Prednisolone for reactive arthritis

[Viridian]

Hi, all. My husband was diagnosed with reactive arthritis a couple of weeks ago and after no improvement with painkillers and anti-inflammatories and antibiotics, he’s been put on prednisolone. He’s pretty much bed-bound because of the pain in his ankles, knees and shoulders. He’s 44 and not had any previous health problems apart from hay fever. I’m wondering if anyone in here has taken prednisolone and how long before it started to work, *if* it did indeed work? Many thanks.

[DorsetLady]

I'm usually on another forum -for PMR/GCA where Prednisolone is widely used - and results are usually very quick. IF it works for him, it should be a matter of days.

Can't comment on reactive arthritis though, but this might give a bit more info-

versusarthritis.org/about-a...

[Viridian in reply to DorsetLady]

Thanks so much. I will check out that forum.

[Happyrosie]

I’m unsure what you mean by reactive arthritis. Why would antibiotics be thought to help? I’m confused.

Pred. is a steroid used, in arthritis, really to mask symptoms, it doesn’t cure but makes the whole thing less painful. Probably your best bet is to talk to a pharmacist if you are finding your medical practitioner can’t help you.

[DorsetLady in reply to Happyrosie]

Reactive arthritis is sometimes causes by an infection, so the antibiotics are used to cure that infection....not the reactive arthritis itself....that need painkillers of some sort...NSAIDs or DMARDs

[Viridian in reply to Happyrosie]

Thanks for replying. Reactive arthritis is a type of arthritis that develops after an infection. It can heal in a matter of weeks or it can take up to anyear or longer to recover from. The first doctor thought the infection had cleared and just prescribed paracetamol, codeine and Naproxen but because my husband was still experiencing daily temperature rises, another doctor decided to treat him with IV and oral antibiotics aswell. When my husband didn’t improve after a few days of antibiotics, they stopped the IV antibiotics, and said his high temperature was probably due to the inflammation rather than any residual infection, and they stopped the antibiotics (and Naproxen) and started him on prednisolone. He took his first dose this morning and has been asleep most of the day since. My husband has an appointment with the rheumatologist on Tuesday but I was feeling anxious and wanting to see if anyone else had had a similar experience. Thanks.

[Happyrosie in reply to Viridian]

Thanks for your explanation. This is such an unusual situation - and you have my sympathy.

I’m just sorry there’s nothing I’m able to offer except the sympathy, though. I wish you both well.

[Viridian in reply to Happyrosie]

I very much appreciate the sympathy and good wishes. ❤️ Thank you for taking the time to respond. X

[Deniseelk]

I have Rheumatoid Arthritis ( RA) but in the early days when my inflammation was very bad ( broadly right wrist and left hand finger) and was well set in I initially was given a steroid depo-medrone injection but this did not have any effect on me. This was given whilst other long term medication could take effect to dampen effects. However, for me I find oral Prednisolone works. What mg dose is your husband on and how long has he had them for. In the past I found that they certainly gave me some energy pretty quickly within a couple of days however before if I have left the inflammation get really set in it took about two weeks to take effect. In hindsight I which I had spoken to my Rheumatologist earlier as I think the mg dose was too low. Do ensure he rests to allow the Prednisolone to kick in and when he is starting to feel better ( and can move more) ensure he doesn’t overdo it. I would suggest if he doesn’t see any improvement in say a week speak to his medic as the dose could be too low to start with. For later on I trust they explained how they want him to come down from the higher doses and over what period too as Prednisolone is really better used as a quick effective treatment to reduce inflammation. Do also help him with treatments such as heat pads , pain relief medication like paracetamol, warm baths with Epsom Sea salts ( if he can get in / out), pillows placed under joints, some prefer ice packs to heat and any distraction from the pain ( music , movies, books, jigsaws, painting). Must say, what a lovely wife to be thinking of him to actually seek help as it’s so hard to explain the pain and frustration and boredom to someone else who doesn’t suffer arthritis pain. Best of luck.

[Viridian in reply to Deniseelk]

Thanks so much for your reply. He’s had a terrible few weeks, been in and out of hospital, and been treated with medication that hasn’t helped, had loads of tests and scans and now finally he’s on steroids, we’re really hoping they help. He’s got an appointment with the rheumatologist next Tuesday and I’m really hoping he’s better by then.

[Viridian in reply to Viridian]

Forgot to say, he’s on 30mg a day. He only started this morning.

[Domhem in reply to Viridian]

30mg is high and should give him some relief, pred has got me through some very tough times. I’m flaring now as off my biologic and DMARD and pred is bringing it under control. Hope he feels better soon but pred should help him quite quickly

[Viridian in reply to Domhem]

They took him off it after only three days. They want to give him a PET scan and said he can’t be on steroids because it interferes with the scan equipment. He’s got to wait till Friday for the scan. They put him on Ibuprofen for a few days and now they’ve stopped that and put him back on Naproxen. He’s seeing different doctors and each of them has their own ideas about what medication he should be on.

[Domhem in reply to Viridian]

Sorry to hear that, hoping he may have got some relief from the pred. Hope the scan goes okay and your husband starts to recover. Yes sadly communication between doctors isn’t great, hope you get some answers soon