argh. advice please?

[AnneNeville]

I'm beginning my fourth week on prednisone and plaquenil today (so I've been on it three weeks). I seem to be more vulnerable now to passing bugs. Last week, I got a 24 hour stomach bug from hubby that lasted for five days. Today I seem to have a cold.

Others on these medications, is there anything you do to keep from getting (other) sicknesses? Or is this the price we pay for prednisone?

[Joe S.]

I can not help you. I do not take it. It made me blind for a day.

[Carolina]

Dearest Anne,

Prednisone does weaken your Immune System.  However, did you get illnesses BEFORE you took Prednisone?  We easily forget what life was like, even a short time ago.

This is why I keep a daily journal, first thing in the morning.  I note how my night was, and any salient events and feelings of the day before.

Before I began treatment for my Immune Deficiency (IVIG) I was sick almost all the time. Three weeks sick, a week recovering, two weeks BETTER, and then back to being sick again.  Now I am seldom sick
but I have had one respiratory infection, after three years.  It isn't any fun.

I'm not sure Plaquenil is exactly an immune suppressant, it isn't clear exactly how it works. 

But Prednisone is surely an immune suppressant.

And once you have one illness, it seems easier to get the next thing going around, for sure.

Be gentle with yourself.   I don't remember how much Prednisone you are taking, and if you will begin a taper soon.  The taper will be gradual, but most likely you will notice the change.

It is highly recommended that Prednisone NOT be continued at a high dose.  I take a low dose of Medrol which is like Prednisone but slightly stronger.  4 mg of Medrol = 5 mg of Prednisone.

I take 2 mg of Medrol daily for two weeks and then every other day for two weeks, and then repeat the cycle.

This way the dose is low, and when it is intermittent the idea is that  my adrenal system will be forced to restart.  The risk with continued dosage/high dosage of a corticosteroid is that our adrenal glands will completely stop functioning.  And the high dosage has many negative side effects as I'm sure you know.

We do what we must, and trust that we will not regret later what seems necessary today.

Life is always a trade off....there is no 'free lunch'.

Hugs, and feel better soon!

Elaine