Hello Melissa -
Maybe I can answer a few of your questions.
First it took about a month for the drug effects to begin to wane - like Bruce, I had been taking them daily and was quite ill from them. The total improvement time was several months. Then I had to deal with the notion that some of my issues came on during the meds, but were separate.

First, the shortness of breath. I had become seriously deconditioned, and had to work really hard to improve. Is Bruce doing effective airway clearance and using an Aerobika? Is he using any kind of inhaler to help with the shortness of breath?

Then, the gut issues - it was 2 months before I could eat more than a few bites of food at a time. I was eventually checked for an ulcer (did not have one) and it improved for a very short time, then started up again. It was finally determined, over a year later, that I had an inflamed, poorly functioning gall bladder and it was removed. Because I did not fit the "profile" for gall bladder issues, and no stones were evident, nobody believed it until they did a HIDA scan to measure it. The surgeon was still skeptical until he took it out and saw how inflamed it was.

How long has he been off the meds? After 3 weeks, if he is still feeling ill, I would have his PCP see him. If there is no apparent reason for his shortness of breath, maybe he needs a "prescription" for 2-3 times daily very short walks - augmented by a rescue inhaler before, and maybe a cane to lean on to catch his breath. My first walks were to the end of our driveway & back - roughly 100-150 feet round trip.

And due to the high dose/long term of his meds, I would say his GI issues would need to be evaluated pretty soon too.

I'm sure you are both disappointed that stopping the meds didn't give him immediate relief, but hang in there!
Sue