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I had posted before about symptoms I was having over the years and I recently saw a new neurologist I really liked, however she just prescribed me prednisone 40mg a day for a month. There is no diagnosis yet, I'm waiting on tests and blood work, but my family have been telling me that taking prednisone for that long cam be dangerous. I plan on calling the dr Monday and express my concerns, but is this a normal prescription amount and length for being undiagnosed? It is helping with some of the pain, but I don't want to take medicine that can make things worse in the long run...

saidiecat wrote:I had posted before about symptoms I was having over the years and I recently saw a new neurologist I really liked, however she just prescribed me prednisone 40mg a day for a month. There is no diagnosis yet, I'm waiting on tests and blood work, but my family have been telling me that taking prednisone for that long cam be dangerous. I plan on calling the dr Monday and express my concerns, but is this a normal prescription amount and length for being undiagnosed? It is helping with some of the pain, but I don't want to take medicine that can make things worse in the long run...

In my opinion (I have no medical background), this is the time to trust your neurologist's advice. If you have medical expertise in your family raising concerns, it is wise to discuss this with your neuro; I expect that she will welcome discussing your concerns.

I know that taking high doses of corticosteroids or taking them long-term (for years, not just a month) can lead to diabetes. Osteoporosis, or thinning of the bones, can also result from long-term, high-dose steroids use. In the past, I, myself, was prescribed steroids, but they were not effective at improving my symptoms.

I urge you to read the book, Could It Be B12? An Epidemic of Misdiagnoses by Sally M. Pacholok, RN, BSN, and Jeffrey J. Stuart, D.O. (This may be available at your library.): http://b12awareness.org/could-it-be-b12 ... diagnoses/

Page 66:

Steroids administered to patients during an "attack" can increase B12 absorption in undiagnosed pernicious anemia [severe B12 deficiency] patients, again mimicking remission. A patient who starts taking high-dose vitamins may receive enough B12 to cause improvements. Doctors who give occasional B12 injections, "just in case you need it," can make patients' symptoms vanish temporarily, only to return when the shots' effects wear off.

In the event that the prednisone improves your symptoms, the actions described above may be why. Test and be sure you have no vitamin B12 problem.


Also, in The Vitamin D Solution by Michael F. Holick, PhD, MD on page 236:

Prednisone. Similarly, prednisone, an anti-inflammatory and steroid used to treat a variety of conditions, will increase the destruction of 25-vitamin D, requiring patients to increase their vitamin D intake as well as their calcium, as prednisone also decreases calcium absorption in the gut.

If you are vitamin D deficient, apparently prednisone will destroy more, making any deficiency worse. Again, test and be sure there is no vitamin D deficiency.

Hi,

She hasn't given you a megadose but it is enough to make a difference. That could be positive or negative. Here's an easy to read summary - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prednisone

From my own experience, oral cortisone can upset your stomach so watch for that and tell her if that happens and it can push your blood sugars around so you appear slightly diabetic. That can create a tendency towards feeling weak and shaky. Again, tell her. It may not happen that way for you.

I would be more interested in what she does next than being concerned about the course she has given you.

Regards,

Thank you both for your advice. So far it has helped a little with my pain, but my fatigue is for the most part still full throttle. My twitching stops for a little while, but comes back in the evenings. I have to call her anyway regarding the scheduling of my MRI and my blood work order, so I'll mention my concerns, though I will still continue taking the medicine. I guess I should stop being so nervous and listen to the good doctor

saidiecat wrote:My twitching stops for a little while, but comes back in the evenings.

I notice sometimes I get "restless leg" which is worse at night making it difficult to sleep. When this happens, taking Magnesium Citrate before bed seems to help. Its a little too effective, so I think it may be partially placebo, but hey. There is a lot of info here regarding Mag's benefits for twitching etc and its not a prescription med with side effects like Baclofen which can cause drowsiness/fatigue.

Magnesium is an extremely important mineral and most are deficient and it is often ignored.

"Magnesium is a cofactor in more than 300 enzyme systems that regulate diverse biochemical reactions in the body, including protein synthesis, muscle and nerve function, blood glucose control, and blood pressure regulation [1-3]. Magnesium is required for energy production, oxidative phosphorylation, and glycolysis"

So it is very likely that the magnesium is indeed helping you!