Had Prednisolone prescribed for 5 days (I am going to start on Sunday as at an event tomorrow night which means a few alcoholic drinks will be had - and need to get out as stir crazy indoors for the last month.
I had a cold which, just like last year, has turned into infections. My chest, and now my sinuses and ears. Got a blown up sinus in right nostril which is covering my nostril up towards the back of it and preventing me breathing.
It is a 4 tablet a day dose (20mg a day) for 5 days, but I am confused as to why I have to have it in the morning. I do go to bed late (not usually before 130 am), and it states to have it with or after a meal. And how can I take it with my 100mg levothyroxine a day, which I have before breakfast? It will not be a 2 hour gap (as has been recommended).
Would it be ok to have with just an apple (which I usually have about 1pm) or does it have to be with a meal? I don't have lunch till 315pm and surely it would be too late to take it after then?
I hope I have explained it well enough.
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DeeFish71
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I take prednisolone and initially made the mistake of ignoring the time factor as stated - and I took my dose after my evening meal! I never slept all night! I was absolutely wide awake and wired. This is the reason it is advised you take it early on in the day. I make sure I take it first thing in the morning (I don’t take levothyroxine so not a problem for me on that score ) and I’ve not had this happen since.
I don’t see any reason why you shouldn’t take it after eating an apple at one o’ clock - seems a reasonable amount of time for you to absorb it without it having a detrimental effect on your ability to sleep.
Hoping it helps. Someone that takes Levothyroxine might say otherwise!
Hoping they hit the spot and your many infections clear up ASAP. 🤞🏼
Thank you very much for replying. I have decided I will have to set a flipping alarm to take my levo about 2 hours before I have breakfast and then take prednosolone on top. A pain when I don;t sleep well anyway but 5 days I suppose it could be worse xx
That was how I always did it when I took levo. Then if I forgot I used to take it and take my breakfast and other pills with me and take them on the move.
You could take your levo before bed, as long as it's two to three hours after your last meal. It would save having to set an alarm and might actually help your sleep.
I usually get sinusitis when I do some gardening or some unsuspecting mould exposure. It might be worth checking to see of you have any dampness in the house or something rotting in the fridge!
As for pred. make sure you take it with food and plenty of water as it can be bad for the stomach and it will make you feel hungry. Otherwise, I think for a short time, it can be miraculous! (The only trouble is doctors give it in high doses.)
Thanks for your advice. We did have a mould problem and got it all treated. There is nothing out of date or mouldy in my fridge or food cupboards as I regularly clean them and check food each week when doing my grocery list. I have been ill a year now and one illness just leads to more and more and I am so fed up. Doctors mess me about, I cannot get help I need and I feel so hopeless and at risk of ending it all. It's such a long story and the more I try to get help, the more I am let down.
I have been taking the pred after breakfast with a pint of water. After one day nothing really much improving but had horrendous cramps in my sides and ribs of all places.
If I say to you that I totally understand what you are going through (especially since some people call me Dee! you would not believe me. For many years I lived in an old Victorian house that was damp and had a damp cellar (also slept in an old bed!) There I always had a cold, a thick yellow mucus and developed asthma and other allergies.
The NHS did not help other than giving me more and more tablets - antibiotics, cough mixtures, prednisolone etc. Even in hospital it was not investigated. Eventually I tried to find things out for myself and went to a private doctor (you wonder why pay so much for the NHS). She decided I had a fungal infection, (also fungal and dust allergies) and gave me an antifungal tablet (itraconazole I think).
That seemed to clear it, but I also moved to a new house a few months later. Yes I know you just can't get up and move, but you can do a lot to help yourself with: a new bed, pillow, good ventilation.
I can't say that my problems are over because I still cannot do gardening and there is always the odd apple in the fruit bowl that goes mouldy!
I don't think you need a pint of water, but don't be impatient, prednisolone has its place and I still take it in very small doses occasionally. My dad took it for 30 years for his asthma and had a good working life during those years. (5mg in the morning).
I think I shall stop here . Please don't give up. Take care.
Our house is quite old, but I have lived here for 9 years now and never had this before. I keep the place clean and tidy, but nothing seems to stop this. I have been ill for a year now (used to get the odd illness which cleared up within a couple of weeks) but cannot shake this off. I think there is something covering my nostril (which teh Doctor can't see but I CAN).
These pills are useless - if anything else they are making me feel worse and got that awful "burnt plastic" smell in my nose again returned. I know it's only Day 3 of 5 today but they have done nothuing and i have taken them correctly. Right after my breakfast and 3 hours after Levo.
Dee you seem to be doing the right things, so I don't know what is wrong. But from my experiences and research I know that infections from fungi, yeasts and moulds can cause illness but are not considered by the medics, let alone giving you anything to kill them.
Our grandmothers used to say 'be careful with the damp it gives you a cold and arthritis'. Research has shown this to be true but no one takes notice. Preventative medicine does not exist beyond exercise and diet.
These pills are absolute rubbish. I have been taking them now 3 days and correctly and they have made things worse. I have almost lost my sense of smell and taste and all I can smell is burnt plastic. The headaches are awful, my moods are all over the place. I dread every time I have a cold, it always turns into an infection and knock on illnesses for the next year. I give up trying and just want to die. Doctor does not believe me and can't even SEE the thing up my nose whereas I and my husband can.
