Prednisone experiences?

[melissaw72]

Slight chance that I might have to go on prednisone on Monday (or at least told that I need to) because of whatever I have now ... some virus that is clogging up my lungs (although that has gotten significantly better since Friday).

I don't want to go on it ... 3 med interactions and I don't want to go manic. (I have never gone totally manic but it definitely revs me up ... and that was before I was diagnosed SZA).

Talked to pdoc about it, and he doesn't like the idea but said if I had to, to go on the absolute smallest dose possible.

Just wondering if anyone has had good/bad experiences on it.

[iaawal]

I was on it for a few days. At the time, I was on bupropion XL and venlafaxine ER and I think lamotrigine. It messed me up. I was an emotional wreck. Like lamotrigine titration but x100. 

I hope others have had better experiences. 

[trailmix]

It gave me horrible panic attacks. Now my doc gives me medrol dose packs. It is a steroid taper.

[Gearhead]

Destabilized me and fucked up my life for six months. That's after taking it for six days. I'd just as soon die of the allergic reaction, thanks.

[melissaw72]

Thank you very much for telling me your experiences. They confirm what I'd been thinking, but wasn't sure.

Any tips on how to tell the allergy DR all these problems mentioned here, if I was to take prednisone, that will be effective in getting through to him quickly , accurately , and to the point?  And possibly without having to 'argue' if he starts in on me to take it?

Right now, I plan on telling him to speak with pdoc (which I did ask pdoc if he would do it, and he said that he would).

Because when I talked to allergy DR last, I told him no prednisone because it had interactions with  3 meds I was on (and I plan on telling him it gives me hallucinations, because who knows, you know)?  He said not to worry about it.  Then said, "Your head might feel a little 'funny' but other than that you will be fine."  Fuck that.  'Funny' ... I mean what is his idea of what 'funny' is?

I know I said this in OP, but will again ... pdoc said he'd prefer for me to not go on it, but if had to on the tiniest dose possible.  (However I am not going to mention that part ... the tiniest dose part). 

I just don't want to end up arguing back and forth about taking it.  I just need at least one solid reason that would get him off of my back (in a nice way ... I'm going to try not to get pissy with him), and solid ideas to keep saying 'no,' if he won't give up saying I have to take this.  I have a hard time with conversations like this.

 

[iaawal]

2 hours ago, melissaw72 said:

Thank you very much for telling me your experiences. They confirm what I'd been thinking, but wasn't sure.

Any tips on how to tell the allergy DR all these problems mentioned here, if I was to take prednisone, that will be effective in getting through to him quickly , accurately , and to the point?  And possibly without having to 'argue' if he starts in on me to take it?

Right now, I plan on telling him to speak with pdoc (which I did ask pdoc if he would do it, and he said that he would).

Because when I talked to allergy DR last, I told him no prednisone because it had interactions with  3 meds I was on (and I plan on telling him it gives me hallucinations, because who knows, you know)?  He said not to worry about it.  Then said, "Your head might feel a little 'funny' but other than that you will be fine."  Fuck that.  'Funny' ... I mean what is his idea of what 'funny' is?

I know I said this in OP, but will again ... pdoc said he'd prefer for me to not go on it, but if had to on the tiniest dose possible.  (However I am not going to mention that part ... the tiniest dose part). 

I just don't want to end up arguing back and forth about taking it.  I just need at least one solid reason that would get him off of my back (in a nice way ... I'm going to try not to get pissy with him), and solid ideas to keep saying 'no,' if he won't give up saying I have to take this.  I have a hard time with conversations like this.

 

Maybe he thinks you'll hallucinate voices that are comedians and they'll have you laughing the whole time.  

