Is Diarrhea related to, ie triggered by PMR?

[Dawnint]

I am 80 and have PMR for the 2nd time. I am down to 7 mg of Pred deceasing 1 ever 4 weeks from 15. I am fortunate that I have not had any pain since going back on Pred. But for the last few weeks I have had diarrhea for part of each week, say 3 days then clear for 5 days, living on Bananas, stewed apple and toast with vegan cheese when suffering. Then back to normal diet (Vegan for 33 yrs) then bang crash off I go again. I cannot think what is causing it, and wondered could it be the PMR?

I hope someone can help or point me to where else I might try.

Thanks

[SnazzyD]

Hello. Two things spring to mind here. 1) As with all changes in bowel habit for more than a couple of weeks it ought to be see by a doc. 2) 7mg is a tricky time with dosing not quite being enough for your normal daily needs but too much for your adrenal glands to really notice yet. I had a very uppity intestine from roughly 7mg to 3mg and became over-sensitive to a number of foods. Other people seem to get increase in allergies too. My theory is that the histamine response has been suppressed by the Pred but when it gets low enough there is a rebound response. As I’ve got lower, I’m so much less reactive in gut, skin and upper respiratory. When my adrenal function wasn’t catching up with demand I used to get loose bowels too.

I would also say that from 7mg try to slow down so that your adrenal function can catch up because you can really feel rough from this point. For comparison I did 0.5mg every 6-8 weeks and from 3mg every 12-14 weeks.

Anyway, you’ll get more opinions soon, so sit tight.

[Yellowbluebell in reply to SnazzyD]

Hi, i have excessive bowel.movements and they can be very loose. My gp has said that pred can make people loose but unfortunately mine have not settled and she has referred me. I would always go to the gp if there is any regular changes in bowel movements. It could be the pred but it needs checking. Let us know what the doctor says.YBB

[HeronNS]

A couple of times before I was diagnosed I had to get up in the night because my bowels had turned to water. Since starting pred this has never occurred again. So I think it must have been untreated PMR as I had no other symptoms and it didn't persist.

In your case I wonder whether you are, like I seem to be, developing some food intolerances? A friend of mine told me she'd recently read that this is not uncommon in women past middle age so it may be unconnected to PMR/pred.

[Marilyn1959]

Could you have irritable bowel? Or are you taking AA (or any other drug) just once a week which may be irritating the bowel when you first take it? Just a thought.

[Orpheus82]

I think it is prudent to follow the guidelines - any change in bowel habits for more than two weeks and you should visit to your GP. You mention that you have had symptoms for a few weeks. It’s easy to put everything down to pred and PMR but best to get some medical advice. Hope you feel better soon

[S4ndy]

Please get checked. Interestingly In have been an IBS+D sufferer for all my life. Last year it got worse so I saw a consultant. He suggested that in addition to the various tests I should try the FODMAP diet developed by Monash University in Australia. I did, started in Oct last year with the elimination stage then after all my tests proved it was still IBS-D possibly aggravated by pantoprazole and prednisolone.

So I started the challenge stage where you add foods back in to test them. Guess what banana (ripe) and apples (cooked or raw) was one of my trigger foods! I would never have suspected this but it is the way the body processes fructans.

I am not suggesting you go into the full blown FODMAP diet without medical guidance but have a look at the info on Monash's website. Its really interesting what foods actually can cause digestive problems.

I am in the uk by the way in case you thought this was an Australian post The diet has been a revelation to me and my tum and has enabled me to manage my IBS. I am now on Ranitidine and just started a dsns reduction from 4 to 3 mg of pred.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I'd say there is something in your normal diet that is the trigger if it improves with your "suffering diet".

What other medications are you on and for how long?

[cmgarner]

I was having that problem also, and read that prednisone causes salt and fluid retention and increased potassium excretion. I tried increasing potassium rich foods, which helped a little bit. On a really bad day I drank 16 oz of Pedialyte, and it solved the problem! So now I drink 6-8 oz of Pedialyte before bed, several times a week, and life is much better! Pedialyte in the US is an electrolyte replacement and is used often for young children with diarrhea. I’m not sure if it goes by another name in the rest of the world.