prednisolone

[Loula]

I am currently weaning myself off of 20 mg and at first was taking it down in 5's until i got to 10mg.

Since then i have been feeling very strange!! so i took the dose back up to 12mg, then 11, now i have been at 10 mg for 5 days and have reduced it to 8mg last night

the problem is i keep getting a headache on my left side just above my eye and i can only decribe the feeling to be like i have a hangover - is this normal?

I have also been experiencing a numb feeling in my left hand (mainly in my three fingers)

By the time i get off these things i hope to be on them again,lol

I guess it could also be the new herbs that i am taking too but just through i would ask the question

Thanks IA

[butterfly_warrior]

PP, I'm sorry that I didn't see this post before.

Headaches are a typical indication that you are coming off steroids too fast. I've done this to myself a few times, and it is damned scary - especially when you start reading about adrenal crisis. Fatigue is the other thing I notice, but being a non-drinker and never experiencing a hang over I can't really compare what I get to that, though!

Getting from 20mg down to 10mg is usually fairly easy, but it's the 10mg to nothing that is hardest, and I find it worst once you get below around the level of 7.5mg. My rheumy has some suggestions as to why, but I suspect it may be something relating to my arthritis condition, rather than an everyone thing.

What instructions did Dr S give you regarding reducing your dose? I found his instructions differed greatly from those from my rheumy, and I do feel much better when I follow my rheumy's instructions. Basically, stay on each level for at least a week before reducing again, and only reduce again if you are getting no symptoms. Once you get below 10mg, smaller increments are better (I find 1mg reductions work better than 2 or 2.5mg reductions, and I can generally get off them quicker because I'm not actually waiting for side effects to subside at each level).

If things are getting really bad, and you're having no problems on say 8mg, but heaps of problems on 7mg, it can help to spend some time on alternating doses - for a week or so take 8mg one day, 7mg the next, then 8mg, then 7mg and so on. I know it seems as though you are stretching out the withdrawal period, but if you can do it in such a way as to avoid having side effects crop up, it's usually easier to actually get off them.

The typical withdrawal symptoms from prednisone are fatigue, headaches, low blood pressure (dizziness when standing up, etc), nausea, vomiting and body aches. Have never experienced the numbness you describe and I'm not finding it on any of the lists, either.

Sorry I didn't reply sooner - I would have if I'd seen your post!

BW

[Loula]

Thank you so much for your reply

and yes every professional i have spoken with has given me a different oponion on how to wean off these meds!!

I am going with how i feel and reducing every three to four days and iff needing going back up to the last dose

Im currently taking 3mg - my gp suggest i just stop at 2, DrS suggested stopping at 5 but i wasn't that game. lol

another suggested i take it all the way to 0.5mg - which is the way i am heading as its better to be safe than sorry

thanks again for your advice - it mirrored what i though might be best???and have been feeling a bit better - although the hangover is still around some days.

by the time i stop ill be on them again lol

[butterfly_warrior]

You need to get your mind around the idea that you may not actually be able to get off them completely between cycles. I know that even without my arthritis problems I wouldn't be getting off prednisone quickly at all. Some people can adjust quickly - I'm not one of them.

If the headaches are bad, I'd seriously consider staying on your current dose a bit longer. I'm just a bit of a worrier, I guess - I've heard too many scary stories of stopping them too fast!

BW