My doctor put me on steroid tabs daily as my asthma is not behaving with inhalers and tabs
.I have OA In all my joints and worried what the steroids might do to my joints also.
Would increasing my diet with calsium naturaly be enough to protect my joints.
Love Glynis x
Hi Glynis,
I have started taking multi vits and protein powder as I have lost over a stone in weight whilst is was ill over new year - not exactly ideal when you only weight 7 and a half stone anyway. Asked my gp about the additional and said that it would be good for a boost. I'd say it certainly would be worth a try, would you be able to take a calcium suppliment for your OA? A lot of ladies I have worked with took it help with their OA.
Hope you start to feel well soon Emma xxx
If you're on daily Pred then I would urge you to talk to your doctor about bone protection medication. I wasn't started on this when I started long term Pred, and if I could change anything, I'd go back and start this when I started Pred.
Whilst the long term Pred has helped my asthma significantly, I have suffered hugely with the side-effects. I now have osteopenia and am currently on crutches with (yet another) stress fracture. In some ways these side-effects are harder to deal with than the asthma, especially as I'm generally a very active independent person.
Increasing calcium alone in your diet is unlikely to be enough - you also need Vit D to aid absorption, and, particularly in the winter (we make it by getting sun on our skin) people in Britain do not get enough anyway.
Hi Glynis, I've been on 10 mg Pred daily for the past year and take Alendronic Acid once a week and daily calcium tablets. I'm surprised your Doctor didn't prescribe them at the same time as the Pred. As Ratty's experience shows bone protection is imperative, I think another member called Marmite also suffers from frequent poorly healing fractures due to longterm pred use and no bone protection.
Please go back and see your GP and get both the daily and weekly bone protection meds.
For 5 yrs i took daily pred of varying amounts with no protection and im now paying for it.
I have osteopenia in my lower spine and osteonecrosis in my right hip(permenantly on crutches and in pain) on which i have had 2 ops and need another 1 these could have both been prevented or onset delayed if i have been given the meds at the start. i have also had 3 stress fractures and 2 broken bones now over the 14 yrs on pred.
The pred may help your OA by reducing inflammation.
i get on well with adcal d3 twice a day and alendronic acid weekly.
Thankyou everyone ,
I will get it sorted with my doc to protect my joints .
Had opps on knees but wont do op on back or neck or hips xxx
I have an appointment to see my asthma nurse tomorrow morning as I am having problems with a flare up at the moment. I have a combined inhaler which I have had since August. Up until about 8 weeks ago I was doing fine. In August she told me I might have to go on steroids, but I'm not wanting to go down that route because of the side effects. I'm already about 2 stone overweight & don't want to get that bloated look. Should I swallow my pride and go on the steroids? I was on them short term a number of years ago after having pneumonia.
smiler31,
Steroid tablets are only used for 1-3 weeks when you have a bad flair up or infection.
After 3 weeks you need to be weaned off them .
My meds are not helping me despite being on 3 inhalers and 3 lots of tabs so my doc has
put me on them long term.
Im also waiting to be seen again by my hospital consultant.
love Glynis
Thanks Glynis. The only time I was referred to the hospital was after my pneumonia, when I had to go through various exercise tests etc. My GP just keeps referring me to the practise asthma nurse. Says she is more au fait with these things. I don't want to end up with a chest infection again as happened a couple of years ago. I don't do antibiotics very well. They have made me so ill in the past. Last time I was told to basically put up with it. I have adverse reactions in the past & even ended up back in hospital as a result. I won't go into the details, but it wasn't pleasant! GP said the pills had in effect ""poisoned my system"". Gee thanks guys! Had to be put on them intravenously instead.
Didn't get steroids after all, just a change of inhalers. May need some antihistamine type tablets you get for asthma, which you take at night. Back in 3 weeks to see how things have been.
smiler31,hope new inhalers work for you.will build up stronger over few days x
Thanks Glynis, Yes I had a better night last night thankfully. Even managed to go for a swim this morning without feeling as though I was about to expire afterwards. Onwards & upwards! 
Smiler31.
Thats great news xxx
bloodshot eye
steroids.
Oral steroids 
Ephedrine 
Constant Cough&Wheezing
