Variable Prednisolone Dose

I'm struggling to reduce my long-term Pred. I've been on it for a few years, often at a high dose (40mg). I can get down to 10mg, but if I drop to 5mg it all goes wrong.

I tried again to drop to 5mg last week and it went wrong - and I'm now back on 40mg.

By my asthma plan, I should drop back to where I was, i.e. 5mg after 5 days, but the GP I saw today (not my GP) suggested I drop to a variable dose - alternating 10mg and 5mg each day.

Has anyone done something like this or know what the proposed benefits should be?

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hi ratty.

i like you have been on long term high dose pred for past 11 months now, and got side effects of it and so gotta take other meds- supplements etc...

consultant wants me off the pred ASAP but everytime i reduce down to 10mg or less i get into trouble.... so catch 22 situation...

but what he suggested and what he has done is put me on an inhaler which has the highest possible steroid in it, so the steroid goes where it is supposed to- into the lungs- rather than systemic, so less side effects... maybe that would be of benefit to you?? then hopefully i can wean off pre successfully, you can too

xx

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I'm afraid I'm already on twice the highest dose of inhaler (agreed by my consultant).

The trouble is there is, according to the GP I saw, no where else to go in increasing anything else to help me get off the Pred. I'm going to talk to the consultant about this though because I will seriously try anything.

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it seems me and u in the same boat ratty... is it ciclesonide? double dose he said, it not normally recommended double consultant said, but he agreed it had to be doubled for me too...

we really need to be off pred tho, hey! willing to try anything, c what they say at next appt...

good luck, stay well x

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also, you finding omeprazole good for reflux/ heartburn? cos suffering badly!! i cant seem to find anything that works :S

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Yes it is Ciclesonide, I'm on 2 puffs twice a day so way over the licensed dose. I'm seeing my consultant next week so I'm hoping a miracle cure is invented before then - otherwise I'll just keep dosing myself on the jelly-babies!!

Omeprozole does work for me, I had a horrid time before I started that, and I notice now for instance if I'm in hospital and it's not given at the right time (no I can't wait until after breakfast the whole point is I take it before food...) that I then suffer.

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yes- like me cicesonide 2 puffs twice a day through an aerochamber plus as requested!!

heartburn is awful though yes, i will have to try omeprazole see if i get any relief, nothing else seems to work....

as for the pred, with the total amount of steroid we both getting- both inhaled and pred, we should be on britains strongest man/woman 2011 lol

my next appt is in 3 weeks- seen him mon, then yesterday, they keeping close eye on me, currently on 35mg pred from 40mg yesterday and for the past 2 weeks cos of 2 x HDU admissions etc ...

x

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..... jelly babies are yummy tho hehe x

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Doc changing mine to 1mg tabs so take ten then reduce 1mg a week ,

could be worth asking and monitor pf daily and to help take extra blue while decreasing.

thats what my cons got me doing now xxxx

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I tried variable yonks ago, and failed. After being on long term Pred the only way to get right down is extremely slowly. I can get down to 15 mg, but life is so crap that I am happy to stick to 20mg daily and be reasonably comfortable. I have lived on 20mg of pred daily for 15 years plus, everyone has tried everything to get me down to a much lower dose. I tell present and any future docs, to leave me as I am as the long term side effects are hell of lot less bother than the disease itself.