I can't get movin today!!!

[psoragrl73]

Hi all, newbi here,
second day on predisone and celebrexx for pa and Im so tired today...is this a side affect that will go away?? I will tell ya about myself, 32 mother of 2 girls, 13&3 wife homemaker, and my life is getting harder and harder with this darn disease everyday.... I cannot keep up with my 3 year old and I hate myself for that...houseneeds cleaning and I can't get a hold on the laundry!!!
Oh Goddness thanks for listining, have a great evening!!

[PJ66]

Hi psoragrl73,
Welcome and hello! I know when I took prednisone it took a few days for it to kick in. I can totally relate to not being able to keep up. I also have 2 girls ages 13 and 6. I also was having trouble (and still do some days) keeping up with things. I have learnt to listen to my body. If I'm tired or hurting bad I just rest. You have to do what you can when you can. It can be frustrating at times. I know all too well. I have also learnt that if I really push myself when I'm not feeling well I end up feeling worse the next day. Just do one thing at a time and don't overdo it. I also have been giving my girls chores to do that help me out. My littlest one loves to vac., so everyday when she gets home from school that is her job. The older one has to clean her own room and pick up after herself. She also loves to clean the bathroom so that is her job. It really helps me out to have them share the chores.
I hope you start to feel better soon.
Polly

[patti2957]

How much prednisone are you taking? Even at a decent dose (20+mg) it takes a few days to kick in. When it does, it changes my life completely! I go from slogging along, feeling the barometric pressure shift in my feel (and hands) and feeling farther behind every minute, to - feeling hopeful, energetic, flexible and, for the most part, normal.
I've also been on mtx since last May, which has helped with the PA quite a bit. I've been splitting my dose and skipping more often and I can tell; I'm on 14 mg. of prednisone but it isn't 'holding.'
Do you take mtx or another dmard? How long since you were dx?
Like Polly, I try to respect my limits so I don't end up in worse shape; seems like it's one day at a time.
Take good care and keep posting!
patti

[RichJ]

hi psoragrl73,
sorry i can't help much but welcome to the p family. you have met some of the wonderful people on here and will find alot of great info. welcome and nice to meet you.

have a good night all

richard

[psoragrl73]

Thanks ya'll,
Im only on 5mg predsione and 200 mg celebrex so I guess this is way low, last night I was making dinner for family and had a realy weird feeling like I guess a panic attack which I do not currently have in which the everything was ( in my face) feeling....oh goodness it was scary, had to call for dh to help me...I sat in kitchen with dh until it went away........
I have has P since i was 12 and the pa really kicked in about 2 years ago and I negleted myself thinking it would go away...I did not....I finally broke down and went to a dr and he told me in a strict voice that I have to get insurance..( I do not have any) that with the pa that I have it is a very expensive as well as painful, debilitating, and so on disease...I have to take meds to keep moving and since I have negleted myself I have hurt myself in the process.....At the end of the month when the sweeling goes down dr wants to put me on mx and then when I get insurance humira.....I am so afraid of this....Thank yu for your support.......

[psoragrl73]

By the way im JEN..:}

[ouchyk]

Hi Jen,

Welcome. Sometimes I can't get out of my own way so I understand where your coming from, and I don't have young children at home to care for, I can only imagine how hard that is ...I agree with your rhuemy you need to get on a good treatment plan and you'll be on your way to feeling much better!

It takes a few days for prednisone to kick in, it may be a low dose but it should help along with the celebrex. Your " anxiety " attack does raise an eyebrow. You should call your rheumy and let him know, just in case it's a reaction to either medication.

Hang in there!
Karen :)

[MikeK]

Hi Jen,

Welcome to the Board! :cool: Nice to meet you. I'm sorry to hear that you're going through such a rough time. Fortunately, you've come to a very special place. As you can see, a lot of nice and helpful people post here. More important, it's great to FINALLY be able to ask questions, vent, exchange info, and maybe even share some laughs with people who truly understand.

People with psoriasis have to be very careful with prednisone. Unless you gradually reduce the doses, it can cause your psoriasis to get much, much worse. Please discuss this with your doctor.

