Chronic & Prednisone dependent asthma of my 62 year old father

Hi,

My father is 62 years old & has been a Asthma patient since 20 years & has become prednisone dependent since last 4 years.

Till about 6 months back, 10 mg of Prednisone will keep him ok. Now it does not - he had to resort to 30 mg a day for a week & that keeps him ok for 2 weeks & then again back to pavillion. I am afraid that his asthma is progressing.

I am too scared to let him take 20 mg a day as a routine - I know 10 mg a day is a big amount - more over what if after another 6 months he needs 30 mg a day :( ! The GP does not have an answer expect to pump up the prednisone for few weeks - he was hospitalized twice last year - same treatment in hospital as well - pump up prednisone & he is ok & then he is back to square one after few weeks..

I am really very worried on his condition, looks like no doctor has a solution for his condition. If anyone has any good sugggestion I will greatly appreciate. Thanks in advance.

[caregiver222]

He really needs to see another physician. There are a lot of "missing pieces" to this story. For example, "has he ever been on inhaled powdered steroids". Has he ever been on Foradil?  Doe he have an electically operated albuterol inhaler? Does he use it? Has every effort been made to make sure he is an antigen free environment? The use of oral doses of prednisone alone to treat asthma was popular during the 1940's, but few modern physicians follow this practice. Use of predisone in such doses over such a period of time dramatically increases the probability of a malignancy.

[Azwoman]

Hmmm.. does your father see an asthma, or pulminary-lung doctor? Prednisone has awful side effects when youre on it for as long as he's been-bone loss, etc... as my father has taken prednisone in the past and he too is asthmatic, as I am also. Steroid inhalers work wonders (Advair, Symbicort just to name a couple),, and my father is 62 also, and he has been doing a breathing treatment daily for years and years.. I really think your father needs to see another doctor and get another opinion and maybe a new treatment regimene started.
Hope this helps.