OK. Neuro agrees that my Verapamil was way too low at 120mg of SR per day. So he gives me another Pred taper of 80 for 4 days and down by 10 every 4 days. I am eating my family out of house and home and I don't think I ever peed as much in my life. This is my 3rd round of Pred this year. How much of this stuff can one take and keep their fridge full and muscles from aching?

Neuro says we'll try just uppping the Verap to 240/day. Now that's not much of an increase if you ask me. If it isn't working when the Pred stops I sure as hell ain't taking any more steroids while we increase it again. Bleh.

I am still getting small hits of k 2-3 throughout the day. with constant shadows all day for 2 weeks now. I have never experienced the non-stop shadows before. An energy drink will kick it out for a couple of hours but it comes right back.

I am also quite worried about my right side. I have always been a lefty, but even as I have the constant shadows on the left, my right eye, temple and neck are beginning to shadow as well. My cycle normally stops at the onset of summer. Here it is the end of summer and they are still going. Bleh! Any ideas as to why my right would start now while on heavy steroids and prevents?

You need to talk to the Doc about the Verapamil.   I don't get any relief until I hit 720 day.  I've tried to back off and go to 360 a day and I get slammed every time.  As for prednisone, It has never worked to break a high cycle for me(chronic). The only steroid that worked for me  was dexamethasone(would not recomend it)  and I was a zombie for weeks.  I am sure someone else will chime in with their opinion and experiences.  Best of luck.  Wishing you some pain free time.

Regards,

Malcom

sorry to hear you are suffering. I have done the pred. thing MANY times. I have found it helps a bit to eat alot of raw veggies. (green peppers, turnips , etc) and to stay as ACTIVE as possible, that helps relieve the muscle aches a bit. Use and BURN that excess energy!!!!!!!   Good luck,,,Tuck

How much pred is too much is probably a very individual thing.  Surely your Dr needs to be monitoring that one.  The long terms effects of pred are something to be concerned about.  But balancing that against the beast is an individual thing.

On the Verapamil front, I agree that 120mg is a very low dose.  Going to 240 may or may not help.  One other thing you may consider is switching to the regular release and taking it multiple times a day.  It worked much better for me.

-Dennis-

Bob Johnson (as he always does) posted some great info on Verapamil in this thread: START PRINTPAGEMultimedia File Viewing and Clickable Links are available for Registered Members only!!  You need to or END PRINTPAGE

-Dennis-

I didn't get any adverse effects (knocks on wood) from Pred, and I took it for 4 months. At least, nothing that I notice. I did get a total elimination of symptoms, though, when I was on 40mg per day or more.

Verapamil, on the other hand, was a whole different story. No help at all at 480mg and horrible side-effects. Be careful about taking too much of it. Brachycardia is a clear and a potentially very serious complication.

- Best regards and PFDAN,
Rosa

Thanks for the info y'all. My BP was pretty good last visit. We'll see in 2 weeks if this verpamil at 240 is gonna help. If I could talk my work into letting me keep an O2 tank in the work truck I'd just get rid of the stupid drugs all together. But that is about as likely as winning the lottery in Botswana without playing. Stupid state vehicle rules.

The Pred killed all the symptoms last 2 times. This time the dose is higher with no relief. I am going to call the Doc and suggest we increase the Verap while I'm still on this ineffective pred taper. See if he'll go on up to the limit. He said that if it failed he wanted me on Lithium. I'm not too sure I want to be on another preventative right now. After that diabolic escapade with Topamax I thought I would kill me some stethoscopes. This one will do it for me. Got my O2, Triptans, energy drinks, and ice packs and that's all I need nothing else....oh and this lamp and that's all I need nothing else....oh and this ping-pong paddle game and that's all I need nothing else....

hehe STAY AWAY FROM THE OIL CANS....

I have had way too much pred through the years.  Just ask my teeth (and neuro).  I have always tended to have IV solumedrol (pred) and also many 10 day tapers that ended up being upped to 20 days with a few days off and then pred again.  My teeth are so bad now that I look like a crack addict (no dental until recently but still have to save big bucks to look ok again) I haven't really noticed anyone else complaining about teeth as bad as mine.  Bad teeth do run in my family, but my are the most extreme.  So I believe it's the combo of genes AND steroids.

The reason for my rant?... just beware is all.

This will be my last pred taper ever. Seeing as how this one isn't working at all. Neuro gave it to me hoping it would kill it while the new dosage of Verapamil took over. I fear that it will not be sufficient either. My teeth have always been crappy. I had most of my front teeth knocked out when I was a teenager. I have a 3-unit ,and a 4-unit bridges for front top teeth. :) 80mph hockey pucks with no mask hurt just a little bit.

The pred is killing my muscles. So stiff and achy all the time now. Only a week left on them. I'm going to totally detox for a while to try to get some semblance of order to these hits. Stupid meds jacked my cycle up all kinds of crazy this round. So weird this year it's getting really hard to keep an accurate journal.