I just stared a round of prednisone two days ago and have had constand, annoying hiccups.  When they coincide with a CH, it is REALLY bad.  Anyone else experience that?  (And, yes, I'm up at 2 am because I can't sleep because of the prednisone...)  Jim

Prednisone, hiccups are a fairly common side affect.

Its not fun with a CH. Been many years since I experienced them.

Jim L wrote on Jul 3^rd, 2010 at 1:53am:

I just stared a round of prednisone two days ago and have had constand, annoying hiccups.  When they coincide with a CH, it is REALLY bad.  Anyone else experience that?  (And, yes, I'm up at 2 am because I can't sleep because of the prednisone...)  Jim

Hopefully it is a side effect that may settle if you are on them long term! Sorry to hear you are having further trouble with your CHs :(

never had the hiccupp problem but I can relate with the..up at 2am problem!!! sucks  Hope the pred breaks your cycle.

I'm on day three of 80 mg Prednisone and I'm told that I'm acting like a frantic son-of-a-bitch.  No headaches this morning -- I actually went to the farmer's market and to an estate sale and got home without even a shadow of a headach.  Oh, how I am sorely tempted to have a beer....

Are you taking a preventative as well?

Yep, I'm on 480 mg Prednisone and have oxygen on hand (I just got a call from the driver that my refill of my "M" tank should be here in 20 minutes!).  Also, I've got a sumitriptan as an abortive, and a 'fridge full of Red Bull, and a freezer with several flexible ice packs.  Now, if the damned cycle would just end.   (I am dying for a beer or two this afternoon, but don't dare!).   Jim

I sure hope to heaven you didn't really mean 480mg prednisone - cause, yeah, that'd make you a pretty 'frantic son-of-a-bitch' just before your poor adrenal gland exploded...
(not literally, but you get the point...)

i don't know if this is helpful but here anyway

START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

especially this part maybe related

The sudden intake of a high dose of corticosteroids may have caused gastric irritation and hiccups. It has also been proposed that corticosteroids lower the threshold for synaptic transmission in the mid-brain and directly stimulate the hiccup reflex arc.[2]

maybe the dosage was increased far too soon?
just a thought hope you find it helpful 

Based on the dosage, I'm guessing that the 480mg of preventative refers to verapamil.

480mg per day was my magic number, too.

good notice.my mistake

Oops -- 480 Verapamil.  80 mg Predinsone.

Jim L wrote on Jul 3^rd, 2010 at 9:04pm:

Oops -- 480 Verapamil.  80 mg Predinsone.

That's kinda what I thought. 480mg of prednisone is the level they give to only an elite group of patients - like post-op transplant patients.

Given the frantic feeling I get from 80 mg of predinsone, I can't even begin to imagine what a lot more would do!  No hiccups today, knock on wood!

You're lucky, 80mgs of Pred made me into a semi nut case. Went on a spending spree that I'm still paying for 5 yrs later.  :D

My Neuro says never that much again, luckily I've went thru this cycle with no Pred. Don't get me wrong it is still a weapon I may use again.

Don

Skyhawk5 wrote on Jul 4^th, 2010 at 4:36pm:

You're lucky, 80mgs of Pred made me into a semi nut case. Went on a spending spree that I'm still paying for 5 yrs later.  :D My Neuro says never that much again, luckily I've went thru this cycle with no Pred. Don't get me wrong it is still a weapon I may use again.

Well if you use it again, I'm coming with ya.... START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGESTART PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

I have enough left over from the last time to send us both to the moon. You want some??? Ha!

Don

Has anyone really had prednisone break a cycle. I was on it for a 10 day taper and i think all it did was space me out and make me gain 10 pounds. Verapamil is supposed to be the preventative, but frankly I read very few success stories about either one. I went off all my meds one week ago tomorrow as I was planning on busting today but shrooms didn't arrive as planned. But I'm using 25 to 30 lpm of 100% o2, Red Bull, and when I don't want all the caffein, 1 teaspoon of ginger powder with 3 tablespoons of water. (tastes like shit) which David recommneded and is good for shadows. For Busting and preventative I suggest reading the strings at clusterbusters. Shrooms seem to be the most available and abopt 80% success at busting (not legal) or seeds (legal) but I think about 50% successful. I am not a health food freak, but I am going aunaturale for CH, and the severity of my ha's is definately down since going off the meds. Good luck with whatever makes you pf but I wouldn't spend my life trying to balance all the meds and side affects when o2 WORKS! Keep us posted...I'm interested...Jay

jayhedges wrote on Jul 4^th, 2010 at 11:07pm:

Has anyone really had prednisone break a cycle. I was on it for a 10 day taper and i think all it did was space me out and make me gain 10 pounds. Verapamil is supposed to be the preventative, but frankly I read very few success stories about either one. I went off all my meds one week ago tomorrow as I was planning on busting today but shrooms didn't arrive as planned. But I'm using 25 to 30 lpm of 100% o2, Red Bull, and when I don't want all the caffein, 1 teaspoon of ginger powder with 3 tablespoons of water. (tastes like shit) which David recommneded and is good for shadows. For Busting and preventative I suggest reading the strings at clusterbusters. Shrooms seem to be the most available and abopt 80% success at busting (not legal) or seeds (legal) but I think about 50% successful. I am not a health food freak, but I am going aunaturale for CH, and the severity of my ha's is definately down since going off the meds. Good luck with whatever makes you pf but I wouldn't spend my life trying to balance all the meds and side affects when o2 WORKS! Keep us posted...I'm interested...Jay

A few people have reported prednisone interrupting and "killing" a cycle. Not a very high percentage, but it does a very good job of putting it on hold for a short time while other, longer-term preventatives build to therapeutic levels in the blood serum.

Verapamil actually has quite a high success rate in reducing the number and severity of attacks. It worked like a charm for me (in combination with lithium) for many years. But it's not without its nasty side effects. Everything in the world of medicine is a trade off.

Sending, receiving, possessing and planting seeds is legal. Ingesting them is not.

Everybody has to come to the busting decision themselves. There are many factors to consider.

Insomnia on Pred is more manageable if the dose is taken in the morning. I also take .5 mg Melatonin 30 min before bedtime. Generally works.

Out of dozens of pred tapers I have taken over the years I have managed to break the cycle twice. Possible but I wouldnt count on it.

So, I'm at Day 5 at  80mg Prednisone and will start to taper tomorrow for the next week.  Hiccups not so bad.  Sleeplessness is bad.  Coincidence perhaps, but I've only had a couple of CH each of the last two days.  (I've been at 4-5/day for the last 6 weeks.).  We'll see.  I'm having Red Bull for breakfast!  Jim

That's usually not a coincidence. Prednisone is pretty effective, short term.

Only other warning on prednisone is each time I'd go off of it my back would break out with acne like a 15 year old! :)

Joe

Holy crap!   Weight gain, jitters and sleeplessnes, maybe temporary relief.... Hmmmm....   My dr. has put me on two-week medical leave -- I'm trying to decide whether to spend the last weekend of that leave at the OUCH  conference.

Would be great to meet you in person. Have yet to meet a person at a convention who said dang I wish I hadn't come! ;D

Joe

for the weight gain eliminate salt in food as long as you are in predinsone.once you are out of pred you ll be back in normal.

Guiseppi wrote on Jul 5^th, 2010 at 10:34am:

Only other warning on prednisone is each time I'd go off of it my back would break out with acne like a 15 year old! :)

Ahh, that explains what is happening to me. I've put on a few kilos and my face is covered in acne. :(

At least I now know that this should only be temporary.

Yeah mine was all gone within a week......makes you feel like a teen ager again huh? ;)

Joe

Guiseppi wrote on Jul 5^th, 2010 at 6:48pm:

Yeah mine was all gone within a week......makes you feel like a teen ager again huh? ;)

It isn't quite what I'd wish for if I was to be a teenager again! But then I'd swap just about anything to get rid of CHs.

Just finished my prednisone a few days ago, appears to have helped with this cycle.

This new neuro gave me Ativan (sp?) to counter the insomnia and had me get Zantac (Ranitidine) for the heartburn. Still gained 5 lbs in 2 weeks which was wonderful.

I'm down to 40mg today -- Three more days of prednisone to go!  I feel like I look heavier, but just weighed myself and don't seem to have gained weight.  I'm still getting 1-2 CH a day, though, and haven't had enough sleep.  I've got some mild tranquilizers on hand, but already feel too full of chemicals and chemical reactions.  Not sure if it is the reduction of prednisone, but my head feels kind of "whooshy" today, like a head rush when I move a certain way ("well, don't move that way, Jim!").  I got my new 02ptimask today -- I don't really look forward to having to use it tonight....

I just took my last day of prednisone, it seems like the headaches are fading but I can still feel the dull pain for a few minutes acouple times a day. I have terrible withdrawal symptoms as soon as I start decreasing the dosage. Hope it helps  :-/

I hope it does the trick for you, Manduh!