When I took prednisolone they did not seem to work until I had nearly finished the whole course. I also thought they were not working but they have and I now feel a lot better after having an inflammed chest. When we are feeling ill we can feel desperate and depressed but please give them time to work. If you still feel ill after you have finished the tablets go back to your Doctor for further treatment.
I feel dizzy and now cannot taste anything, and all I can smell is that rotten plastic smell. I have one more lot to take today and the final day tomorrow. Surely they would have worked by now? A 5 day course.
I get up early to take my Levo, then have 4 of these (5mg each) right after I eat my breakfast. They are really messing with my head too and unsure if it's a side effect or hormonal (tried to get on HRT recently and just no available meds for it).
I would see how you are after you finish the course I actually took more than you. I took double your dose because my lungs were very inflamed. If you still feel unwell go back to your Doctor to see what other treatment they can give you. The only side effect I had was that I felt very lively and full of energy well more than I usually am and I am a bit of an active person.
I have felt the opposite, very tired and weak, but jittery as well (could be to the hormones or the amount that has gone repeatedly wrong the last few days here). Thanks for letting me know your experiences x
Could you have an infection? I felt weak when I had my chest infection, I then took 2 lots of antibiotics but I still could not stop coughing. I was admitted to hospital because I had been coughing for about 6 weeks so they did a chest x-ray and that is when they decided to give me a short course of prednisolone. My Dad has COPD and he had a chest infection as well and was actually given a lower dose than me which I thought was strange. However they did work for me and my cough has finally gone since I first started coughing on new years eve. A lot people are still suffering with this flu bug in my area and I was in a cafe when this man started to cough uncontrollably without covering his mouth. I left straight away because I did not want to get reinfected.
I just HATE that when people cough and sneeze without covering their mouths/noses. How I have got ill many a time. My Dad also has COPD and he suffers so much but his Doctors are brilliant. Mine is rubbish and she never believes me or my husband - as I go up there so often, she has no idea how much it impacts on my mental health and general life.
I thought it WAS a chest infection at first as was coughing up yellow gunk but the cough is the least bothersome thing now and not really have much of one. I found that new Lemsip cough mixture to be a terrific help (but it was expensive).
The problem with mine is that it constantly moves about - from my nose, ears, throat, chest. Yet Doctor does not understand that description. I have been ill a YEAR tomorrow with constant problems like this, and two trips to ENT have not really shown much, neither did a thyroid/throat scan. I feel I will never get well and withthis new virus around, I don't see how I can survive, when my immune system is so bad.
Hi, thanks for asking, that means a lot. Even worse if that is possible. And Doctors lied to me about getting a follow up appointment last week, we tried all they said and then found out that Doctor was not in. And not one emergency appointment. My poor husband called 999 yesterday as he was scared that I was going to end my life in this desperation. They were nice enough and the paramedic lady tried to get me in the surgery but she failed too. Shows what that surgery think of my mental health, and this has been dangerously affected now, as well as the sinus illness. I have an appt on Tues but its with an absolutely useless person who does nothing but refer me back to that unreliable doctor. I feel so dizzy and almost passed out a few times. I am terrified what is happening to me. That awful smell still there as well. I am worried I have a brain tumour now as well. Is it coming off these Pred? Only on them 5 days.
I am sorry you are feeling so ill. You have to be on prednisolone a lot longer to get withdrawal symptoms when you stop them. This what was told by a pharmacist when I asked him but there might be exceptions. I didn't get anything like you have described btw. I think it is all to do with your sinus's but I think you need your Doctor to investigate this further.
Here is link about smelling something that isn't there
Also if you feel that desperate please talk to someone close to you. I have felt suicidal myself when I was bedridden because of this horrible disease, sending you a virtual hug ((((hugs))))
Thank you - I have read up on stuff like this and this is very handy. I doubt I will ever get anywhere with that doctor. I just want an ENT referral and that (if I get one) will take months. I feel this is never going to be over.
We just plain cannot afford it. No help that our shower and boiler are playing up and need fixing urgently. And I have told the doctors many a time about my depression and anxiety but it's almost like she enjoys me suffering. All I get offered is pills (I tried them and had to stop them in 6 days as my left pupil blew up in my left eye and it's risky for people with glaucoma related conditions) and counsellors are just not for me, they just turn you back round to the doctors. I have seen ENT twice last year for my throat but they were not that much help, no aftercare or advice.
I am sorry to hear that ... I once had sinus pain a few years ago and my face ached but I was not as bad as you. Let me know how you get on with your Doctor's appointment on Tuesday. I have to go out now but I will be back later today so feel free to message me if you need to talk.
Thank you so much - I hope you have a nice day. We are staying in this weekend (had planned to anyhow) and the weather is horrific, windy and raining bad.
I went to see relatives and didn't get back until nearly midnight. As you can see I am up at this hour I blame the coffee I had before I left their house which was a big mistake. I hope you manage to have a good nights sleep xx
Glad you had a nice time. I had a better day yesterday and at least managed to do some bits and we ordered a new wardrobe. Still feel tired and like I have a film of something over my eyes and am terrified I am losing my sight. That awful smell is still there. if its not the plastic smell, it's burning. I cannot see how this is ever going to go away and worried I have a brain tumour. If it was an infection why did the steroid pills not work??
Hi everyone - back from the doctors and what a waste of time for everyone. The stupid little girl, glances up my nose, agrees it looks swollen and had already typed in that will refer me to ENT. Nothing else listened to or said or anything to take to help relieve the symptoms. More waiting..... Feel like banging my head against a wall. What if it gets worse?
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