I would maybe say that with med interactions and possibility of becoming manic or unstable you just would rather not take that risk. You would like to exhaust every other option before thinking of prednisone. Say prednisone is famous in the MI community for destabilizing the shit out of people. I think even non-MI folks get affected by prednisone to a lesser degree. Add to that psychosis and a mood disorder and you have a shitstorm waiting for you. Say that you're sorry, but you would really rather take another route. Your mental health should not be taken lightly and that your psychiatrist agrees. Lots of non-MI docs are ignorant on the severity of these things. 

[melissaw72]

33 minutes ago, iaawal said:

Maybe he thinks you'll hallucinate voices that are comedians and they'll have you laughing the whole time.  

I would maybe say that with med interactions and possibility of becoming manic or unstable you just would rather not take that risk. You would like to exhaust every other option before thinking of prednisone. Say prednisone is famous in the MI community for destabilizing the shit out of people. I think even non-MI folks get affected by prednisone to a lesser degree. Add to that psychosis and a mood disorder and you have a shitstorm waiting for you. Say that you're sorry, but you would really rather take another route. Your mental health should not be taken lightly and that your psychiatrist agrees. Lots of non-MI docs are ignorant on the severity of these things. 

(bold 1) Actually he was being a jerk ... I guess you'd need to hear his tone of voice to understand what I mean.  It was more like he is in-charge-and-fuck-what-the-other-DRs-say type of voice.  He was making light of the side effects and drug interactions, and just being a total prick.

(bold 2-3) That is a great thing to say.  Thank you for that.  Unfortunately, but hopefully not, say "well lets give it a try anyway" ... he's said this about other things also in the past.  I usually just agree and then don't do it (because I've tried it already and know it doesn't work, but he says to try it anyway) to get him to stop bringing it up.

What if he says there is no other route? (than the prednisone) ... (I swear he is like this ... so I have to really think ahead for stuff he might say).

(bold 4) Totally agree, and this DR is just like that.

 

Thanks for the advice ... I appreciate it

[trailmix]

If he insists, I would tell him that you would like to try the medrol pack first. If he still insists on the prednisone, I would go to a different doctor. Personally, I would go to a walk-in clinic, and list prednisone as an allergy.

[melissaw72]

1 hour ago, trailmix said:

If he insists, I would tell him that you would like to try the medrol pack first. If he still insists on the prednisone, I would go to a different doctor. Personally, I would go to a walk-in clinic, and list prednisone as an allergy.

What is a medrol pack?

With all my being I am going to say no to the prednisone.  Sometimes that is easier said than done for me though.

Listing prednisone as an allergy is a really good idea.  Thank you for that.

[trailmix]

a medrol  pack is a pack of steroids but it is a much smaller dose, and you take it throughout the day. also, you taper down. So the first day, you take 6 tablets throuhout the day, the next day 5 and so on,. Its what my doc gives me and it hasnt caused any problems for me.

[melissaw72]

11 minutes ago, trailmix said:

a medrol  pack is a pack of steroids but it is a much smaller dose, and you take it throughout the day. also, you taper down. So the first day, you take 6 tablets throuhout the day, the next day 5 and so on,. Its what my doc gives me and it hasnt caused any problems for me.

Thanks.  Hadn't heard of it before.

I will bring it up if necessary.  Hopefully it won't get to that point, and he'll just say I don't need it.  Hard to predict though.

 

 

 

[melissaw72]

Well, just talked to the DR and told him I was doing better than last week.  I still have a bad cough (but not choking on the stuff from my lungs anymore), but am sounding so much better.  Otherwise things are good. 

Edited January 9, 2017 by melissaw72

[cloudmonger]

On 1/8/2017 at 5:59 AM, melissaw72 said:

Slight chance that I might have to go on prednisone on Monday (or at least told that I need to) because of whatever I have now ... some virus that is clogging up my lungs (although that has gotten significantly better since Friday).

I don't want to go on it ... 3 med interactions and I don't want to go manic. (I have never gone totally manic but it definitely revs me up ... and that was before I was diagnosed SZA).

