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Just Diagnosed with Small Fiber Neuropathy

Neuropathy | Last Active: Aug 12 10:26am | Replies (236)

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@albiet

thank you laura. how does steroids work.? what have been the side effects for you?
are they taken for a long time or just a short course/when i looked at the mass general/harvard research it looked like out patients got 1mg/kg/day x 4 weeks then a brief taper.

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Replies to "thank you laura. how does steroids work.? what have been the side effects for you? are..."

@albiet, the hydrocortisone was prescribed by my PCP. I am fairly sensitive to meds so I started at 2.5 mg. twice a day due to getting insomnia from them. I gradually increased the dosage to 10 mg. and took it in the morning. I used a compounding pharmacy. It really helped turn things around for me where nothing else I tried made that much difference in managing the pain. But, I had to taper very, very slowly over a few months. I tried to taper once too quickly which didn’t work as the pain increased. The other side effects taking it long term which you probably know are high blood pressure, osteopenia. It was such a low dose that it did not cause any weight gain or puffiness. It also helped with increased energy as I was so tired from the pain drain! -Laura

Be careful of using steroids long term. They can affect your organs. My neurologist said my SFN is not due to inflammation so prednisone or any type of steroid would not help.