prednisone

[briane]

I had posted a question earlier and really appreciate the forums and the Doctors on the forums.  I am on prednisone for possible sarcoidosis.  I wanted to ask if it took prednisone awhile to get in your system and start working and if it was the kind of medication I could expect to relieve pain.  Any comments would be greatly appreciated.

[National Jewish]

To treat sarcoidosis, prednisone is taken on a daily basis, generally for 3 to 6 months to control the symptoms. If the pain you are experiencing is due to sarcoidosis, then the prednisone should help lessen the pain.

[starion]

We're all so different--our bodies, our condition, even our health from day to day as well as the medications we're all taking.  Prednisone is a powerful oral steroid which affects different people very differently.  I've taken several "bursts" of 10-80 mg/day for my asthma and emphysema flare-ups over the past 18 months.  Since I've only taken it when my lung function is already very poor, I haven't noticed it having a very dramatic improvement in my lung function.  Still, I have stayed out of emergency rooms & hospitals, & I suspect it kept my flare-ups from getting out of control.  Many others have written about much more dramatic results from taking much smaller doses.  Some folks take if for a lot longer (all of my bursts were for a few days or weeks).

In any case, talk to your doctor about whether you believe your medication plan is working or not, so you can work together to make appropriate adjustments (increase, decrease, change meds).

Aloha,

Starion--thriving in HI