Steroids for joint pain

[luckystrike]

My wife has been prescribed 'Prednisolone' steroid tablets � four 5mg tablets per day for one week, to help with severe joint pain.  After day three, she feels worse than ever, as she is unable to take her anti-inflammatory medication as well.

What is the benefit of taking steroids for one week for severe joint pain?  Are they a cure for anything?  When should the benefits start to be realised?

[FP]

A course of steroids over a short period is designed to bring down inflammation and usually provides very quick relief.  They do not cure. I have had courses prescribed on several occasions.  I usually feel fantastic when I am taking them, so it would be advisable for her to contact her GP to see why she feels worse.

Short courses like this are often prescribed to give the body a rest from the symptoms, which can sometimes aid recovery. 

Again, she would be wise to discuss this with her GP. 

[Scarlett]

Even though it is ashort course, it is important that she does not suddenly stop taking them. Steroids have rather nasty side effects if you stop them suddenly. Give it the rest of the week and then go back to the Doctor. She may be experiencing withdrawl from her usual medication of course. I recommend trying to wean yourself off the drugs and go and see a homeopath. You will need to be patient, but they have always sorted me out. She could also look at her diet. My joint pain improved a lot when I gave up salt and  wheat!

[FP]

Scarlett, on my short courses of Prednisolone 5mg I have had to take about four to five  tablets daily for one week only and then stop completely.  I have been told that if you only take them for one week in this way it is OK to suddenly stop, as opposed to if you have been taking steroids for a long period.  I have to do this on several occasions over the years, but have never been on steroids on a long term basis (apart from puffer sprays).

There is a thread I have started on Arthritis further down the page, which you might find interesting luckystrike, as there have been some very helpful replies.

[RevShirls]

The effects of stopping steroids suddenly can vary from person to person. I have used prednisolone for severe asthma on a number of occasions - and it really has been a life-saver. (Thankfully, my asthma is well under control these days thanks to new medication). I react very badly if I stop taking prednisolone suddenly so I always have to reduce by 2.5mg each day along with a course of zinc tablets.

Prednisolone usually makes people feel quite energetic for a while and many people have a surplus of energy and do things like hoovering in the middle of the night. We all produce prednisolone (I think it's a form of adrenolin). When a person starts taking prednisolone tablets, the body stops producing it and takes a few days to start producing it again after the tablets stop.

[sandbach99]

I posted this on the Arthritis link, watch what you eat  an artifical sugar found in diet foods and many others can give you joint pain,  stay off anything with aspartame in it, also known as E951 you may feel ill for a couple of days as your body detoxes but should feel an improvement in a week if this is the trouble.   It's worth a try