Just wanting to hear what doses and side effects there may be out there
Just wanting to hear what doses and side effects there may be out there
Can't help with the clexane, but I refer to my prednisone as my grumpy pills. Main side effects of them are weight gain, on high doses (20mg or more) they can make me feel grumpy, short-tempered and somewhat aggressive. They also tend to induce muscle cramps, but I think that's a BW-specific thing rather than a general prednisone thing. The weight gain is centred around the belly, and it makes your face look very round. A doctor friend of mine described it as turning you into a potato with skinny sticks for arms and legs.
PP, does this mean you have your results from Dr S?
BW
yes and they are - but it is still worth giving the treatment a go. although i am on 20mg !!!bit scared as i have read some of your post regarding this dose
PP, Deb (Flowerchild) was on 20mg of prednisone and she was fine, and has little Imogen now, so don't panic! When it comes to me I have medical problems interacting in very strange ways and I need to watch that the treatment for one doesn't interfere with the treatment for another, which is what I believe was happening with the prednisone.
If it's any comfort - 20mg of prednisone isn't really a high dose in most circles of medicine. People can be on much higher doses without problems, usually when treating asthma (short term) or cancer (longer term), the doses are higher, usually 60mg or more. The 20mg works for most of Dr S's patients - I do always like to be different! :rolleyes:
BW
Thanks BW do you know if deb is back on line yet?
Not yet, I'm afraid. :(
BW
My FS and DR S both want me to start taking metformin again to - but i dont think i will this cycle as i will need to start building it up again!!!and it may put my cycle out of wack this month
do you know when the prednisolone should be started in a cycle? i have been told the clexane is started on day of TF
Dr S suggested I stick with 10mg all the time, and increase to 20mg at ovulation or transfer. I'm not sure whether the sticking with the 10mg thing was because of me using it for my arthritis as well or whether that's what he does normally. I vaguelly recall Deb being on a base level of prednisone as well.
The metformin is a good idea, too. Has it affected your cycle in the past? Hard to tell with me as you need to actually HAVE a cycle in the first place, and I most certainly don't!
BW
I was doing the Colorado protocol with my last IVF cycle and they started both the predisone and clexane on the night before transfer.
One thing with the predisone is that if you have insulin resistance it is going to make it worse. With my diabetes my endo said to expect my insulin needs to double at least. We didnt make it to transfer so I only had taken the drugs the one night and my BSLs were okay not great but okay.
So yeah in short you probably do need to get your metfomin back to full strength first otherwise your pancreas may start complaining!!
Have you tried metformin XR? the extended release version - cos apparently that can be heaps better on the tummy.
Thanks Melbel for explaining things in ways that make sense! Something I seem to be chronically unable to do some days.
Diabex XR is a heap easier on the tummy - I'd imagine that it's easier to wean yourself on to it as well.
The assumption we are making this cycle is that my insulin resistance problem is way worse than my NK cell problem. Which evidence seems to agree with. 10mg seemed to be enough to keep the NK cells under control before we knew about them, and it was decreasing the metformin during my first pregnancy that caused the miscarriage. So we're opting for the middle line, and hoping like heck we were right the first cycle and it will work again this time!
BW
Ok - took my first half of my metformin table - i seem to have put on a little weight while being off it and hadn't noticed!!!aaaaahhh the scales told the truth this morning
Funny you should mention the slow releasing metformin - my FS did offer it to me today but i said no as i seem to have so many pills left from when i was meant to be taking it!! maybe i will phone him on Monday and get him to send that script after all!
Im still a little worried about the dose of the predisone as i do not have a NK cell issue and just running with this as it is something different to try (and after 10 cycles you would try anything!) i looked at the side effects and one was headaches and vertigo both of which i seem to be suffering already!i wonder why he wouldnt start me off on 10mg? seems 20 is the standerd he gives to people
Im also a bit concerned as to who will be tracking my cycle and keeping a check on where everything will be, i did ask my nurse today when i called her and her reply was well its not going to be us!! i thought where is the duty of care for patients. i will be going through my clinic for the cycle and they will be charging me a fee (believe you me!!) so don't you think they should be the ones organising this?
So i will also be email Dr S again to ask him too.
It was nice to know that, i went to see my local FS in Melbourne today and he was open to the recommendations and said that he would call DRS, then when i called my nurse to check in, she already had the doses - meaning that my Melbourne FS HAD contacted DRS !!!i was very pleased to be proved wrong that i am not always forgotten to paper work as soon as i leave the chair and that maybe now i am getting somewhere wit my FS making decisions and not just trying what i have done three times over - i think i have exhausted all my FS resources.lol
The clexane i am not too worried about, its the predislone as I'm also concerned about GD with the increased risk due to PCOS as well, i have always had a fear of developing this while pg and this is only encouraging my fear
I believe i will be on predislone for up to 20 weeks? and the clexane longer.
PP, unless your instructions are different to mine, the prednisone is taken up until 12 weeks. But the up until 20 weeks is probably coming from the fact that you can't stop it suddenly. You need to wean off it very slowly as coming off too fast can send the body into an adrenal crisis. For most people it's not too bad, for me, getting off it completely is hell - it's a drug that I appear to be very sensitive to.
If you're not comfortable with anything, email Dr S again. I think the most important part of all this is that you are comfortable with your treatment.
