Stomac problems - any experiences?

[From Bergen]

Hi everyone :smile1:

I wonder if anyone of you have experienced stomach problems when using calcium tablets along with prednisone? The last 4-5 months I have experienced slow digestion, and a kind of pain on my left side. At the moment I'm eating flaxseed and also flaxseed oil and Probion tablets (I don't know if you all know them?). The last week I've only been on 2,5mg prednisone, and my doctor told me that I could take half the dose with calcium on my low dose of prednisone. In addition I'm using Methotrexate 15 mg per week. I also take an acid neutralizing tablet each day. I have no other symptoms, no fever or reduced general condition. My blood tests seem fine.

Do you have any experiences and/or advice for me?

Thanks for a great forum, and enjoy your week! :hug3:

[mishb]

Hi Bergen,

Do you take all of these with food?
Are you sure it is from the calcium tablets.

The intestinal tract runs down the left side from the stomach so it could just be the digestion process or a bit of IBS maybe.

Dirty Don may be able to help as he has been having some stomach issues lately and he has no found that increasing his pred back to 3mg has helped.

[From Bergen]

Hi Michelle and thanks for your answer!:laugh:
I take the calcium tablet in evening, after food, before bedtime. The prednisone is more difficult because I'm up very early and away to work , so I usually take my prednisone without food, but eat pretty quick afterwards. I'm not sure that the problem comes from the calcium, but it is listed as a side-effect of calsium tablets :mellow: I'm Norwegian and not sure what you mean with IBS? The odd thing is that I didn't experience manye of those problems on higher doses last year, but maybe this is a problem that increases over time?
Sending you a hug!

[mishb]

IBS is Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

I am also up very early and off to work so I don't take my pred until lunchtime.
Lunchtime for me is the most constant time of the day that I eat.
Breakfast and dinner can be at any time - early or late - so I take the pred with food, during lunch.

All I know is that Don is feeling much better with his pred upped from zero to 3

Thankyou for the hug and I send one right back at you :hug1:

[Dirty Don]

Hi Bergen, I just completed a small flare evidently. Started about a month ago when my stomach didn't seem to be recovering from some 'golf' dehydration (don't ask...I live in the desert), and it continued on: nausea but no vomiting or vile or bloody excretions, came on as soon as I got up each day, familiar lethargy returned, disappeared a bit in the evenings, I could eat anything but had no appetite, even ran a low grade fever off and on for a bit. Had primary look over stomach, nothing really to speak of. Alerted WG docs, they took me in, examined me, upped my dose of pred (which I'd been off for about a month) to 3 mgs...I felt better the next day...now, a few days later, I feel much better, back to where I was pre-dehydration incident...it's all in the pred, believe me! Actually, docs didn't think the stomach was related to the WG, but it turns out it was related to the 'fact' that some of us don't do well after 5mgs pred weaning...I may be one of them...Hey, I can live with 3-5 mgs pred/day...not gonna really hurt these old bones that much! LOL! Best to you, hope you get it resolved soon. OH, I take multi-vitamins and Vit C regularly every day...calcium in those...hmmmm.

[Sjap0655]

I had some stomach problems recently. I also took prednisone without food. I recently changed my time to lunch and added a probiotic along with protonix to balance the stomach fluid. As far as calcium. My clinical pharmacist is looking it up to see which calcium to take bc of absorption problems. As soon as I hear his recommendation I will update

[Debbie C]

Hi Bergen, I used to take calcium supplements but they seemed to have bothered my stomach also, so I stopped taking them and get calcium from other forms like drinking coconut or almond milk.

[From Bergen]

Hi,

Thank you for advice! Debra, it seems like we have been experiencing the same.. I will ask if I can quit those Calcium tablets (now only on 2,5 mg pred), and drink some of the milk types you recommend. I also use oat milk when f.ex cooking :biggrin1: Dirty Don, I hope you are doing fine by now! :thumbup:
Best regards from Norway!

[From Bergen]

P.S Debra, when you quitted the calcium supplement, where you then off the pred?

[drz]

Hi Bergen, I used to take calcium supplements but they seemed to have bothered my stomach also, so I stopped taking them and get calcium from other forms like drinking coconut or almond milk.

Were you taking Tums or another brand for calcium. Most people take those for upset stomach?

[Debbie C]

P.S Debra, when you quitted the calcium supplement, where you then off the pred?

Bergen, no ...I have been on 5 mg. for a couple years now. That is the only thing I seem to be able to tolerate.At first I was on ctz pred and bactrim,went into remission after 6 months then had a flare but could not tolerate any of the other meds. I had 1 round of rtx infusion but also had a reaction to that and the dr. wouldn't give me another. I was just recently told I could wean completely of pred. but kinda of wanting awhile