prednisolone help & advice needed

earthspirit

im going to be taking a 5 day course of 30 mg per day so that hopefully i can drive 600 miles. im not on the RA meds due to choice but doctor agreed to give me steroids to cope with my never ending flare.

i drive on the sunday so was going to start them thurs or fri

any tips or advice about taking these short term and is there any likelihood of any worsening of this flare? is so i cant risk taking them as i have no option but to do the driving.

i have lots of driving experience and know all about the stops and plenty fluid etc and well topped up with pain meds.

just trying to be the best possibly prepared that i can be. im taking 2 people with me, both non drivers and one of them is getting really quite aggitated about my ability. i know i can make the journey but shoulders in a very wrecked condition so got to take it as easy as i can.

your help/advice appreciated - thanks

friarygirl

Hi, I am new here but not new to the conditions and the medications! Firstly I am wondering how far you are going to drive in one day? I would suggest an overnight stay or at least one as that is a long difficult distance for anybody. thinking about an average speed of 60 miles an hr nobody who is well will be driving for 10 hrs without a rest and a proper rest.
the reality is you might go faster at 70 on the motorways but I presume the whole journey wont be m'way and so there will be some driving at 30-50 too!
topping up on pain meds is a double edged sword isnt it as you need to make sure these are safe for driving and nobody can say re your insurance and so on but we all have to be careful with such things as meds and driving and the side effects etc.
doing the drive and the effects of the steroids - well sadly nobdoy knows. a short course at that dose can make me feel ok and the positive effects usually outweigh any side effects. Can feel a bit shaky sometimes but that is usually when I have them at that dose for my asthma as then the inhaler effects are also making me shaky!!
I suspect the people going with you are concerned for your well being and you sound concerned. Iw ould book yourself into a travel lodge or premier inn approx half way through the journey and have a good meal followed by a deep sleep before the next leg of the journey.
I would struggle to drive 60 miles alone and without at leats 1 stop - 600 would be 1005 impossible for me but that is me not you and you clearly are well enough to do it or wouldnt be thinking about it at all.
can you go by train ? coach? take another person who can drive too?
sorry its hard to say anything v positive and I wish you a safe and happy trip -let us know how it goes. FG

earthspirit

thanks for your reply friarygirl

my main concern is the effect of the steroids and whether they are likely to be of any help. ive already resigned myself to mega pain when i stop off overnight and the second day will be harder going for me. im used to doing the journey in one go and just despise the overnight stops as that makes the overall journey much longer. dont have an option this time tho

i am very precise over pain meds while driving, rather taking less than needed but a few starbucks along the way will help.

having never taken steroid in tablet form before i suppose im just looking for a quick reduction in joint inflamation overall but with the shoulders being my main concern as its those i turn the wheel with. motorways are rather straight on the whole so hopefully i am going to be better than i expect.

driving is one of the few physical pleasures i have these days so im going into this with a positive mind. i could do without the passengers (well the nervous one lol)

i have no option as i need to get the car to the same destination as myself and nobody else can drive it.

Numptydumpty

Hi earthspirit,
first, I admire your determination!
As for the steroids, I presume you're worried about possible side effects. Of course we are all different. I have been taking pred for six years, I currently take 10mg daily, increasing to 20mg when flaring. I personally get very few side effects from pred. Just the weight gain, and some anxiety problems, but these are greatly outweighed by the benefits for me. Of course you will be taking a short term high dose, which could be entirely different anyway. Someone who has experienced this first hand would be better equipped to advise you.
I guess the only thing, (if you're determined to do this) is suck it and see.
I hope it all goes well for you, whatever you decide.
All the best,
Numpty

dreamdaisy

To my mind a five day course of 30mgs is neither here nor there in terms of risk, but I am not a doc. I hope that they will sufficiently ease things so that you can achieve this feat, they should be taken early in the day so as to mimic the body's natural production (thank you for that info, Scattered ) but no-one can guarantee their help, only experience will tell. Anyhoo adrenalin is a great pain killer - hopefully the sense of achievement will minimise it. DD

LignumVitae

I had the same course for a chest infection late last year. No side effects to report but that's just personal experience. Good luck and make sure you get an extra shot in those Starbucks on day two. LV xx

salamander

I find at that level the pred makes me very speedy but also extremely tired, if that makes sense. When I was in a bad flare I started on that dose with a structured reduction but it took quite a while for them to work and this was on top of steroid injections both depo and in several joints. So I wouldn't necessarily be confident they would work that quickly.

Personally, I wouldn't attempt to drive that far because of the variable nature of my illness. I might drive ok one day and then be in agony the next and not be able to handle the car properly so most of my journeys are quite local. However, you can but try and I hope it works out for you!

kathe

Don't now if they gone help you. I take prenidolon 7,5mg every day now,bacause I'm switching medicin. But it takes always 4-5days when I start on prednisolon fore it helps. So don't now if you gone have any effect. Prednisolon is youst a quik solution and not helping in the long therm. I really hate taking it but it helps and thats the importent thing. Have å great trip.

frogmorton

Hi Earthspirit

I think I may be too late anyway, but just wanted to wish you the best of luck with the journey.

I hope all goes well and the non-drivers are, at least, not unhelpful.

Love

Toni xxx

stickywicket

I spoke to someone this morning who has been on large (75mgs at the highest) doses of pred and she said the problem for her was sleeping as she was just wide awake all the time. This resonates with when I was on a high dose in preparation for chemo. I remember having eyes like saucers still at 3-4am.

600 miles in two days is quite a tall order even for fully fit people. I hope you can take it easy for a few days once you get there. Are you sure that plane plus hire car isn’t an option?

earthspirit

it felt really encouraging coming on here today and reading your replies.
the RA in my neck has always been dominant, but i do have other serious very old neck injury so that is the reason for that part of my body being worst affected.

i have beeen doing this journey regularly for over 20 yrs, including as quite an inexperienced driver, in total bucket type cars. ive had to deal with the pain long long time. however although shoulders were weak, they were not nearly as bad as they are now (brachial nerve is getting pressurised by wear on shoulder joints & RA inflamation)

i think tho..............it is as much the psychological challenge of my nervous passenger who is playing mainly on my mind. there isnt a pill for that one is there and how dumb of me to think me taking steroids would eradicate this issue.

oh well im going to be day 4 & 5 on the pred, so hopefully my wrists will hold out and at some point on the 13th august i will safely arrive at destination with passengers & sanity intact. (i dont mind 13ths as i am fri 13th baby)


thanks again and i do appreciate you all standing behind me with support rather than the negativity around me lol (my 75 yr old mother offering to share the driving - she is a cool lady, good driver but takes so many pain dullers that i would be the nervous wreck )