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Medical Forum / Diseases and Disorders / Arthritis / March 2005From a lurker
I am a 66 yr old, have had RA for 14 years. Have been in terrible pain all winter. I have 2 friends that have RA and have taken predisone, 5mg a day, for 15 years. They swear by it. My rheumatologist does not want to put me on it. Says it isn't good for your bones, which does not make sense, as my friends haven't had any problems and they say they could not get out of bed in the mornings if it were not for it. Do any of you take predisone and has it helped you, as well. > I am a 66 yr old, have had RA for 14 years. Have been in terrible pain > all winter. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Do any of you take predisone and has it helped you, as well. Prednisone "leaches" calcium from the bones and can lead to osteoporosis. I would think this might be one of the reasons your RD doesn't want you on Pred. There are good and bad things about Pred. It never helped my pain, and I was taking as much as 40mg a day. It is, *for me*, a guaranteed 20 pound weight gain (regardless of the dosage amount), that doesn't go away when I stop the Pred (so it isn't "water weight). There is also the exceptionally moody aspect I develope while on it (BeeOtch comes to mind). Some people have a significant reduction in swelling, therefore, a reduction in pain. To me, the bads outweigh the good. Smokie Darling (Annie) I felt wonderful on predisone (although I lost my sense of smell and taste) but the doctor and pharmacist both told me that it is no longer used long term (and by many doctors at all) because the side effects are so bad. 5mg. a day doesn't sound like much but perhaps post-menopause even that amount is not good. Anne, Does your rheu have you on a DMARD. Something like enbrel or mtx? These might help with the pain you are having. Your friends might seem to be alright now but down the road they might not be. Pred can be a friend or foe. When my mom had replacements in the early 70's she had been on pred for many years. her bones could not hold the replacements and they shattered her leaving her a shell of a person. Just something to think about. debbie m. http://www.angelfire.com/ga2/angels1/ > I am a 66 yr old, have had RA for 14 years. Have been in terrible pain > all winter. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Do any of you take predisone and has it helped you, as well. hi anne, (((((((((((anne))))))))))) i'm sorry you've had such a miserable winter. what in lieu of pred has your rd put you on? perhaps, those doses need to be tweaked or a different dmard needs to be considered. there are other things that can be done too, like cortisone joint injections. how long have you had this rheumatologist that s/he doesn't have it under better control for you? i guess i'm saying that if you've had the same rd for these past 14 years, it might be a good idea to find a different rd who will help you get it under better control. going all winter in terrible pain is not necessary. kate >I am a 66 yr old, have had RA for 14 years. Have been in terrible pain > all winter. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Do any of you take predisone and has it helped you, as well. long term prednisonse can do more than harm your bones. for 7 years, i was on 5 mg, then 2 mg every day. i now have osteopenia and cataracts, and that's just the damage i know about. don't use it long term if you can help it. you should be on a DMARD, a drug that attacks the disease itself. what are you on? diane Prednisone is a love it or leave it medicine for lots of people. I have been off and on with it for years and will not take it again except for very short term. I had both eyes operated on for cataracts at a fairly young age because of it. Your RD really should have you on a Dmard. If I were you, I would discuss this with him as soon as possible. Also, you can have meds to control the pain. I am feeling very sorry that you are enduring this kind of pain when there is help out there for you. Ann >I am a 66 yr old, have had RA for 14 years. Have been in terrible pain > all winter. