Prednisolone

[Goodsoulette]

How long after taking this you start feeling the benefits of this steroid? Should wheezing and tightness be continuing 14 hours later?

[bigmamma]

Goodsoulette love , just spotted your thread , I do hope it's not you with the asthma and having problems.
Was the prednisolone given intravenously or orally and how much was it ?
I often have a course of steroids of prednisolone and are usually given the IV dose first so it works quicker. Then 8 5mg tabs a day for as long as.
It depends how bad the attack is as to how quickly they are effective and if in status asthmaticus it can take days before benefits.
If in your case they are not working yet today I would get back to the doctor .Please let me know if it is you and how its going. Hugs :-) xx

[caz247]

depends on the dose i have been taking it
daily for more than a year now at 40mg per day

[Goodsoulette]

I had my first proper attack on sunday followed by one in the evening and another 2 yesterday. I needed emergency treatment for all of them as inhaler didn't work. My asthma has only ever manifested in coughing before. I started the steroids yesterday morning and I ma still short of breath and wheezy now. Yup, its been 40 mg once a day, orally. I think they are making me a touch emotional too.

[bigmamma]

Sorry to hear that poppit , its horrid isn't it ? Did you get any idea what sparked it off ? How many weeks are you take 40mg a day for ? You say you are still tight and wheezy , is it stopping you walking and can you speak a full sentence.
If you are too tight to hold a conversation then get back to get checked out . Do you have a cold or feel unwell otherwise ?

[bigmamma]

What puffers do you have and are they working as you may need to be nebulized .

[Goodsoulette]

I think I have a virus or summat Bigmamma. Last night I was burning up too, and I cant speak a sentence and I was crying by the time I got Jay to school, 100 yards away. Im not sure abut the steroids to begin with it was just 5 days but I have to go back on friday now. Trying to get through to docs now buts sodding engaged. i think I need the nebuliser again really.

[Goodsoulette]

Salbutamol is my reliever.

[bigmamma]

Poor sod , trying to get the school run done when you can hardly breathe. Please keep trying the docs but if yyou feel you cannot speak do not leave it love as it will only get worse. Ring for an ambulance and they will nebulise you and give you oxygen , that will make you feel better quicker than going to the gp when you need treatment quicker , believe me , I am acute and in danger very often.

[bigmamma]

I hope you are now getting the help you need love .

[Goodsoulette]

I went down the docs and got nebulised feel much better now thanks, mamma!

They assured me that the steroids will start working for me soon, and that I should use 10 puffs through a spacer every 2- 3 hours to make sure its getting in.

I find it really hard to believe that I have gone from nothing for years to this.

[bigmamma]

I apologise for getting back to you later than I intended .I assumed by hope that you had got help and I had to go out to my stepfather .
So pleased you got nebulized again , does work doesn't it.
You will soon know if you can manage on the spacer and I do hope you do.
My consultant has loaned me a nebulizer at home and I need it a few times most weeks , then a hosp. visit when even that isn't working .
I am really pleased you have let me know how you are , I logged back on as soon as I got back home.
Keep me posted if you can as to your progress love and try to get some rest if you can. Hugs :-) xx

[bigmamma]

Hi again love , just to say I hope your meds are working and that you have a better night :-) x

[Goodsoulette]

Hey BigMamma, there is a big chest infection hiding under the asthma, so I suppose when that clears up I will fill much better. It doesn't help that its been sunny and every ****** out there has been cutting their grass : ( I spoke to my doc again this afternoon because I have never really had anything like this and no one has really told me what to do, regarding how much i can use my inhaler etc he told me I can use it every hour if needs be, which is pretty much the case.

I can honestly vouch, my smoking days are over.

[bigmamma]

Did you get given antibiotics from your gp , hope so as a chest infection does make asthma worse. Oh it's horrid when you are wheezy and tight and all you can smell is grass cuttings ! :-) xx

[Goodsoulette]

Yeah.... will finish course too. Its like Im a whole new girl, I wont even drink with them : (

Another q about the steroids, have you had any side effects from taking them. I think they have made my eyes hurt, although that could be being tired and I am super worried about the acne and moonface warning, what the fruck is a moonface?

[bigmamma]

Glad you have antibiotics and are sensible not to drink while on them. They should kick in and help soon.
As for the steroids , I found that for the first 3 days of taking them I felt nauseated but whether that was the tabs or a combination of being tired , not eating , and other drugs I don't know.
Well after I have been on them after that time the main side effects start. First the increased appetite, I find I need to eat when I'm hungry straight away or I could bite the head off the nearest person and eat it. I can see how kids on steroids can put weight on but as adults we can control it.
Another side effect is a rather red face flush that comes and goes.
Don't panic though love ,the moon face you have heard about is only with really long term high dose over months or years. I had them once for a stretch of 9 months and looked no different.
Your eyes love is most likely from the nebuliser.If you are not used to it the amount that blows into your eyes out of the mask can do that. :-) xx

[Goodsoulette]

Thank you so much for answering my questions mamma. Like I said I had asthma as a teen and into my early 20s and had a couple of mild attacks but it mostly manifested itself as coughing, at night. I really think after a big attack I needed a lot more information, a booklet or summat just to say you can use your inhaler this much, this is when you should go to the doctors. Its a scary thing and kinda wish that I had just not refused admittance to hospital on sunday night now.

[bigmamma]

Yes , I had thought with it being out of the ordinary for you to have a major attack that the hospital would keep you in for a few days using a nebuliser all the time and gradually back onto puffers.It is harder to get yourself over it at home when you still have a house to run and a meal to cook etc..
I am pleased to answer your questions if I can love , any time. Do you have a peak flow meter btw.?

[Goodsoulette]

yeah, I managed a whole 200 this afternoon after my nebuliser, so its gone way up believe it or not. I know I used to blow about 550 when I was doing okay.

Thats the thing though, you cant just drop everything and go in to hospital for a few days. Kids got school, who will look after them and already have dopey ex asking me about what the arrangement swould be if I died gfrrrr

[bigmamma]

God thats scarey isn't it ? If you had to go in though I guess your life would have to be reorganised while you got well enough to go home. The first time I was in intensive care my sister arranged to take my dog and did say if ever anything did happen she would look after her , and take my son as her own.
Enough of the scarey talk !!! 200 on your peak flow is better , though still down if you are normally higher when symptom free. :-) xx