Presdnisone 10 mg? IST

[kmhcpt]

Ok  so here is the situation.  I have IST(inappropriate sinus tachycardia).    Rheumy gave me a 5 day 10mg course of Prednisone.   My IST has been under control for about 4 weeks now.   Reason for the steroid is a rash on my thighs as well as some joint pain that has increased.    Really do not want an IST episode.   No interactions with the heart med and steroid.   Little scared about doing this. 

[irish]

This is not a high dosage of prednisone and it is in the safe zone of 5 days which means that a taper dose is not necessary. Hit the problem a little hard with the prednisone and back off fast. Usually causes few side effects and helps some issues.

I can't say whether this will affect your heart issues, but somehow this is something you need to know as with autoimmune issues prednisone is a constant in your life that may be needed off and on over the years. If the heart issue is something that was for sure going to react to the prednisone I would be willing to bet that your doc would not prescribe it. Medicine is really the art of practicing medicine and so many times we have to take a leap of faith with some of our treatments. We often cause ourselves to worry more than needed. I was very good at this over the years.

The bottom line is if the rash did not need a steroid the doctor would not have ordered it and he must have felt that it was bad enough to warrant the prednisone. Good luck. Irish

[Trooper]

kmhcpt,

My IST actually improves noticeably when I am on prednisone.  Hopefully, you will not notice an increase in your IST while on it and it should help with the joint pain and rash.  And like Irish said -- the possibility of taking prednisone will always be there so might as well try it now and see if there are any issues.  Good luck.   

[kmhcpt]

Are you taking anything for your IST?

[Critter Mama]

Ooh. Not that this has anything to do with your question, but I had issues with swelling and weight gain on Prednisone. The meds were great, but that side effect still is. My sister former mother in law has MSand she gave me great advice...eat a banana everyday you take the meds...you don't have that issue.. I gained 20lbs in 1 month, she noticed and told me about bananas and it worked . never did lose that weight, but I didnt keep gaining. I have tried bananas with other steroids and it helps some with those.

[Trooper]

Are you taking anything for your IST?

kmhcpt,

I tried several rounds of different heart meds and they worked but they made me way too sleepy so I stopped them.  However, within a week of starting Humira my IST symptoms improved.  It's not a perfect solution.  I still have flares and increased heart rate and trouble breathing at times but at least there are days that the IST is under control.  I take Humira once a week and usually days 6-7 I can feel the IST and breathing problems reappearing but thankfully, the next dose of Humira typically gets it under control again unless I am in a flare.

(What I mean by "under control" is that my heart does not race when I do little to no exertion and I can talk a few sentences without being out of breath.  But, I can't come close to exercising but that is not due to the IST.)  My cardiologist, pulmonologist, and rheumy all agreed that taking the heart meds were helping the symptoms of the IST but that in order to try to control it better and strike at the cause of the IST, we had to control the Sjogren's and I went on Humira.  Is it possible that you could start Humira and try it?

I do think there is a connection between the IST and some of the fatigue as well.  After the pulmonology and cardiology tests, my doctor said it was like my heart was running a marathon every day for years and that it had to be contributing to the fatigue.  And Humira has helped with the fatigue. 

[irish]

The sjogrens attacks the hearts electrical system from what I understand. We have had several people on here with this problem. One gal had both pacemaker and a defibrillator. Hard to believe that Sjogrens gets around the body the way it does. I think the heart issues are related to neuropathy. Hope things improve for you. Have you tried any other of the new medications for your issues. Just wondering if you would get longer lasting reaction to another drug. Good luck. Irish

[aussie mum]

The sjogrens attacks the hearts electrical system from what I understand. We have had several people on here with this problem. One gal had both pacemaker and a defibrillator. Hard to believe that Sjogrens gets around the body the way it does. I think the heart issues are related to neuropathy. Hope things improve for you. Have you tried any other of the new medications for your issues. Just wondering if you would get longer lasting reaction to another drug. Good luck. Irish

I had no idea SJS can affect the electrical system in the heart. My daughter was diagnosed with Wolff Parkinson White after her SJS diagnosis.... I wonder if it is all related. 

[Carolina]

In the largest sense it is "all related" because these problems come from damage done to organs or systems by attacks from our own Immune System.

Parkinson's has often been thought to be related to episodes of the flu that was an epidemic in 1917, but people who were born long after that epidemic have Parkinson's. 

When some part of our body has a change that is not caused by an external factor, most likely it is a cancer (failure of immune system to destroy cells that are out of control) or an attack by our own immune system on that part of the body.  There are also genetic problems, and the cascade of problems that occur when the Central Nervous System is damaged by deterioration of our spine.

And of course, those of us with the Immune Disorder that involves failure of our Immune System to produce enough antibodies to protect us from disease are also more vulnerable to infections.

The human Immune System runs the show.  If it is working fine, no one even knows that it is there.

There rest of us  know exactly how important the Immune System is.

Hugs,  Elaine