Question for the ladies.

[annekat]

At least you see your doc soon. Hopefully you guys can get things figured out.

Thanks, Phil. I do feel better now after a meal and a nap. But still have more of a nagging cough than before, so will get it checked out.

Anne

[pberggren1]

Yes, tapering pred 2.5 week all the way to zero would terrify me now. Even my first Wegs doc, an internist, told me not to taper any faster than 1mg per month once down to 5mg.

[Elena]

I am going to ask about tapering again the next time I'm going there (in 2 weeks.) It's like every time I'm there I ask about reducing my pred dose, however each time they want to adjust my immunosuppressant instead, and because of that they are scared to do anything about the pred. I will be a lot more stubborn about this time though. Going to push the subject a little, cause they never seem to address the subject voluntarily. I even had to push them to get a bone density measurement..

[marta]

Yes, I had adrenal function problems, not a flare. Good memory, Phil! But Marta you still got the main point and the very key point about not going longer than 2-3 days at too low a pred dose. So gold stars for both of you.

That taper your friend is doing is absolutely terrifying, Marta. I can't imagine any rheumy with half a brain thinking that's okay. Even a rheumy who doesn't know Wegs usually gets the pred taper right or at least close since it's used for so many conditions.

I know Sangye. When she was telling me what she's doing with the pred, my mouth was hanging open. All I could think about was you last year going through hell because of such a small drop that happened too fast. My dad also had to wean pred last year and almost went into adrenal crisis a couple of times - same thing, his doc gave him an insane pred wean. I ended up rescheduling his wean and the day when he looked like he was going to die, I just told him to pop a couple of extra mg of pred and within an hour he went from the sickest I've ever seen him in my life, to almost normal. He's been calling me Dr. Marta since then, and shockingly now calls me for advice. This is very very funny if you know our relationship.

Thanks for the gold stars. I like those. I came to Canada after the age where gold stars were given out and have always felt a little ripped off for never getting any.

[pberggren1]

I know Sangye. When she was telling me what she's doing with the pred, my mouth was hanging open. All I could think about was you last year going through hell because of such a small drop that happened too fast. My dad also had to wean pred last year and almost went into adrenal crisis a couple of times - same thing, his doc gave him an insane pred wean. I ended up rescheduling his wean and the day when he looked like he was going to die, I just told him to pop a couple of extra mg of pred and within an hour he went from the sickest I've ever seen him in my life, to almost normal. He's been calling me Dr. Marta since then, and shockingly now calls me for advice. This is very very funny if you know our relationship.

Thanks for the gold stars. I like those. I came to Canada after the age where gold stars were given out and have always felt a little ripped off for never getting any.

I'm sure we have many docs on the Forum. Your dad's level of trust and respect for you spiked to a very high level. Good for you for takig control of a situation you knew was not going to get any better.

This reminds me of a similar situation a couple of months ago. A friend of my dads came down with a severe ear ache in his left ear one day. It was a Monday. He came over to the house to talk to me about it. He had already taken about 20 ounces of whisky and several ibuprofen but nothing touched the pain. He let me look at his ear drum and it looked caved in and inflamed. I had 50mg tabs of pred left and some Moxifloxacin as well. I told him to take one of each a day and I would get him in to see my ENT on Wednesday. He was very reluctant, but he did take it. The next day the pain was gone. He went to see my ENT and and he asked who put you on pred and Moxi. He said: Dr. Phil. My ENT told him I probably saved his hearing.

[annekat]

We see so little of our docs that sometimes we have to take things into our own hands. I have extra pred around and won't hesitate to use it if I think it will save me from a crisis.

Anne

[pberggren1]

We see so little of our docs that sometimes we have to take things into our own hands. I have extra pred around and won't hesitate to use it if I think it will save me from a crisis.

Anne

I keep all my left over meds for at least a year.

[freakyschizogirl]

I always trade meds with my mum - she had my left over MTX while she gave me some 1mg Pred yesterday. Its good to share!

[Sangye]

This reminds me of a similar situation a couple of months ago. A friend of my dads came down with a severe ear ache in his left ear one day. It was a Monday. He came over to the house to talk to me about it. He had already taken about 20 ounces of whisky and several ibuprofen but nothing touched the pain. He let me look at his ear drum and it looked caved in and inflamed. I had 50mg tabs of pred left and some Moxifloxacin as well. I told him to take one of each a day and I would get him in to see my ENT on Wednesday. He was very reluctant, but he did take it. The next day the pain was gone. He went to see my ENT and and he asked who put you on pred and Moxi. He said: Dr. Phil. My ENT told him I probably saved his hearing.

OMG Phil do not ever do that again. It's one thing for someone who's very savvy about pred in their own body to take a bit more but never, ever give pred or an antibiotic to someone else. He should have gone to the ER and received proper treatment. Either one of those drugs could have been deadly.

[pberggren1]

The ENT prescribed the same thing 2 days later. He said he had taken both in the past.