Weaning pred question

[Al]

Pretty sure it's a flare, but it still really mild compared to the first time around. Got a call in to the dr this morning.

Okay, Bob. We're ready for your report....

Al

[drz]

Pretty sure it's a flare, but it still really mild compared to the first time around. Got a call in to the dr this morning.

Are you still on some maintenance meds? Some times the residual symptoms will wax and wane a bit but the Imuran or similar drug and prednisone will contain it well enough so it will eventually retreat again. But close monitoring is important to be sure it doesn't get away. i have had to increase my azathioprine sometimes during these minor upsurges in symptoms. Some times not.

[Al]

Are you still on some maintenance meds? Some times the residual symptoms will wax and wane a bit but the Imuran or similar drug and prednisone will contain it well enough so it will eventually retreat again. But close monitoring is important to be sure it doesn't get away. i have had to increase my azathioprine sometimes during these minor upsurges in symptoms. Some times not.

Interesting. For me, increasing the AZA does nothing to slow an active flare, though the right dose does seem to keep the flares at bay--knock on something arboreal....

Al

[Psyborg]

Sorry, she called me back last night, I've not been great about posting lately Anyway, no pred was short lived. I'm back to 30 mg a day. She's hoping the immuran with the pred will put the wegs dog back to sleep.

[Carol]

After a failed attempt these are the things I did to get off Pred. It may sound a bit whacky but it worked like a breeze.
1. I waited until the weather was warm
2. Every day I spoke to my adrenals firmly numerous times a day for them to start working again.
3. I rubbed the area of my adrenals
4. I went to a compounding herbalist and over the counter she said no worries and mixed up a mixture.
5. I continued to meditate regularly. Kelly Howell is one of the ones I use.

wow it was easy. couldn't believe it!

Hope this is helpful.
Carol from Australia

[Pete]

Hi Carol,

Glad to hear you're off pred. Hope you can stay off it. I'm now at 10 mg/day and holding. I go to my doc on 5/16 and the plan is to change from cytoxan to something else - probably rituxin. I'll stay at 10 pred until I know how I respond to rituxin and then start tapering at 1 mg less every two weeks. As long as I continue to feel good, the taper will continue. If not, back up and try again.

[Sangye]

Sorry, she called me back last night, I've not been great about posting lately Anyway, no pred was short lived. I'm back to 30 mg a day. She's hoping the immuran with the pred will put the wegs dog back to sleep.

Dang it, Bob.

[Sangye]

Carol, it's great that you got off pred and I hope you get to stay off!

Unfortunately the same plan will not work for everyone. Either the adrenals don't come back online fully or pred is needed to keep the Wegs dog asleep.

[Psyborg]

Dang it, Bob.

I'm honestly pretty upbeat about it. I did get to 0, so I know my body will do it now. I think it's timing. I know that the doctor hoped that Immuran would keep things at bay, but evidently not. She did ask me to call back in two weeks and give an update and discuss starting to taper again. Assuming that I don't end up coming back into flare symptoms, in which case I'll have to go to Cleveland for tests and probably will end up getting another RTX dose.

[Debbie C]

I'm still at the 10mg., I haven't started weaning down yet. Since I was in the hosp. over the weekend I have really been overly tired,still with headaches and real dizzy at times. I was wondering if I was becoming anemic. I don't know what all blood tests they ran in the hosp. I think I will call my dr. in the a.m.