how long before Prednisone works
 

I was recently diagnosed with MG. My neuroligist started me on Pyridostigmine and started getting better the same day. I called my wife from work and I thought she was going to cry saying my voice was normal agian and didn't realize how much she missed it. Couple days later he started me on 10mg Prednisone. A few days after that started getting bad again, almost worse than before. I stopped the Prednisone on a Friday and had an appointment the following Monday which was this past Monday. Symptoms started going away again. I told him everything at my appointment and he put me on 5mg Prednisone. Symptoms are worsoning again. He is very good about returing my call when I leave a message for him at his office but I can't tell him what's going on until Monday. Actually he left me a voicemail Friday I didn't get until after hours so I would be returning his call.

Just wondering what some other experiences have been with Prednisone and should I just tough it out as it will eventually start helping.

In some cases Prednisone will make MG symptoms worse before they get better, but from what my neurologist told me is that by starting low and going slow it is less likely to get worse.

From my experience (I currently take 60 mg daily) it got worse a few times before getting better. I ramped up at 10 mg / week.

I've experienced improvements each time I ramped up within 2-4 weeks after the dosing change.

Check out the myasthenia.org website under living with MG to find more info on Prednisone that will help answer your questions.

Hi, perrym. Welcome!

Steroids can indeed make someone with MG worse before they get better. How long it takes before things get better is different in everyone.

Do you have any other conditions that might affect your overall health, or other drugs you're taking?

Don't play around with the dose, if you keep taking it. Taking Pred basically "turns off" your adrenal glands. Any decrease in the dose can cause symptoms of adrenal insufficiency, which can be life-threatening.

Pred is not an easy drug to take. Most MG experts don't like to use it on a long-term basis due to the side effects. It can cause diabetes, which can be very hard to undo. What they often use it for is when a patient is having an MG crisis. Then they use Solu-Medrol (IV) and then follow up with a course of oral steroids, tapering down to nothing.

Did your doctor talk to you about taking calcium and vitamin D while on Pred? What about flax, fish, or krill oil? Did they give you any direction?

You need to decide if Pred is the right drug for you or not. It is devilishly difficult to get off of.

I think you might want to discuss this with both your primary care physician AND your neurologist.

Take care,
Annie

Thanks for the replies. I spoke to my Dr and he said to stop taking the Prednisone for a couple days then starting again on 1/2 tablet. If this doesn't work CelCept is next. I think how it effects my speech is what bothers me most. Sometimes I can't hardly talk at all.
Also I already have type 2 diabetes.

Geez, I'm surprised they even thought about Pred for you, since you already have Type II diabetes! I hope you guys can figure out what treatments work best for you.

Annie

When I first started taking the Pyridostigmine my symtoms started going away and it was the best I had felt in a long time. I had energy and felt like doing things which also improved my overall mood. Then I started prednisone and got worse again. I stopped and started feeling better again. My Dr put me on a lower dose and symptoms worsened. He told me to stop and start taking 1/2 a 5mg. I stopped on Monday the 5th after talking to him but haven't started back on the prednisone. I wanted my symptoms to start to deminsh again but they haven't. It almost feels like they are getting worse. I have continued to take the Pyridostigmine but it doesn't seem to be working. I am starting to feel it in my arms and my breathing a little. I had my Pyridostigmin refilled last weekend. Is it possible I got a "bad batch"? Previously it gave me diarhea which my Dr gave me a prescription for but I haven't needed to take it.
Thanks, Perry

Many people experience worsening of MG temporarily when they start prednisone. For me it takes 2 weeks to feel the full effect of the prednisone dose. Going off prednisone can also make you feel very weak. It did for me. It takes a while for the adrenal glands to bounce back in their production.

MG varies day to day. You are not going to see immediate change in your conditionwith changing meds. It takes a while for the immunosuppresants to work. You may need to look at the longer overall trend rather than the day to day.

good luck
kathie