Phased return

[Helliwelli12]

I really appreciate all the support I received from this group recently. Next week will be the last week before I meet with my boss and hr. I've accepted its time for a change and I'm trying not to fear that change. I am currently on 12 mg of prednisolone due to suspected GCA. I've recently been suffering from a continuous cough has anyone else had this happen to them and could ut be due to prednisolone. Any advice please?

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

A cough is not one if the common listed side effects -but never say never -however would have expected it to appear on higher doses.

There are a lot of coughs about present -so could be just a coincidence… have you tried any OTC remedies ? Maybe speak to pharmacist..

[Helliwelli12 in reply to DorsetLady]

I am taking cough medicine but that doesn't seem yo youth it much. Just trying to drink lots of fluids. Trying to take guardium as the doctor said it could be acid reflux related due to the prednisolone increasing stomach acid

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Helliwelli12]

Okay -have you just started PPI (Guardiam) or been on it from the start? If cough was from Pred would have expected it to have started earlier…but you imply it’s fairly recent -is that correct?

[Helliwelli12 in reply to DorsetLady]

Yes I've had it for about a month now it comes and goes in episodes.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Helliwelli12]

If it comes and goes does it have a pattern - ie… after certain food, certain activities or same timescale after Pred?

Might be worth keeping a diary to see if anything triggers it….

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Or it could be due to LVV - the intermediate version of the spectrum. 12mg is not a lot for suspected GCA - did the cough appear as the dose reduced? Had you had any other changes before it started - new medication of any sort?

But a cough that lasts more than several weeks needs to be investigated - with a chest x-ray if nothing else.

[Helliwelli12 in reply to PMRpro]

Had the cough before I reduced I will go back to the doctor and insist uts investigated

[Pixix]

around here, in southern England, the cough goes on about 6 weeks, & is in most schools. My stepdaughter has had it for 8 weeks, 5 trips to Dr & an x-Ray. She’s over 50…spread is through shops, drs Surgery, anywhere where people are gathered inside. The Dr’s waiting room had kids competing for wrist cough when I was there. You may need to think about whether it’s connected, or entirely apart from GCA.

[Helliwelli12 in reply to Pixix]

Not sure it's connected to GCA I've had it about a month so irritating and embarrassing at times.

[Pixix in reply to Helliwelli12]

Sounds like the virus that’s going around. Hard luck if it is.

[HeronNS]

After he had covid in 2022 my husband developed a cough and shortness of breath. Eventually he needed some pretty strong antibiotics to clear his chest. I made sure he was getting plenty of relevant goodies (yoghurt and a kefir-type supplement) to protect his microbiome between doses, which was fun as he had to take two meds on slightly different schedules! If you've had this illness, or any one of a number of other nasties that are circulating globally these days, you really should get a chest x-ray at the very least, but that may not be enough. Hubby had an MRI which discovered a node not visible on x-ray, and only knew to ask for the extra imaging because our sister-in-law, a cancer patient, developed something similar which was not visible in an x-ray, but because of her condition the MRI had been ordered without her having to ask.