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Do any of you take predisone and has it helped you, as well. Hi,,, Welcome to ASA. 15 years of RA,,, you know what pain is about. Please tell us what other medicine you take to control RA and your immune system. Harv Anne, everyone responds differently to pred. unfortunately, i have had no choice but to take it as i am unable to take any of the currently available Dmards. At 54 after 15 years of continuos pred use i now have severe osteoporosis. I will most likely have my neck fused next month and have been unable to stop the progression after 18 months of aggressive treatment with actonel, testosterone supplementation, and calcium. Have your friends had a DEXA scan recently? They may have more damage than they realize. In theory 5mg. should be manageable but you are already at risk for osteoporosis so caution is a must. Prednisone is not benign. How long have you had RA? Why aren't you on a Dmard? It may not have gotten your full attention yet but untreated RA will eventually devastate your health. If there is nothing else available to get your RA under control than an informed decision on your part should be honored by your RD. If he doesn't want to help than get yourself a new RD. johnie > I am a 66 yr old, have had RA for 14 years. Have been in terrible pain > all winter. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Do any of you take predisone and has it helped you, as well. >I am a 66 yr old, have had RA for 14 years. Have been in terrible pain >all winter. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] >friends haven't had any problems and they say they could not get out of >bed in the mornings if it were not for it. Prednisone is sometimes necessary but not a good thing to take long term. It really is not good for your bones and 15 years is a long time to take it. I suspect if they had bone density tests done they would see some bone damage. I only take Prednisone if absolutely necessary and then for as short a time as possible. If you are seeing a rheumatologist I presume you are a medication specific to rheumatoid arthritis. I would hate to think what might have happened to me if I had not been. >Do any of you take predisone and has it helped you, as well. It helps in the short term for very bad pain at the beginning of a flare. I'm sure others will comment on this, and may have already as I have not read the entire thread. Good luck. --- Joan Thank you for responding. My RD put me on MTX, Jan., 2004 could not take it, as it gave me servere Broncitis.Then he put me on Arava, which caused severe heart burn. Have been taking 8 Extra Strength Tylanol daily since the Arava. All February, the pain has been in my hands. Saw my RD Monday, he gave me samples of Aleve, also a prescription for Naprosyn. Have taken the Aleve all week, and it has helped. If it continues to do so I might stay on it rather than go on the Naprosyn. You have helped clear my mind about the predisone. Therefore I will not keep insisting on starting it. Surpose I do have a good RD, and internal medicine doctor as they both have been against my starting it. >Thank you for responding. My RD put me on MTX, Jan., 2004 could not take >it, as it gave me servere Broncitis.Then he put me on Arava, which >caused severe heart burn. Have been taking 8 Extra Strength Tylanol >daily since the Arava. Tylenol helps with pain but does nothing for the RA. There are still other things that you can try, like sulphasalazine, imuran, plaquenil (mild), and the newer meds like remicade, arava, and humira. Prednisone does have its place but it is a nasty drug in that it escalates the aging process (in a sense) and therefore has the potential to leech the bones of calcium, and cause cataracts. It can also alter the blood sugar and for some people contributes to the development of type two diabetes. Many people that do take it have a love/hate relationship and try to get off with varying degrees of success. If you speak to your friends ask them if they have had a bone density test. If they have not, it is advisable that they do while there is still a chance that something can be done to prevent or treat the osteoporosis that they may now have. Perhaps all they need is some education about what long term pred use could mean. I wish you well. You still have many options. Rose @}>->-- Being educated means that rather than fearing the unknown, one seeks to understand it. RB Please remove "Ima" to reply. Forgot to add that I have been on plaguenile for years. No problems from it at all. Due to my co-insurance only paying $1,000 a year on my medications, it makes it rough for me. Just as well that the MTX and Arava did not agree with me, as it was most expensive. Ah with the insurance you will have issues but you might qualify for one of the help programs the drug companies have. Also, Harv my be able to answer this, but you are 66 so qualify for medicare and I thought Harv switch to Remicade for awhile because medicare was paying. Probably got that all wrong. I think it is the Benedryl talking. rofl Duckie > Forgot to add that I have been on plaguenile for years. No problems > from it at all. > > Due to my co-insurance only paying $1,000 a year on my medications, it > makes it rough for me. Just as well that the MTX and Arava did not agree > with me, as it was most expensive.  