I hate when GP's just brush over your concerns or worries about a medication. If it were me, (after hearing everyone else's warnings/terrible experiences) I'd probably just lie and tell the doc I've already taken the med in the past and really experienced awful intolerable reaction to it.

[melissaw72]

17 minutes ago, cloudmonger said:

I hate when GP's just brush over your concerns or worries about a medication. If it were me, (after hearing everyone else's warnings/terrible experiences) I'd probably just lie and tell the doc I've already taken the med in the past and really experienced awful intolerable reaction to it.

I would lie too, except I already told him I don't want to take it because of the side effects/reactions to it.  I didnt specifically say I took it before, but if I had, he would have asked  1. who prescribed it  2. Why (why prescribed it) and 3. What was my reaction.   That part of him I hate. 

If I lied, I couldn't name a DR who prescribed it without telling them first, and Idk in general what else prednisone is used for (what other illnesses do people take it), so I wouldn't have been able to say why.  My reactions I could have said.

If this ever comes up again, I will lie like crazy ... "I dont remember" who or why it was prescribed (because "it was a long time ago.")  He might ask why I didn;t tell him (referring to this time), and I'll say it didn't come up in conversation ... I told him side effects, which I thought implied he knew that.

He can be like this.  Overall things have been ok with him though.  It is a couple isolated incidences that get him like this.

[cloudmonger]

9 minutes ago, melissaw72 said:

I would lie too, except I already told him I don't want to take it because of the side effects/reactions to it.  I didnt specifically say I took it before, but if I had, he would have asked  1. who prescribed it  2. Why (why prescribed it) and 3. What was my reaction.   That part of him I hate. 

If I lied, I couldn't name a DR who prescribed it without telling them first, and Idk in general what else prednisone is used for (what other illnesses do people take it), so I wouldn't have been able to say why.  My reactions I could have said.

If this ever comes up again, I will lie like crazy ... "I dont remember" who or why it was prescribed (because "it was a long time ago.")  He might ask why I didn;t tell him (referring to this time), and I'll say it didn't come up in conversation ... I told him side effects, which I thought implied he knew that.

He can be like this.  Overall things have been ok with him though.  It is a couple isolated incidences that get him like this.

Damn...A stickler for details...I guess I would probably be vague and say "I can't remember who prescribed it, or when, it was awhile ago..." I don't know what else you can say if he is adamant about putting you on it.

[melissaw72]

7 minutes ago, cloudmonger said:

Damn...A stickler for details...I guess I would probably be vague and say "I can't remember who prescribed it, or when, it was awhile ago..." I don't know what else you can say if he is adamant about putting you on it.

That is exactly what I;d say.

I hope by this point he would not be adamant about putting me on it.  I would probably say let's give it more time and see if it gets worse or better.  And then go from there.  Let's just hope it never gets to this point.

[notloki]

Sometimes prednisolone is the only or best treatment. Congested lungs are serious. If it gets bad enough you suffocate,

I have one of the coditions where steroids are the only treatment and very effective. I don't want to take it, I cannot sleep while on it no matter how many drugs I throw at it.

I would consult with pdoc, you might have the option of temprarly increasing some of your meds.  I up my Klonopin and that takes care of a lot of it.

[melissaw72]

13 hours ago, notloki said:

I would consult with pdoc, you might have the option of temprarly increasing some of your meds.  I up my Klonopin and that takes care of a lot of it.

I did consult with pdoc last weekend, before calling the allergy DR Monday AM.  Pdoc was hesitant about the prednisone, but did say that maybe we could adjust other meds to work the prednisone in.  He didn't want to, but said it was an option.

If it ever does happen again (that I get sick like I was), I will mention the medrol first (that trailmix mentioned in previous posts).  And then go from there.

I agree with you that congested lung are serious. From what I experienced this past weeks and a half or so, for the first time ever, I choked on the stuff in my lungs.  And I couldn't imagine how others who were worse off than me dealt with it, whether on meds or not.