This is such a great consortium with very thoughtful and helpful advice. I really do thank you. Now I have a dilemma - whether I took my 7mg night dose of prednisone (a little senior moment, or can I blame the medication causing fog brain). Anyway, should I take 7mg, or wait till tomorrow morning's dose. And am I alone in being so forgetful?
Marcie
Everybody does it at some point - personally I'd be inclined to err on the side of caution and take it. Better one particulalry good day than a bad one!
And get yourself a dosette box and lay the tablets out a week at a time at least - and then you can see if you have taken it or not. It may not stop you forgetting but once you realise you can check easily!
I have both forgotten dose and taken double dose (was at 13mg then). The forgotten dose took a few days just to even out but was back to "normal" when I double dosed. I would take a dose to make sure and I followed advice after my memory lapse and got pill box so I can see if I have taken dose.
But then you have to remember what day of the week it is. My dosette box is spring loaded (no, not to pop the pills directly into my mouth!!) meaning I can leave the current day (next day after evening doses) offset as a reminder. Works most times!
Steroid Brain Fog, always when I forget something and I have been in remission for coming up to 7th year.
I used a dossette box and sometimes forgot where I had put it..........so it went next to the 'doofier' (TV remote control as Mam could never remember its name).
My Cousin has two dossette boxes, one for daytime tablets, which lives downstairs on the kitchen table. T'other for night time, which lives on the bedside table.
Mine lives in my handbag. With the alarm on my mobile phone for the afternoon dose of something else that I NEVER remember otherwise!
If only the purse, the phone, the pills and me were all in the same place at the same time...
That's why women carry such big handbags...
Maybe I should just climb in...
Well at least you can't complain you have gained weight with pred then!
Actually, only 7 pounds to date, hence the first-time-in-my-life convex bustline.
But I severely restricted the size of my purses last year with all the upper arm pain, and I never went back to the "overnight bags" I carried before.
Now there's a burden lifted!
My stepmother always carried such a heavy handbag filled with all sorts of things that I swore I would not even own a handbag. And I don't. Wallet, sunglasses, etc., migrate from backpack to small tote bag or even coat pockets, as needed. I have a lot of clutter in my life but a cluttered handbag is not part of it! 😎
Thank you for your advice everyone. Off to buy a pill box.
I'm lucky. My body tells me about an hour before my meds are due, don't need an external alarm!
Same here Marilyn! 😳 cc
Dear Marciahiatt
I have two dossette boxes, one to keep my 4 dose a day painkillers in and the other one for Prednisolone. I'm on 8.5mg at the moment so each day gets a 5mg, a 2.5mg and a 1mg tablet so to be on the safe side a dossett box is a must. Not helped that the size of the 5mg and the 1mg are practically the same and look identical so I have to be very careful and take my time when sorting at the start of the week. They all live in the kitchen on the work top and as I go into the kitchen in the mornings to do breakfast I see the boxes and remember to take the drugs. Well worth purchases.
Best wsishes
Colin
I purchased a fly fishing fly holder box which was perfect and can hold 2 weeks at a time. There are many sizes but all have little slots to hold the fishing flies! I used a black marker to write the day of the week in the bottom of each slot.
Agree with everyone else tho, best to take the dose if you’re not sure.
I'm in that dilemma now...trying to remember if I took my 13mg this morning??? How would I feel by now if I didn't? I would have taken it 8 hours ago if I did.
That would be a lot to double up on if I took it again.
I'd wait and see - but take a part dose if you start to feel stiff in the evening.
There is a technique of taking pred that doubles the dose on alternate days - it often doesn't work very well in PMR unless you are, like me, someone for whom the antiinflammatory effect of pred lasts for well over 24 hours. Otherwise the pain and stiffness returns before the next dose - for a lot of people that even happens in under 24 hours. If you are still well above the longterm dose you will need you should be fine and 13mg should leave a good margin.
