Crohns,prednisolone tabs

[lozzyroo]

So i was diagnosed yesterday with crohns disease in the small intestine, they have put me onto prednisolone tablets.The tablets are 5mg each but i have to take 30mg a day. I toke them yesterday and today everytime i've been toilet it has still been diaahrea  but i don't expect this to get back to 'normal' for atleast a week anyways. i have also been put on calichew d3 which is calcium and vitamin D. Have you been on prednisolone if so.has it worked did you have side effects. i've been a little emotional and tired,but that's all so far. for now i have to take 30mg but every week i have to take it down 5mg a dose,this will be fore 6 weeks untill i'm at 5mg i believe. i'm scared i'll put on weight and get acne....

[amg39]

hi there ive just finished my course of steriods ? i was on the same dose as you! i am also on calcichews ! i have chorons/collitis i find the steriods are the only meds that help me when i have a flare? they can take a while before they start to wrk! i cant say if i have had any side affects with them ? apart from they make me hungry?? hope you do ok with them ? let me know how u do? take care xx

[lookfar]

Prednisone is a "rescue therapy" - i.e. it is used to help bring an acute flareup in control.  Depending on dosage and length of use, it can cause multiple side effects, including weight gain, insomnia, mood swings etc.  If you don't see reduction in frequency of bowel movements or amount of blood, check back with your doctor - you may need higher dosage or other meds in parallel. Note Crohn's is unsolved, so best the meds and docs can do is try to control it and its symptoms.  Some people get frequent flareups, while others have years of quiet time.  Above all, make sure you have a GI doctor who specializes in treating IBD. Also, look up www.ccfa.org - they have good information on Crohn's.  It is easy to get overwhelmed when you are newly diagnosed. But be strong. Reach out to other people who have had Crohn's and get support.

[lozzyroo]

Thank you so much for both of your replys, i've only been on the pred for 3 days i've been going toilet way less,but still feel like i need to go but nothings 'coming out' last night my body woke me up with muscle spazms not sure if that was to do with the pred,today i also got a stupid headache so i slept this off and now that's gone. I've been told i'll have to be on pred for 6 weeks because i've heard of the long term side effects ie weight gain,acne, sleep insomnia etc i'm thinking of speaking to my consultant which will be on the 5th of aug and ask if i can take something else that would not give me these side effects in the long run. Yet again thank you for your comments.

[lookfar]

Prednisone is used because it is pretty effective, I think.  There is Budesonide (aka Entocort, Rhinocort), which I hear has less side effects.   Your docs may also try concurrent 5-ASA class anti-inflammatories like Asacol, Colazal and immunosuppressants like 6-MP or Azathioprines.  There is also Remicade IV infusion, but it expensive and is generally not given until other treatments have been exhausted. But anti-inflammatories and immunosuppressants are "maintenance therapies", not rescue - corticosteroids stand alone as rescue..There also seems to be a technical debate about whether to gradually step-up the IBD therapies, or whether to start off with strong medicines first (inverted pyramid..).  You may want to ask your doc about this..  Former is more prevalent, I think..  

[Zaklin]

I think that worrying about weight and acne is the least of your future worries. Prednisone over a long period of time is not good for your bones.

Our daughter was diagnosed with Crohn's at 12 (January 2008) and she's still not in remission and has gotten worse, started with prednisone 5 mg x 8 tablets per day (40 mgs) she too went down to 5 mg but then it flared up again, then went on Pentasa (which made her almost psychotic so we took her off quickly....) at this point the pain got so bad she was on the floor curled up on a ball in pain...so we hope you don't get to that point...

then she went on Enteral feeding tube (through nose down throat into stomach) that helped for a few months then she got it back again and went on Imuran (immune suppressant) for nearly a year - didn't work either...now she's in between meds (to clear out her blood) on cipro and flagyl anti biotics because she also developed an anal fissure (tear just in side the bum hole area) and has been using polysporin which has helped a lot.

Now she has to go with a more aggressive treatment option as her crohn's is just not going away and very painful. She refuses to curb her diet much - she's only a kid so it's tough....we're looking at remicade infusion (IV for approx. 2-3 hrs x every 8 weeks) or Humira or Cimzia injections every 4 weeks....

You just have to do the research - none of those drugs are great in my opinion when the side effects COULD possibly be lymphoma....not a fan of pharmaceutical companies at all...but what can we do we're at their mercy....because any "cures" I am convinced have been swept under the carpet because cures don't make billions of dollars every year do they?

[lozzyroo]

that's why i'm looking i'm in the UK as i don't have to pay for any of my treatments i understand about your daughter the prednisone is also not working for me if anything it's making the pains worse o.0 plus i work in a doctors surgery so working with ill people isn't exactly helping if you get me. i'm seeing my consultant soon to see what else he will put me on due to the drug not working. today i went down to 25mg surely i should be highering my doasage because of it's lack of effect. i shall update everyone on what happeneds when i see my consultant. many thanks from Lauren