Hi Connie,

I was diagnosed alittle over a year ago, before that for what seemd like forever, i suffered with swollen hands, fingers, wrists, feet. It was awful! Finally i saw the rheumatoid dr. I am soon to be 47 yrs old, and really never, ever took a pill for anything, i was alway afraid of side effects and felt i could get through anything without pills, until this, i'm sure you know the pain i'm talking about, the constint tiredness and everything else that seems to go with it.

My first visit i was totally blown away with what i was hearing, total disbelief, but yet, an anwer to why i have felt all of what i was feeling. The dr. left the room, came back and told me he was giving me a shot of prednosine in my butt, silly me, i said, but why there? My hands and wrist are so bad? ( i thought i would get the shot in a joint). i think its a mixture of pred. and something else, and then he gave me a pack of pred. pills to take also over a period of time. I truly panicked, again, i never really took pills! I went home with my now sore butt and pack of pills scared to death, thinking i too have heard so many bad things about pred. but, in the condition i was in, i knew i had to start somewhere. So i already had the shot, (which lasts about 2 months in my system) and started the pills, which for me, was short term, they blast you with alot of pills and slowly take you down to one a day, and then stop. As much as i was scared, the swelling went away and for the first time in i dont know how many months, i started to feel good again!! it seemed that dose kept me good for about 2-3 months, then it would start up again, and i would do that same treatment, and things were great. Pred. is a drug you dont want and really shouldnt be on long term, due to the side affects that could happen, but it is a god sent when you are in a flare up state. I also started the Methotrexate, which i fought to not take, but again realized, i have to do something to have a life.

To make a very long story short, i have over come my fear of the pred. and will take it when i flare up, being i see how wonderful it is at the time and the methotrxate has slowed down my deformities, i still have some pain and stiffness, some good days and really bad days, but over all, i keep moving forward and have to remember that not everyone's body reacts the same to medication, and that i will do more damage to my body without the drugs than with them. at this time i would encourage people to take them, i was really really scared at first, but saw they were helping me.

Dear Connie- Please be VERY cautious in using this drug. Everyone has to decide what works for them in the long run but my experience with this drug (given for asthma) was that it caused massive mood shifts, I gained 100 lbs in one year, had hormone and temperature disruptions from the drug itself almost destroying my adrenal gland function and I practically gave up sleep for Lent. I was awake all night like a hoot owl and exhausted the next day. ( I later learned that the body's natural peak production of Cortisone was at about 7:00 am) which is about the time I could sleep and at 3:00 pm it was at its low point and so was I. I went back and forth from ultra alert jitteriness to sheer exhaustion. Long-term use of this drug can actually destroy joints. Get the drug insert and carefully read about adrenal insufficiency, because in a small group of patients (like me) this damaged my adrenal system and almost caused adrenal failure, which can be fatal. Do not stop this drug or taper the dose without an excellent physician on hand and WEAR A MEDICAL ALERT BRACELET if you take this. I have decided to avoid this drug at all costs in the future. This is also the "magic bullet" shot you are given when you go to the doc for bad colds, etc so BEWARE.

I understand your concern about Prednisone because I have the same feelings but I have used it for years when I got a sinus infection so did go on it when I was first diagnosed with RA. I tapered it down to 5 mg a day for a year. The only problem I had with it was weight gain but it did help my pain better than anything else. I stopped using it in May and I have noticed the pain coming back so may have to go back on it. Only you can decided what is right for you and if it is worth the risk.

Hi Connie, I have suffered with RA for 8 years.  I too shyed away from steroid treatments.  I had injections in particularly painful joints, but the number of joints in pain increased and that became impractical to continue to do this.

I am on Methotraxate, Arava, folic acid and iron tablets.  But when my RA gets to a point that I just can't take it anymore I take a 10 day course of prednisone and I have to say it gives me such a huge relief, I almost feel normal again.  Because the doseage is so low, it doesn't give ME any side effects, but with a history of heart problems you say is in your family, I'd check with a doc first.  But don't be afraid to try them.  I only take them when I'm at my wits end, so that my body doesn't get used to them.  I start on four tablets for two days, then three for two day etc etc until I get to one on my second day, then I stop.