You mentioned:I finally broke down and went to a dr and he told me in a strict voice that I have to get insurance..( I do not have any) that with the pa that I have it is a very expensive as well as painful, debilitating, and so on disease...I have to take meds to keep moving and since I have negleted myself I have hurt myself in the process.....At the end of the month when the sweeling goes down dr wants to put me on mx and then when I get insurance humiraI'm sorry to hear that you don't have insurance. You might want to check out some of the assistance programs that have been discussed on this Board. We don't know very much about most of them, but I can tell you that two people who sometimes post here got help for some VERY expensive medications thanks to an assistance program called www.needymeds.com. Links to their stories can be found in a thread that was started by Leslie (her screen name is Momtotwogirls). She took the time to post the links and information about some assistance programs that she came across. I added links and information about programs that people have either told me about or that have been discussed here on the Board. With the exception of www.needymeds.com, we don't know very much about any of these programs. It sill can't hurt to check them out. Here's a link to Leslie's thread: http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showthread.php?t=12378&highlight=Leslie.

You mentioned that you're doctor would like to prescribe Humira for you. I just came from Humira's website (www.humira.com). I notice that they refer people without insurance to the Partnership for Prescription Assistance (https://www.pparx.org/Intro.php). That's something else that you might want to look into.

I hope this helps.

I hope that you feel better soon.

Good luck. Keep us posted. Let us know if you have any questions and please don't be a stranger.

Mike

[LoriASoCal]

I think once you get on mtx, you will be doing much better. I've used it for many years and feel that it saved me much damage.

[psoragrl73]

Hi all,
Just wondering about support groups in south florida, I live in hobe sound and the nearest one is in miami and I cannot go that far....I would love to have a gathering to meet new people and not feel judged!...

[psoragrl73]

hi, what is the rx name for metrtrexate?

[patti2957]

Hi Jen:
Take a look at the other new thread "drug questions," and note the info on mtx - methotrexate. It isn't terribly expensive, which is why it's still the most common first course of treatment; getting started on that would at least stop the PA from progressing. Is your dr a rheumatologist? Has he done x-rays to assess damage done to your joints? I wonder about a dose of 5 mg of prednisone - in my experience, which is fairly lengthy, it takes 20 mg. or so a while to reduce inflammation, and my rheum didn't wait for any swelling to go down before starting me on mtx... I guess I'm wondering if you need another opinion?
I haven't had a panic attack for more than fifteen years but it's a feeling I'll never forget - I haven't had trouble with them while taking prednisone, could be a coincidence, but do be careful. Please let us know.
patti

[MikeK]

hi, what is the rx name for metrtrexate?Methotexate (http://www.pdrhealth.com/drug_info/rxdrugprofiles/drugs/met1257.shtml or http://www.rxlist.com/cgi/generic/mtx.htm) It's actually a form of chemotherapy that in lower doses is used to treat psoriasis and various forms of arthritis -- including PA. It has a number of potential side effects, some of which are quite severe. It can cause liver failure, for example. You can't drink alcohol while taking mtx. It can cause birth defects.

Patti's suggestion that you:Take a look at the other new thread "drug questions," and note the info on mtx - methotrexate. is a good one. Here's a link to that thread: http://www.psoriasis.org/forum/showthread.php?t=18442.

I hope this helps.

Mike

[Bassetmom]

I have learned more about my PA in the last two days. Thank you everyone for the great links and information. I started also on 20mg of prednisone and then onto MTX. I am currently trying to ween off the prednisone. I am down to 15 but it I can really tell the difference. I was actually high on the stuff, racing around like a maniac. Now I am tired more but I do not want to be on the stuff if I can help it. How hard is it to get off pred? I was reading a web site where some people swear by it and others at it. I have noticed I am getting fuzzy headed also especially after my MTX day. Is this also normal and will go away?
What a godsend this place is.

