More on prednisone

[challny]

So, someone told me that prednisone does NOT help with emphysema. I've been taking 10 mg. for 3 days and can tell no difference. Any thoughts from those who suffer from emphysema?

[Badbessie]

I have no experience with long term use. However on the couple of occasions I have been very wheezy post infection I found the higher dose short course very effective. I have moderate emphysema.

[2greys]

They are usually prescribed for inflammation, which you can get even with Emphysema. I have had 5 courses this year, the last course was for 24 days before tapering off. Hopefully, with the increased corticosteroids in my Fostair inhaler, I will no longer need the pills.

[challny in reply to 2greys]

Hi, @2greys. Do you have emphysema? I would like to think these steroids will help me. I'm just on day 3 of 10 mg. once daily. My diagnosis was emphysema with "some" asthma.

[2greys in reply to challny]

Yes, I have severe Emphysema. The problem that I now have is, since developing lung cancer, my airways get easily inflamed and I have an Eosinophil Count in the upper end of normal (a type of white blood cell), My combination inhaler, Fostair, now has double the corticosteroids in it. I only got it yesterday so cannot really tell if it will be effective or not.

[challny in reply to 2greys]

@2greys, I appreciate your responses to me. I wish you all the best in your battle and hope the new inhaler works great for you.

[peege]

Just to say, 10mg is quite a low dose

[challny in reply to peege]

Hi, @peege ... didn't really know 10 mg. was low dose. My doc gave me 90 of them. Maybe I should double up. When I saw her just a month ago I asked for pred and she said You don't need them. When I called her office a few weeks later saying I was really feeling awful, she phoned in a script. I don't think she understands what's going on with me. She just always acts like I'm just fine.

[peege in reply to challny]

I think I'd be seeing another doctor challny.

Please don't double your dose because I said it was low 😭 eek!

[O2Trees in reply to challny]

Peege is right, that's an unusually low dose though there may be a reason your doctor has prescribed that amount. Ive just started my rescue pred at 30mg which is my usual dose due to asthma inflammation caused by a virus. I read not long ago that the recommended standard dose is 40mg now though 30mg works for me. Have a word with your doctor.

[challny in reply to O2Trees]

@02Trees, the thing that is confusing me is that someone has said that prednisone is good for some types of COPD but not for emphysema. I think my doc may have just given them to me to shut me up. My problem with her is that she seems to go just by my numbers without asking how I feel. The numbers she tells me I have are not that bad, 70 percent FEV1 and 98 02 sats. I'm not sure I even believe that. But whatever the numbers, it's how you feel that's most important. And I feel almost totally useless.

[O2Trees in reply to challny]

Do you have asthma challny? I do and ive taken them for years for that long before I had copd diagnosis. Im wondering if since you wanted the pred, your GP didnt think you needed it but you came back, whether she's given you 10mg as a compromise to get rid of you.

You are quite right, it's how you feel and Ive no idea whether higher pred dose would make you feel better. I agree with Peege that maybe you should consider another GP, or ask for a second opinion. Something is wrong as you feel awful despite good sats and fev1. Dont give up but dont automatically assume that pred will be the answer - take more advice.

[Badbessie in reply to O2Trees]

I am the same 30mg works fine for me too. In have a small build and find 40mg causes some very unwanted side affects.

[O2Trees in reply to Badbessie]

Yes, I went down to 15 today and still shaking. It does depend on build, my last GP told me that when I was desperate and suggested taking 40mg. She said there was no point. There is not enough knowledge about what works for different individuals.

[pepapod]

My experience is the prednisone helps when I have inflammation from a chest infection, which is about 2x per year. I have moderate emphysema, for which I use only an inhaler (Symbicort) during the 95% of the year that I’m not suffering from an infection. I don’t know if prednisone dosing is part of normal daily treatment for emphysema for some - possibly at more severe stages or with other complications? I’m sure someone on here will know.

[pepapod]

Also, when I was first diagnosed, I freaked out a lot, thought I was dying. Have a history of anxiety by the way. Got myself a pretty good pulse oximeter and learned how to use it. When I felt terrible, I would check it. Often it was 94 / 95 with pulse in the 60’s. Which is not dying by any means, in fact is healthy / normal. So I would carry on. Eventually learned how to separate “feel like I’m dying” from actual physical difficulty. It took a little time, I want to say about 3 weeks. Still get the breathless feeling sometimes, but as long as O2 and pulse are good, I tell myself it is nothing and go on. It always passes in just a few minutes. Just sharing something that has helped me, may not be right for everyone.

[jackdup]

When I have been give a prescription for pred it is usually 50mg a day for 5 days. My understanding is that if you take pred for longer than 7 days you need to be weaned off of it. Maybe that low of a dose doesn’t require tapering off of it. I think you should double check with the pharmacy and or doctor to insure you are taking the correct dosage, but don’t double up on the dosage on your own.

[caroleoctober]

I take 5mg of prednisone daily, I have tried to cut it out but then I have a dry cough almost continuously. I have emphysema severe stage 4. Keep smiling.

Carole x

[CDPO16]

I have emphysema and late onset asthma. 2 years ago I needed a course of prednisolone 30mg daily for 7 days almost every month to ease severe breathing difficulties. After 9 months my GP suggested taking 5mg daily long term. She said that the optimum daily dose was 7.5mg but she was reluctant to prescribe this dose because of the amount of oral steroids I had had over the year. I took the 5mg daily for a month with no benefit at which time she said there was little point continuing.

I was subsequently seen by a hospital consultant who increased my dose of Fostair from 2 puffs twice daily to 2 puffs four times a day. That dose took about a month to kick in but I have not needed to take prednisolone since. Fingers crossed it stays that way.