Not a Pleasant topic...bleah

[Sjisty]

Luna - I don't know anything about medications. My DH and I have been lucky enough to not need anything (so far), but know this -

IT'S OKAY TO VENT! There's no need to feel foolish. It would be worse to beat up (figuratively speaking) yourself and your husband.

I would talk to his doctor and see if maybe a dose adjustment of medication change would help.

 

[Lunachick]

Good morning everyone, thank you all for the advice and generally just being here and letting me spew.

I'm going to do some serious research on these meds and try to find an alternative. The problem is - I don't think he'd be willing to do something different, he doesn't handle the pain very well, and he takes pred as a preventative, so he doesn't get a flair up. (sometime he gets the flair up anyway)

He's actually getting cataracts from the pred and is scheduled Sept 1 for an appt with the eye doc. Meanwhile, he gets those ugly dark red splotches on his arms......I wonder if you should wean yourself off this stuff or do it cold turkey?

 

[Lunachick]

Thank you EC

and Sjisty! I do feel a bit better about things today, we'll see how this goes.

 

[English Chick]

Quote:
I think he needs another cyst! ............... can't believe that he has cataracts through his meds! tell him to leave them alone..... get the glucosamine.....I will shout for Wynette.... WYNETTE!!!! Paul needs another cyst. WYNETEEEEEE!!!!!!!

 

[jbowyer01]

Lunachick you are not suppose to go cold turkey off of prednisone! That might be one of the issues. I take prednisone for my asthma and yes it makes me lets just say.... not a very nice individual. If your DH is taking it just whenever then he is not getting the correct doseage let alone doing damage to himself. It is a steroid!

Prednisone is often used to treat inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, as well as a host of other diseases. It can be very effective in getting acute IBD symptoms under control, but the list of potential side effects that this drug can cause is extensive.

Some of the side effects from prednisone can be very upsetting, especially physical ones such as facial "mooning" (the face taking on a moon-like swollen shape), acne, and increased hair growth (hirsutism). Increased appetite, mood swings, and difficulty sleeping can also negatively affect quality of life.

The good news is that these side effects do go away when the dosage of prednisone is tapered down and discontinued. How long it will take depends on the length of time that prednisone was used and the dosage.

The body itself produces a substance that is equivalent to about 5 mg of prednisone. A short course of 10 mg of prednisone a day may not cause side effects. However, either a dosage of 10 to 20 mg a day for a month or more -- or a dosage of more than 20 mg a day for any length of time -- could cause troublesome side effects.

As the prednisone dosage is tapered down below 10 mg a day and eventually discontinued, temporary side effects will lessen and reverse. It should be noted, however, that some potential adverse effects of prednisone are permanent, and discontinuing the drug will not reverse them. This includes glaucoma, cataracts, osteoporosis (bone weakness), and osteonecrosis (bone death).

Please make sure he takes it correctly, it is not a prn (as needed drug)

 

[CityGirlintheCountry]

What she said!
You have to taper prednisone. Bad, bad things happen if you quit cold turkey!

Do talk to the doctor about possible alternatives. Pred is such a wretched drug. There are many, many newer, less nasty possibilites out there. I'm not sure what DH is suffering from, but I know the GI and arthritis people have a whole arsenal of useful possibilities.

Good luck!

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
Before Doc put me on my current sleep med, Restoril, he put me on trazadone. DH took trazadone for about a month and did just fine with it. Me? For the week I took it I wanted to sleep 18 hours out of every 24. When I was awake I was the most hateful thing. I called the nurse and told her I wasn't going to take it. That I needed sleep, but not at the expense of my relationships.
Thankfully the restoril is helping without the personality changes. Some times you have to experiment to find a drug you can take without it taking you.
Good luck with this Luna. I'll keep you and your DH in my good thoughts.

 

[Hen_House_Rocks!]

Quote:
I had to take high doses of prednisone back in January and I seriously almost slashed our postmasters tires. Not to mention bursting into tears at odd moments. Like the grocery store, or picking up my daughter from school. Then I realized how crazy I was feeling and was able to laugh at my craziness knowing it would soon pass when the prescription ran out.

 

[ranchhand]

Hope a good resolution can be found to this issue- drugs are often difficult to adapt to without side effects.

Hon, hoping for the best for you both!

 

[PunkerTechnoRoo?ter]

It should be noted, however, that some potential adverse effects of prednisone are permanent, and discontinuing the drug will not reverse them. This includes glaucoma, cataracts, osteoporosis (bone weakness), and osteonecrosis (bone death).

Holy crap ! Just give me the poison ivy then !​