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← Return to Long term Prednisone for RA?
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I have been on Prednisone since November 2020 and ended up quitting it cold turkey about 3 months ago .I tapered down to 3mgs and then quit altogether .The side effects were way to much.Due to use of prednisone I now have osteoarthritis of my spine and neck and my teeth have crumbled and because I was also prescribed methotrexate a long with Prednisone which caused my hair to start falling out.Prednisone is both the best and worst drug at the same time.I am in agony but refuse to go back to prednisone . My wish for you is to have success in your treatment and I don't recommend any one doing what I have done
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@wendybfrompgbc
I tried to quit prednisone 5 months but because I stopped cold I threw my cortisol off and had a terrible flare up of my RA. I am now down to 2.5 daily and RA doctor said to wait till next visit end November and we will wean off hopefully forever. I also was losing my hair and had other side effects so I can’t wait to get off prednisone, I recently switched RA drugs methotraxate to hydroxychloroquine. So far this new drug is working great and I have even seen small improvement
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@wendybfrompgbc I'm so sorry. It sounds like you have not found the treatment you need. I would suggest doing some research and finding the very best rheumatologist you can find. When I moved back to Philly in 2013 I fired 3 before I found one that liked and one who I thought didn't want to use cookie cutter methods in my treatment. I don't know what your diagnosis is but there are many things that can cause osteoporosis, including being genetically predisposed to it.
I definitely can relate to the hair loss from methotrexate and I was so pleased when my doc told me last week that I could stop taking it with the actemra because the actema does not need it. The larger the dose of methotrexate the more hair loss! It does grow back, assuming you can find treatment without it. It's a chemo drug and was not intended for the autoimmune diseases it came to be used for.
I don't think you need to be in constant pain and I am sure there are answers out there for you. Don't give up. Keep looking until you find the right doctor. Be an advocate for yourself.