Re: withdrawal symptoms or not? -- Steroid Warning Network

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Date Posted: 15:55:23 01/16/07 Tue
Author: becky
Subject: Re: withdrawal symptoms or not?
In reply to: Ivy 's message, "Re: withdrawal symptoms or not?" on 09:47:28 01/16/07 Tue

>Becky,
>
>It sure sounds like your mom is dealing with
>withdrawal symptoms. I, too, get the pain in my rib
>area. It makes sense that her potassium has been a
>little low when weaning down...steroids strip your
>body of potassium, magnesium, and sodium. The trick
>to reducing the severity of the spasms is to DRINK
>DRINK DRINK. Fluids help the body replace some of the
>missing electrolytes. Also, I have tried Tums with
>Calcium and it seemed to help a little bit. I take
>flexeril/percocet/marinol/benedryl to help ease the
>spasms...it is basically a coctail to knock me out
>until morning LOL. It is also a good idea to get her
>into some physical therapy with a therapist that is
>used to dealing with patients who are on steroids.
>There are some great stretches that help relieve some
>of the pain/stiffness. I do not know of any tests that
>would show withdrawals...although I do recommend an am
>cortisol level, ACTH (but those are more for when your
>mom goes OFF the steroid to make sure her adrenals
>pick back up). Of course if she cannot get off the
>steroids for other health reasons then those 2 tests
>are moot.
>
>Please let me know if there is anything else I can
>with!!
>
>Ivy

Thanks for your input Ivy. I really appreciate your response. Unfortunately because of her congestive heart failure the drinking lots and lots of fluid is not an option. And you know this could be contributing to her hard time as well with what you are saying. In fact, not only do the doctors limit her fluid intake we have to weigh her every day and increase her diuretics if she gains too much weight. Plus her diuretics cause a loss of electrolytes as well. She take potassium supplements with every furosemide (lasix) pill........and this last blood work did not show any electrolytes low. Yesterday she was good most of the day.........we kept her on the dose of 30mg daily pred and will stay there for this week to see if she stabilizes. But today (and again she had 30 mg this morning) she is back to being horrible again. I keep asking the doctors if she can take the flexeril with the hydrocodone/tylenol or to prescribe some sort of relaxant she can use like xanax or valium or soma or at this point something! We could be careful to only give it to her when she has these bad episodes every 2-3 days.

My question to you since you have been through this would be - now that she has been at 30mg for several days (after trying 20/30/20/30 with no success) - wouldn't these spasms start to clear up? How long does it take? (the highest dose she has ever had is 40mg a day)

This is so frustrating - but I thank you for your help!

I will look into whether she can take calcium/magnesium with her other meds (which include warfarin or coumadin and reacts with it seems everything including many foods)

Gratefully,
Becky

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Replies:

Re: withdrawal symptoms or not? -- Ivy, 11:26:00 01/17/07 Wed