyle all kinds of biological materials. It is spread via microscopically small spores that are extremely light and float easily in the air. Normally when aspergillus spores are inhaled by people, their immune system recognises the spores as foreign and they are destroyed.

I have been doing really well, Sporanox keeps everything at bay BUT precisely what you wrote, "But as I also have asthma, the prednisolone completely masks it at 5mg".

I have been given what I think can be described as a preventer Clenil 250, I have never seen this one before but unfortunately, it does not seem to be helping much. I also have Ventolin that makes little difference, apart from making me light headed sometimes.

My worst problem is SOB, after walking up slopes or stairs then the fatigue sets in and it totally wipes me out until I just lie down. I rarely cough with the asthma?

I so agree about being active but that is my downfall, I cannot just take things easy, I have to be doing something around the house.

Click on under my signature, it has the date of our ride. I am just getting very frustrated, encouraging everybody else but I cannot get on my bike yet! So far we have raised US $1200 but have a long way to reach my dream of US $15161.

As much as anything, by posting here it just gave me a chance to get off my chest.......no pun intended!

Many thanks again for your reply, it was appreciated.

Clock