[tmartha]

Hi, Jane - I don't have any experience with prednisone, but I've been on mtx 4 weeks and the post-mtx day I'm VERY fuzzy-headed, wiped out, somewhat dizzy at times. And from what I've heard from others here, that's not unusual. The first two weeks I was super exhausted almost all the time, and the third week it was much better, and I actually have begun experiencing (gulp!) some relief from pain! So my fingers are crossed for you -

And welcome, Jen! I'm glad Patti and Mike K. have given you such good info on meds and insurance - and I agree with Karen, too, about checking in w/your rheumy in case the panic attack thing was a drug side effect. And try not to be too hard on yourself about having trouble keeping up with a 3 yr old - I couldn't do that when I WASN'T sick! : ) I've got four kids but the youngest is 7. Anyway, I sure know I often borrow extra trouble by pushing myself too hard, through pain, ignoring my body's real needs - trying to learn not to do that. It does help, to have the encouragement and support of the people here who know exactly what we're talking about.

Best wishes -
Tani

[patti2957]

Hi Jane:
I've notice a huge difference between 20 mg and 13 (I'm tapering 1 mg every 2 wks) and call it the prednisone slide. lol. It is relatively easy to get off if you taper slowly enough, but if your idea of successful tapering is like mine - still feeling good - then it won't happen. I've finally come to grips with that, I think. I've relied on it for so long but my foggy mind, which is due to the pred and mtx, along with weight gain and other sides, makes it a necessity. I started Humira, will do my second injection this week, and hopefully by the time I'm benefitting from Humira I'll be low on pred - at least that's the plan.
Good luck.
patti

[ouchyk]

Hi Jane,

I did very well on 10mgs and tapered to 5mgs and stayed there for a while, a lot of people also " pulse dose " every other day, at the time I was also on Enbrel & nabuemetone as you can see everyone is different. When I was on a higer dose 20mgs I could feel my heart beating wildly in my chest and was in hyperspace so it was easy for me to stage down to 10mgs within a short period of time.

I had a hard time getting off as well, I didn't want too :rolleyes: lol. The key as my rheumy said was to " go low and slow ", I went off 2.5 mgs at a time and tried to pulse dose that didn't work out to well so I did the 1mg at a time.

Rebound flares can happen with psoriasis and PA that was the other reason for my tapering off s l o w l y. I took pain meds and continue to while getting off. I'd much rather the prednisone as it gave me my energy back and took all of my pain away ( at 5mgs with Enbrel ) Enbrel pooped out after 15 months. Unfortunately prednisone for me is no longer an option.

So, as you can see everyone is different. Talk to your doctor about how you are feeling and his opinion as to the best way to stage off.

I loved the stuff. We need an alternative for prednisone that doesn't have the possible crappy side effects.

:) Patti, good luck on the humira! :)


Karen

[KarenLD]

Hi! I'm brand new here.

I am also on Prednisone and Celebrex. I felt tired for a while too, but it passed. I have been on 10mg of Prednisone, but just went down a couple of days ago to 5mg. Also on 200mg of Celebrex. My doctor said if the Prednisone quit working he would put me on MTX. The Prednisone hasn't taken all of the swelling and pain away, but it's better than it was.

I have days where I feel better than others. I was just diagnosed a couple of months ago with PA.

Hope you feel better soon.

Karen

[patti2957]

Hi Karen:
I noticed in your post that you were recently diagnosed and are taking prednisone and celebrex. Welcome to a great community where you'll find support, information and resources not available anyplace else!
The prednisone does help with swelling, pain and fatigue - but it does nothing to control the disease. Without a dmard (disease modifier), the inflammation process can be bad news. Check out the pages on this site that explain the symptoms, treatments, etc. for a much better (and far more technical:) explanation. In the meantime, it's great that you aren't having a lot of fatigue, which type do you have?
Again, welcome,
patti

[KarenLD]

Thanks for the welcome.

Well the doctor thought at first I had RA, but with the severe nail problems and the arthritis and swelling in the joints nearest the nails along with pain in foot and ribs and also fatigue in the afternoon he decided it was Pa. RA blood test came back negative. My dad does have RA so his first thought was RA but realized it was PA because of nail problems and negative blood test.

The first time I took Prednisone within a couple of hours my hands and fingers felt so much better. It was like a miracle for me. He did say I will be on mtx eventually. I'm thinking though the Prednisone isn't working quit as well as it first did. Maybe it's just my imagination though.

Karen

[RichJ]

hi karen,
sorry i can't help much but welcome to the p family. you have met some of the wonderful people on here and will find alot of great info. welcome and nice to meet you.

have a good night all

richard