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Post by luv2dance26 on Mar 18, 2009 10:40:04 GMT -5
My rheumatologist put me on Prednisone 20mg a day (for arthritis pain) i am also on HC 25mg a day. Are these 2 drugs basically the same? Should i stop the HC?
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Post by Lethal Lee on Mar 18, 2009 11:03:18 GMT -5
Hi There
Prednisone is a synthetic ,stronger & longer acting Corticosteroid. It is hard on the Liver because it must convert it to Prednisolone before the body can utilise it.
Thats why IF you need a longer acting steroid for whatever reason Prednisolone or Medrol (Methylprednisolone) is a better choice.
I take Prednisolone everyday myself for AI but at physiological dose of 10mg (40mg HC equiv) because I metabolise HC too quickly.
Your Doc has but you on Prednisone at a pharmocological (high) dose to suppress inflammation. Your dose of 20mg is equivalent to 20x4= 80mg HC.
How long are you going to be on Prednisone? Is it for a Pred taper? You must be careful if you are on a high dose for more than 3 days you must wean down slowly.
Are you also on Thyroid meds & which kind? If on Armour or T4 only meds the high dose steroids may well send you HypoT. Thats because high Cortisol increases T4 to RT3 & reduces the FT3 available for your body to use.
I would continue to stay on HC on the first day you take the Pred then drop the HC. But it does depend on exactly what dose of Pred you will be on & for how long. You need to be vigilant for signs of high Cortisol. However if you do have a lot of pain & inflammation your body may well need a lot of Cortisol for the present time.
I assume your Doc knew you were on HC?
In my opinion IF you were getting bad Arthritis symptoms while on HC then you probably werent on high enough dose of the HC. A dose of 25mg is the minimum we see that folks need. Some need more & a few a lot more.
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Post by luv2dance26 on Mar 19, 2009 9:11:07 GMT -5
HI Lethal. I am on Armour 4.75 grains (slowly increasing to 5) For now i don't know how long i will be on the Prednisone, my next appointment with the RA dr is next month , i don't know what his decision will be, i don't think he'll change any meds (and yes, he is aware that i'm taking HC, i take 25mg a day of that, BTW) The Prednisone is for the pain/inflammation only. I am not having severe pain right now, however now i am having a RA 'flare up' which happens to be in my foot (i am in moderate pain there) My RA dr also started me on Methotrexate 10mg a week (will be taking my 2nd dose tomorrow). We'll see what happens
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Post by luv2dance26 on Mar 20, 2009 13:24:16 GMT -5
Ok i will slowly wean down on the HC starting tomorrow, and according to the dosing chart on the STTM site. I have a feeling the Prednisone will be long-term, at least for now. And i will be watching for any symptoms of high/low cortisol, along with taking daily temps.
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