Please note that I am not a medical professional, but I have spent about 10 years taking this stuff and i know a bit about living with it. i hope that what I say might be useful to somebody.

Prednisolone is prescribed in any situation where the body’s immune system is doing damage; it suppresses it and stops the bad stuff happening, but as we all know it has nasty side-effects, and suppressing the immune system can in itself cause problems. For example I had shingles – this is the chickenpox which you had as a child (which is always with you, lurking deep in your nerve cells) coming out to play because your immunity is reduced. Very very painful and unpleasant.

The most serious side-effect is osteoporosis – as rebecca has noted, your bones crumble. That’s why anyone on long-term prednisolone over 5mg should also be taking some kind of osteoporosis protection – in my case it is something called alendronic acid. Another effect is that you are more liable to diabetes, so if you’re constantly thirsty or craving sugar you should definitely have this checked out.

The usual dose of the drug will vary, but typically you will have a heavy dose – say 40mg / day – to rapidly suppress your immune system. As we know, the effects of a dose of this size are not pleasant – I’ve had the weight gain, moon face, “blown-up” feeling, mood swings etc and it was horrible. At one stage my appetite was raging and I found it impossible to walk past a machine with chocolate bars in it, even though i knew it was the worst possible thing for me. It was of course a lot easier to put the weight on than it was to take it off, but I got there eventually.

But that doesn’t mean you have to stay on that dose indefinitely. When tests show that your immune system is coming under control – and I am talking weeks or months, not years – your doc should be gradually tapering off the dose to a level called the “maintenance dose” that keeps it in check while making sure that you don’t suffer the worst of the effects. I stress “taper” – stopping or sharply reducing prednisolone from that level is dangerous. The reduction should be happening at around 5 mg/ day every month or so.

The maintenance dose will vary according to the individual person, but in my case which is typical it’s 5mg, Once you are getting down to those levels the worst of the side-effects should definitely be fading.

I did at one time take uncoated prednisolone pills, and yes they do taste nasty. But you can get “gastro-resistant” tablets. These have a coating which means you don’t taste the drug, and it is also supposed to shield your stomach from the worst effects of it.

Gordon, I sympathize with you “looking back and remembering how good it felt to be normal, and not knowing if you will ever have that feeling again” I know that feeling well. Yes, you will have it again, but it will take a while.

Best wishes to all.

I get quite a bit of comfort reading all your comments as I too have a strong dislike for this drug. It makes me feel a little like someone stuck the garden hose in my mouth and turned if on. I feel anxious, dont sleep well and feel like I could eat a cow and still have room for sweets. I dont even have to put in my mouth to taste it just the smell is enough for me. Coming off it is almost soul destroyingly depressing and I spend a good while ignoring myself.

After all this time you think I would be able to make peace with Prednisolone but alas we are still not friends. You have to wonder if in the big picture it doesnt do more harm than good but I am too nervous for my future not to put my faith in my dcotors and their medicine.