What is this new feeling? Light as a feather, I hopped out of bed and began my morning routine. For a moment I wondered if I was dreaming.
As I started walking, the first thing I noticed was that my joints moved fluidly without cracking and popping. I felt little to no pain. Joint stiffness? Gone. It was this moment that catapulted me into two weeks of glorious, delightful fun on a fully charged battery.
I completed three hikes in four days. I swam and snorkeled in the ocean for hours at a time. My feet allowed me to stand in the kitchen for long lengths of time cooking up my favorite recipes. Typically, if I overextend myself in these ways, my body reimburses me with a hefty fine that takes me at least a week to pay. Not this time.
How Did I Get Here
I remember the weekend I overdid it cleaning and doing yardwork. I felt great one Saturday morning, so after scrubbing sinks and tubs, I vacuumed and mopped. I did laundry and reorganized my closet. Then, I reorganized the kitchen cabinets and cleaned all the windows.
It felt great at the time, but by Monday, I knew the next week would be brutal. By Tuesday, the pain in the joints in my hands and shoulders became intolerable. One ankle was swollen to the size of a baseball, making stairs a huge obstacle only overcome by crawling.
I shuffled across the floor and switched from ice packs to heating pads throughout the week, trying to curb the inflammation in my joints. By Friday, I was in my rheumatologist’s office seeking advice for controlling inflammation that had grown wild.
“Take prednisone,” my rheumatologist proposed. Those two words made me cringe.
Prednisone is a powerful anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressant, offering quick alleviation of symptoms for conditions such as asthma and autoimmune diseases. By reducing inflammation, prednisone can significantly alleviate pain and swelling, improving the patient’s quality of life.
The Beginning of Our Love Affair
My immediate reaction to my doctor’s advice was anxiety. My on-and-off affair with this powerful drug began back in 2010 when I first began experiencing inflammation. After my official diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis in 2012, I took the corticosteroid prednisone periodically to lower inflammation while insurance approved the first biologic. I thought our relationship would be brief, but as more biologics failed to work effectively for me over the years, prednisone drew me in again and again. My rheumatologist continued advising me by saying taking the medication could allow me to go have fun and lessen my pain for a while.
Side Effects of Prednisone
The drawbacks of “the predmonster” as I like to call it can be substantial.
Side effects may include:
- Cravings that can lead to weight gain
- Mood swings
- Gastrointestinal upset
- High blood pressure
- Osteoporosis
- Increased risk of infections
I haven’t experienced high blood pressure or osteoporosis, but I do blame prednisone in part for the 80 pounds I gained over the years on this medication.
Why Take the Risk?
So why would I chance taking prednisone with those kinds of potential side effects? Here are a few reasons.
- Socialization. It’s a chance to join friends for fun adventures. I’m exhausted from saying no to doing fun things like hikes.
- Moving without pain. Taking steroids temporarily helps me exercise more and without as much pain so I can enjoy life. It really is amazing to absorb nature and not be constantly reminded of how much pain I’m in and how rheumatoid arthritis presents obstacles for me.
- The benefits outweigh the risk (if used short-term). I was at a point when I couldn’t function well without severe pain. I had guests coming to visit and I wanted to feel well enough to do things with them while they were here.
Tapered Schedule Over One Month
It is important to taper prednisone when stopping the medication to avoid adrenal insufficiency and withdrawal symptoms such as weakness, tiredness, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, low blood sugar, and low blood pressure. My rheumatologist prescribed prednisone over the following tapering schedule to ensure that I did stop prednisone and did not stop suddenly after a high dose.
My prednisone tapering schedule:
- 15 mg for five days
- 10 mg for five days
- 5 mg for five days
- 2.5 mg for five days
This is what worked for me, but if you’re taking prednisone, you need to work with your own health care provider to decide on a dosing and tapering schedule.
Brand-New Day
After just two days of taking prednisone, I woke up and felt something new and strange. My pain level was so low that I could almost remember what it was like before chronic pain began 14 years ago.
Doing all of the things that I love without pain is an incredible feeling. My houseguests and I created lasting memories, and best of all, I never had to cancel plans while they were here.
Not Meant to Last
Weaning off prednisone was easy, but on the lower doses, mild stiffness and pain returned. These bad guys eased their way back in over the next weeks, but I stayed active to minimize the impact.
I’ve been grieving the pain-free feeling I had not long ago, and I wish I could keep taking prednisone without the risk of side effects. The greatest lesson I learned from this is that taking a steroid can have a positive impact on my quality of life. The key is to eat well, exercise, take my medication, try to minimize stress, and watch for signs that a flare is coming. For me, prednisone was useful temporarily, but it’s not a long-term fix. What worked for me may not be what is best for you, so it’s always important to communicate with your doctor and consider options that work for you.
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