Signature_('> (_<_) _ _('< -quack (_<_) _ __('< *QUACK!* <_{__) _('< "|,,|_" (_<_) _('< "AFLAC!" (_<_) > Ah with the insurance you will have issues but you might qualify for one > of the help programs the drug companies have. Also, Harv my be able to > answer this, but you are 66 so qualify for medicare and I thought Harv > switch to Remicade for awhile because medicare was paying. Probably got > that all wrong. I think it is the Benedryl talking. rofl > Duckie Hi Duckie, You are correct in that I tried Remicade because SocSec would pay for a great deal of it and my insurance has a max. amount they will spend on me and I have to be getting pretty close to the max amount with 3 years of Enbrel. I still had to apply for a grant to help me pay for what insurance and SocSec left over for me to pay. There is help for people with limited income and qualify. Harv Anne, you should be insisting on trying one of the anti-TNF drugs; enbrel,humira,remicade,etc...They have been a miracle for many people. It is so Important to stop the progression of RA. If you don't the next relationship you develop will be with a Surgeon. One more thing about pred. If used properly and sparingly to stop flares it is often safer than the tylenol you are taking. You might want to remind your docs about how many people die and are hospitalized with internal bleeding from NSAID's. Be careful. johnie > Thank you for responding. My RD put me on MTX, Jan., 2004 could not take > it, as it gave me servere Broncitis.Then he put me on Arava, which [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > keep insisting on starting it. Surpose I do have a good RD, and internal > medicine doctor as they both have been against my starting it. There are more DMARD's to try than MTX and Arava. Enbrel, Humira, Kinneret, Remicade just to name a few [probably spelled several of those wrong]. Trot over to this site and do some reading. http://www.arthritis.co.za/ Time you were put on something stronger. And Aleve is not what I am talking about. :) I take Remicade and Arava and today my RD and I talked about adding Rituxan. Not sure what that is yet but I am willing to learn. lol And welcome to our sand box. Duckie > Thank you for responding. My RD put me on MTX, Jan., 2004 could not take > it, as it gave me servere Broncitis.Then he put me on Arava, which [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > keep insisting on starting it. Surpose I do have a good RD, and internal > medicine doctor as they both have been against my starting it. Signature_('> (_<_) _ _('< -quack (_<_) _ __('< *QUACK!* <_{__) _('< "|,,|_" (_<_) _('< "AFLAC!" (_<_) > Thank you for responding. My RD put me on MTX, Jan., 2004 could not take > it, as it gave me servere Broncitis.Then he put me on Arava, which [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > on it rather than go on the Naprosyn > Aleve & naprosyn are the same thing, so don't take together. I have been on pred off & on for over 25 years, on all then time for the last 14. Yes I have wt gain, but as a plus from this my bones are in good shape. I only take 5mg a daily & I try to have about 2-3 off days a week if every seems to be ok. But I also take enbrel & MTX. I am 47 & still work full time. Too much pred over along term can be bad. but for me it is the better to take than not. As my hubby the pred bitch is easier to take than the screaming pain bitch. LOL I do take calcium % vit D. I have taken prednisone periodically throughout my life. I had to have cataracts removed from my eyes when I was 55. I have osteoporosis. I weigh considerably more than is good for me. Now while I blame the prednisone for the above I also have to credit it for keeping me alive at all. I have had severe chronic asthma all my life and even a cold can be life threatening. So yes prednisone can be a wonder drug, but it does have side effects. Not something to take long term unless it is truly necessary. Jo >I am a 66 yr old, have had RA for 14 years. Have been in terrible pain > all winter. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Do any of you take predisone and has it helped you, as well. It is our favorite drug to love/hate. It works wonders; it destroys bones. Your RD [rheumatologist] should put you on a DMARD for your RA. So what are you taking for it now? Duckie > I am a 66 yr old, have had RA for 14 years. Have been in terrible pain > all winter. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > Do any of you take predisone and has it helped you, as well. Signature_('> (_<_) _ _('< -quack (_<_) _ __('< *QUACK!* <_{__) _('< "|,,|_" (_<_) _('< "AFLAC!" (_<_) |
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