Thinking of stopping my steroids

[Tiamonet]

I'm considering stopping my steroid medication. Scared of damaging my liver and kidneys. I want to try a herbal approach any suggestions??

[summer32]

Never , never!! stop steroids suddenly it can be very dangerous!!, they should be gradually cut down before stopping, there are no herbal equivalent of steroids, as steroids are a specific type of hormone maunfactured by adrenal glands. Kidney and liver problems from taking them are very rare.. more likely to deplete calcium from bones or alter mood or lead to high blood pressure,, again only with long term use, or several long courses

[Coppernob]

Depends why you need steroids in the first place. Possibly adrenal support might help. But maybe not. Summer32 is right to say you must never stop steroids suddenly, or even reduce quickly. You will regret it if you do, believe me. However, on the other hand, steroids have serious side effects, even at low doses. They can affect your eyes and especially your bones, also suppress adrenal function, cause weight gain, gave me constipation and made me dopey, thin the skin, weaken the muscles ...... So I totally sympathise with you wanting to get off them. I've tried myself and have had, for now at least, to resign myself to a very low dose (3mg).

For inflammation I am using a product called ProCurmin Complete II (by Tisso, I believe), mainly consisting of turmeric. Something like this might help you reduce your steroid dose, but maybe not stop it altogether. I'm not sure if this needs to be prescribed by a practitioner (my naturopathic doctor does that for me) or if you can just buy it OTC.

All the best.

[Paul_Howard Partner LUPUS UK]

Please follow summer32's advice and DO NOT suddenly stop taking your steroids, or reduce the dose without your doctor's supervision. It can be very very dangerous!

If you have strong concerns about your current treatment regimen I recommend you speak with your consultant. Let them know your concerns and then they can set out exactly what your options are and the risks associated with them so you can make a decision on what is best for you as a team.

[madmagz]

Please please pleas be very careful!!! Your doctors have you on steroids for a reason - none of us particularly want to take them but sometimes our bodies need the help. I would also like to give you a few words of warning about herbal/ alternative remedies..... be very careful! I decided that I would rather go down that route last year and ended up with a rather lengthy stay in hospital. I became a lot worse and something caused an infection due to my immune system being so busy attacking me it could not protect me when something didn't agree with my body. I will not go into detail but I looked and felt awful it was extremely painful and not the way I planned to spend the whole of the festive season....and all of January.

Please take caution and talk to your doctors don't reduce anything on your own it could do more harm than good. I will however recommend Manuka honey I do know other lupies who take this every day and have been able to have their doctors reduce their steroids.

Good luck and I hope you get what you want

Madmagz x

[madmagz]

Here here, I know that none of us want to fill our bodies with chemicals that we know will possibly do nasty things to us but quite honestly for the way my life has improved since I have taken these chemicals I am happy to do so. I now lead a full and active life am spending more time out of hospital than I am in and am back to living my life to it's fullest extent and making the most of every single day.

I would rather take them and the calcium and live well than not take them and struggle in pain spending weeks in hospital looking damned awful like I used to. You are right though Bluebell each to their own but I do love living my life to the fullest while I have the opportunity

Madmagz x