How long does a steriod injection last :)

[willowwag]

Hi all, i wounder if you can help, i had a steriod injectction at the begining of dec to try and help my lupus, serositus..all through december i had 3 attacks of my excruciating abdo pain with vomiting, which was great as i normal have around 19 in a month..come thr first of jan bang, and i had three bouts in a week its only the 11th of jan and i have flared 8 times in 11 days, serositis is the inflamation of the lining of my abdomen and organs within, its horrific im still trying to hold my job down...i wished with every bone in my body that the steriods would work, im on planquinel 400mg, anitriptaline, tramadol (which make me non coherant).

My question really is should the effect from the steriod injection worn of so quick, or do i need a higher dose, im so in the dark, will the rhumy offer another one or add more meds to my mix.....feel so down today and feel like i need some advice please. Xxx im not seeing her till april, and my doctors know nothing about lupus, they just say im not touching u talk to ur rhumy...

[Hidden]

Hi willow wag, sorry don't know about jab but will be having my first on the 23rd this month. I'm sure rheumy said I would have them monthly but I'm wondering if I misheard. On this site people have spoke about it and said that a dose is worked out for the year and they split it into 4 or so injections every few months. I'm on same meds as you with oral pred and co codamol for pain. Will be very interested, hope you get a good response and I hope things settle for you soon.

[willowwag]

Hi 61, i think the plan with my rhumy is to have them every 3/4 months im seeing her on the 7th april, yes its very interesting i would be very gratefull if u do find out how long yours should last, and i cant remember the name of the steriod she gave me lol.. The injection doesnt hurt wishing you lots of luck keep in touch.

[Hidden in reply to willowwag]

Yes I will, think jab is called depo medrone or similar sounding. There is methyl prednisolone too, but could all be same group of drugs. As I said I will let you know. This memory lark is a nightmare. We line ourselves up like lambs to the slaughter. Have all sorts jabbed in us and we can't remember the name let alone why we are there. !!!!

[Tigerlily4]

Hi Willowwag. The maximum dose is 120mls of depo-medrone every 13 weeks (or 480mls per annum) and yes it does gradually wear off or sometimes not work at all, depending how much inflammation it's trying to quell. Some rheumatologists (ie. mine) will allow patients an extra 120mls per annum, which means you can have a shot every 10 weeks, but even so that's now not enough to keep me comfortable. Be aware you ought to be taking calcium and Vit D tabs every day while having shots to avoid osteoporosis and that long term use will also thin your skin. All in all though it's my drug of choice and can be topped up with NSAIDs if any work for you. Tramadol won't help with inflammation as you probably know. Hope that helps. x

[Hidden in reply to Tigerlily4]

Sorry to jump in but has it made you put on much weight ?

[Tigerlily4 in reply to Hidden]

No worries 6161. Only if I eat, lol!

[Hidden in reply to Tigerlily4]

Yes very funny, thanks for letting me know and apologies to willowwag for taking over.

[Tigerlily4 in reply to Tigerlily4]

No, seriously ... it does make you crave carbohydrates, as do tricyclics, so if you're also taking amitriptiyene it's a double whammy. The way I deal with it is by avoiding eating carbs for the majority of the time.

[Tigerlily4 in reply to Tigerlily4]

Amitriptyline. Lost concentration with kitten jumping all over me and the keyboard. Sorry, that didn't make much sense. What I meant is I've avoided weight gain by cutting out carbs almost entirely. It was difficult at first but not so bad once you get used to it. You can fill up with other veg. That's not to say I don't have the odd potato or pasta dish or chow mein but only as an occasional treat. Bread is better left out altogether though.

[Tigerlily4 in reply to Tigerlily4]

BTW, Willowwag, I forgot to say you may not have been given the full 120mls in your first injection, so how quickly it wore off and how you feel now will also depend on the dose.

[willowwag]

Hi all thanks for getting back to me your all great, sometimes you just need to ask a question you dont get chance to ask the rhumey, i wish i could remember the name of tge steriod, i was talking to my husband about it hes great, i asked him do u think she gave me a low dose of steriod the first time, he said on the day i was like a rabbit in headlights lol, and he remember her saying we start low and work our way upwards....as if they start high theres no where to go, i think i get it noe with your replies, so because im flaring all the time maybe that why dec was great with only a few flares but its flaring so bad the inflamation may need a stronger dose...as to 61 question have i put on weight, anitriptaline made me put on weight it used to be 8 stone im now 9 1/2 the steriod injection hasnt realy made me put weight on but i did feel hungry more offten but i stuck to my normal routine.i dont realy know alot about steriods but it did work for about a month..