As some of you know I’ve been struggling with a urine infection, I’m now at the end of taking a second round of antibiotics, I’ve also started taking d-mannose, it’s still on going, on top of this I’ve now got a chest infection. I honestly feel I’m falling to bits.
My question is, should I up my dose of pred, I’m on 4mg at the moment, I’m just wondering if increasing the pred would make me feel better.
I’d also like to add I’ve still got shoulder and arm pain in both arms and feeling very weak
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2013mayo
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Oh dear, there’s no let up is there! When you say rough, do you mean on a general level or PMR pain? For the first one I wouldn’t put up the dose just to feel more human but it’s a question of what you’re treating by doing that. However, have you had and low adrenal function symptoms apart from weakness? UTI’s can make one feel like hell on Earth too, so it’s a bit of a blurry picture.Have you ever asked for the organism on the culture and if it is being treated with antibiotics that are good for it? Is it a resistant one that keeps coming back?
Ah, if you’ve been galloping down, perhaps you have hit the buffers a bit and need to increase as others have suggested. It might be handy to see if you have the same organism turning up, mixed organisms or whether it’s different each time. Sometimes if different docs deal with a result when it comes in, they don’t always step back and look at the whole picture if they are in a hurry. It depends how they organise their admin which can mean your own doc doesn’t always deal with it. I’ve seen people bump along the bottom having antibiotics each time when they really need referring or some scrutiny.
Gather your information - dates and intervals between infections is important because if it is every few weeks it suggests the previous infection hadn't been fully cleared out, if the interval is longer it is reinfection where long term abx over months might be the answer. E.Coli is a common cause - and the reinfection may be from the gut where it persists despite antibiotics.
Sorry if I sound jaded, but it doesn’t always happen and I speak from when I was a GP nurse. I always used to tell patients to keep good notes and ask for details, so you can advocate for yourself from an informed perspective. Sometimes all you need to do is ask questions as an interested patient to trigger a hard pressed doc to just stop for a minute. UTI was the most common condition that I saw being allowed to drag on and on either because of not realising how long it has been going and just reacting to the latest sample result. To be fair, a patient is best placed to make records and spot patterns too. UTI’s can be really persistent as they have ways of hiding. You don’t even have to be ‘dirty’ to get one.
You need a urine culture - the result of that tells the GP what antibiotic the organism is sensitive to. You could be on the wrong one for a year and it would do nothing - except make the bugs even more resistant!
Do please watch out for signs of tendonitis, especially achilles tendonitis. Pred and cipro on their own can cause it, together the risk is higher. And if the doc says "Never seen it ..." - so did mine but I spent 9 months on crutches!
No interactions were found between Macrobid and prednisone. This does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider.
Ciprofloxacin has a risk of tendon damage, especially when taken with Prednisolone. It can occur at any time. I happened to me, even without Pred. Any pain in the tendons, especially the Achilles must be reported.
Only one way to find out - but the shoulder and arm pain suggests you may need to try. Not least because the stress of infections may be pushing your adrenal function to the limits. Read the Sick Day Rules post in the Pinned Posts and maybe discuss them with your doctor.
My sense is that you maybe headed for a flare. I know that you are in Adrenal insufficiency territory but I would be inclined to increase my dose now that the chest infection has joined the party. You won’t have the Cortisol to deal with this. I would increase by 10 mgs, in line with the Adrenaline deficiency guidelines, for a couple of weeks. We all want to get off Pred asap but too fast and you find yourself back at the beginning. An Endocrinologist would be able to help at this stage. It is a balancing act. Make sure your doctor is on board. You need to act fast.
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Down to 6mg but feeling it! Shall I persevere? 
Severe anxiety resulting in muscle weakness and feeling heavy
Pred at lunchtime & flu
feeling confused 