BW
PP, you know I can't help you, but I just had to say that I cried when I read that your FS had actually called Dr S!!!!!!!!!! I'm so pleased that he is going along with this easily, and I'm so glad that you have the lovely ladies on here to answer all your questions.
Good on you for starting the metformin too......maybe the slow release will make things better for you? It's a shame Deb isn't around ATM, I know she would be a wonderful help to you.
Good luck hun, and you know I'm here if you ever need anything :hug:
thanks ladies for all your posts
BW - so if you have to wean off it do you have to wean on to it? i also think you might be right with the 12 weeks? but surely as you are on it all the time you would need to stay on it?
i guess only time will tell as to how i will feel.
FS allso suggested that i use Aci jel as i cant seem to get rid of the thrush that i have at the moment- has any one else used this? i thought too acid was bad?
You don't need to wean onto prednisone. Things like metformin you do, because it takes a while for your digestive system to be able to tolerate it. Prednisone doesn't have drastic side effects like that, but it does effectively switch off the body's natural production of cortisol (? I hope I'm remembering the right name here!). Stopping it suddenly can send your body into an adrenal crisis as it no longer makes an essential hormone. Weaning off slowly allows the body to slowly resume the production of natural steroids so everything is ok.
As for me... for the arthritis... I need it now. Once I'm pregnant, the hormones my body produces take over and the arthritis all but disappears. By the time I got to 7 weeks I was feeling as though I could stop the prednisone, but I spotted when I did. So for me it's just a matter of staying on it a bit longer than arthritis pain indicates is necessary and then weaning off once the pregnancy is established and secure.
You've just got to remember that there's a number of different health conditions interacting here, and what's necessary for me isn't always necessary for other people with less complex medical situations.
BW
BW - do you know when DR S wants women to start taking the predislone?
I have been sent a script but don't know when and how to take it. also will it effect my cycles? with regards to 'o'
Thanks
PP, I'd suggest you email Dr S and ask. I think that he'd want you to start at 10mg at the beginning of the cycle, and then increase to 20mg and EPU/transfer (although we did ovulation for my natural FETs). But... I really couldn't say for sure that is what he'd do. For me, it was a situation of adjusting the prescription that another specialist had given me rather than starting a new drug.
As far as I know, it should have no effect on ovulation, but different drugs effect different people in different ways. Small example - I have to take my prednisone in the mornings. My rheumy prefers his patients to take it at night so that there's some drug in your system to overcome the morning arthritis horrors. If I take it at night I simply don't sleep at all. Very unusual side effect, apparently, but even when we tried a split dose - one 5mg tablet at night and the rest of my dose in the mornings, I still didn't sleep.
Anyway, best to stick with the safe side of things and email Dr S.
BW
Hi Girls
This dial up is killing me...but I'm trying to keep up with everything. Our FS has recommended Colorado protocol too so I'm really interested to see how you find it...keep us all posted xxx
Ellie - so good to see you back - i missed you - dial up hey, sorry!
Emailed Dr S yesterday and my own FS, seems like my clinic here doesn't want to take responsibility for my cycle but wants the payment.
will keep you all posted
PP - i don't think it's a case of the local clinic wanting money but not taking responsibility for your cycle. they're not suggesting the use of the prednisone or clexhane so they can't really be responsible for telling you how to take it - that has to fall back on the doctor that has prescribed them. the local clinic can only do "their part" of the process - monitoring O for natural FET, and then arranging transfer - the additional medication has been recommended by Dr S so only he can say when to start it etc (and no, i'm not defending the clinic just because i see the same FS - would say the same to anyone!!)
re the treatment - i would contact dr s by phone if you're not getting an answer to your emails - i believe you've had AF visit and you're now looking to do a natural FET - the last thing you want to do is wait on the email and find that you've started the prednisone too late to be helpful this cycle....
good luck hun - and don't forget to call mac re the metformin XR script today!
BG
Thanks BG
I have received an email from both clinics and it is my FS in Melbourne that had prescribed the treatment so i am no longer needing to consult with DrS. i guess i just go along and don't change anything until someone tell me to.
i guess in that case, just run with it - just take what you're told - and don't stop them until you're advised by the clinic to do so. and as BW said - don't stop them suddenly - if you decide to take a break from ttc to accommodate your studies, make sure to wean yourself off the prednisone...
good luck
PP - only just spotted this post, but have a very close friend who followed this protocol with Dr S - she's now about 20 weeks prg :dance:
If there's anything you'd like me to ask her, let me know. I know she was weaned off the prednisone, I can't remember what stage it was but I think about 12 weeks-ish, but she was on a whopping dose, I know that much.
Ok one more question (BW if your looking!)
I am not taking the pred 20mg - i think you said that it is best to take it at night - so i will see how i go with this.
The q i have is how can i take the metformin with it - can i take them during the same meal? i have just picked up a script for the XR metformin which i will start by taking one tomorrow night.
Thanks again ladies for all your support
Forgot to add GP advised me to reduce my dose every three days if no BFP. but if BFP then i am to start to reduce the dose by 5mg every two weeks
Are they having you reduce the prednisone before 12 weeks, PP?
I take my metformin and prednisone at the same time. I have so many tablets to take that I simply can't not take a heap of them together at times. I don't think it's going to be a huge issue if you have XR metformin, but probably best to ask a pharmacist if you are really worried.
BW