By 10 pm I realized I hadn't taken it.sever withdrawals and pain so I just took my 13 mg but now is time to take today's usual dose at 8 a.m with breakfast. Should I still take it as it's only 10 hours since my last full dose. I've had one awful night, now feel nauseated and jus sick? Thank you, Maggie
Why not take 10mg - that's a bit less but you can't really take much less or it won't last until tomorrow.
Thanks so much, I ended up taking my full dosage again at 8 this morning. None the worse except for the most horrible painful, sleepless night ever but I can't sleep today. Thank you again, I really panicked x
Maggie
I've taken the full dose 13 mg last night 14 hours late then took usual 13 mg again at 8 this morning I thought alls well but around 8 hours after morning dose started with cramps an withdrawals? Wondering why as I did take them, must have been too late. My puffy face went down and I look skinny, urine, the little I go looks like I'm dehydrated. Wondering if I should bump my dose up. Been hanging in till I see a specialist on Thursday then I do this. Thanks
Maggie x
You probably need to speak to your GP - that isn't the sort of thing that normally happens after messing up a day's dose. Once you take the pred you shouldn't have withdrawal syptoms.
Thank you Colin and great advice. There have been a few times when I just haven't remembered. I'm on 14mg daily, so I take a 5mg and two 1mg twice daily. Yes, they look very similar but there's actually the number on the pills, but I do need the glasses on to see it. Now, where did I leave my glasses? I'm definitely investing in a couple of dosset boxes.
Best wishes to you too.
I've been taking warfarin and furosemide for a few years with no problem. It was only when I went on to steroids and the accompanying "Entourage" of drugs we seem to have to take with them that I realised I needed to buy a drug organiser. It was next day delivery from Amazon for me amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00...
We purchased a weekly pill organiser for my wife while in portugal. At last we have learned the day names in Portuguese.
Hi Tonylynn, So taking pills can make us more cleverererer.
I forgot a 14mg dose. Was talking Risonate and waiting the required 30 mins before eating. I normally take the pred after breakfast. I was also trying to get ready to go to work and was a bit behind. Wasn’t until about 8pm when I got a dreadful ache between my shoulder blades that I started to worry that I’d forgotten but I couldn’t swear to it either way. I took 5mgs and tried to get some sleep. Then took the normal dose the following morning. It took a few days to get to feeling right. When I told the doc he said I should’ve taken the full dose when I suspected that I’d forgotten and that a double dose for one day wouldn’t do much harm. I’ve been extra vigilant since though. The one thing that it’s shown me is that in spite of my progress, this damn condition is not anywhere near being gone!
When I was taking Prednisone at 7 AM I forgot one day and by noon I was not moving well & by 2-3PM I knew what I had done. I left work early and at 4PM took my full dose. Laid down on the bed & I literally couldn't move for some time. By 10 PM I was doing pretty well. Now I dose at 3am full dose and I am very pleased with the program. And of course I can never forget for it's the only thing I'm getting up for. I was having to many difficult mornings before the switch.
I take Prednisone and Low Dose Aspirin twice a day. I also take Evista with my evening dose which is 5 PM or 12 hours from my AM dose of 5 AM. Evista says not to take with magnesium. And magnesium aspartate is a supplement I take with the morning Prednisone. I use my cellphone alarm. But, I have been out and about at 5 PM. So, I use a little, clear, screw-top plastic container sold for travel in a ziploc bag. And I carry a 100 Calorie pack of almonds so I have food with the Prednisone. The times I forget to take it is when I'm on the check-out line & just silence the alarm. I don't want to be taking pills on a line.
Should I taper down when I have a sore throat?
Finishing Prednisone 
Forgotten to take 15mg Pred dose this morning
Best time to take prednisone 
Hi, I am decreasing my pred, and using PMR-Pro's reduction plan, I am going from 7mg to 6mg (day 39-almost there ).
Here is my question:
