You will feel that way on Prednisone regardless of missed doses I suspect.

You must take it as prescribed EVERY day and preferably before 9 am. You might try eating food before taking it as that will greatly lessen your shakiness.

It won't work well with missed doses. I know it is an inconvenience to take it. I make a schedule by date with the dose I should take like this:

Feb 1 50 mg
Feb 2 50 mg
Feb 3 50 mg
Feb 4 50 mg
Feb 5 40 mg
Feb 6 40 mg
Feb 7 40 mg
Feb 8 30 mg
Feb 9 30 mg
Feb 10 30 mg
Feb 11 20 mg

I write it on a blank envelope and keep it next to my other morning meds with a pen to cross off each days dose taken.

Good luck, you can do this. Try eating and I think you will feel much better and then take your prednisone.

TexasGal 💖

Prednisone is a steroid drug given to decrease inflammation in your lungs that is causing difficulty breathing (the wheezing you feel and your doctor hears with their stethoscope). May also be given to make breathing easier with pneumonia (crackles are often heard in your lungs).

With prednisone reducing inflammation; your lungs are able to open the bronchial tubes more fully and bring in more oxygen and pass out more carbon dioxide (the bad stuff).

Okay, my brief nursing lesson is over. Just trying to help people understand why it is prescribed.

TexasGal (the retired RN) 💖

Saying you're not going to take prednisone over long periods sounds good until you can't breathe without it, which is where some folks are, so think twice about being so adamant about it. There are two schools of thought re shorter amounts of time for prednisone. Old school is that you taper off regardless of the beginning dose. Current best practice is five days at fairly high doses (30 - 70 mgs) and then stop. Research has demonstrated that the changes to the adrenal glands don't occur during the shorter time frames. Prednisone can cause a lot of not so pleasant things, but breathing well may be worth most of them.

Regardless of whether you taper or take it for a short period of time at fairly high dose and then stop, everyone crashes. You feel just slightly better than you did when you started taking the stuff and it usually takes a week or so before you actually begin to feel a little better. That's all normal. You can speed the process up by resuming your normal activity level, but at a much slower pace so you can build yourself back up. If you push a little, it won't hurt and you'll recover faster. I've always found that getting back to my exercise routine, albeit a lot slower, really moves the recovery forward.

@A MyCOPDTeam Member,

I hear what you are saying, but you do not mention having the severe side effects as the original poster stated. To try to get her some benefit of prednisone I suggested she ask her doctor to give her an IM shot weekly knowing the effects would not be as good as the oral route. (Pointed out in my original post).

You can stop admonishing me for my opinion as not everyone has the same strength and endurance with COPD.
Please do not imply your journey is worse than anyone else's either as I have had severe breathing problems my whole life and others may well be having even worse breathing problems than you or me.

One of the side effects of prednisone is irritability so we will just chalk your scathing comment up to that.

Glad you can tolerate what many others see as agony - speak for yourself and not for everyone else please.

TexasGal 💖

Mentioned Users

A MyCOPDT...

Are you in Stage 4? I would never take prednisone daily for the rest of my life and I have told my pulmonologist this also.

If you are having a flare up instead of taking it orally, they can give it as a shot in your bum once a week Now the Dr. will tell you it is not effective or as effective as the oral pills - which may be true, but some prednisone is better than none. Very few side effects as an injection versus taking the pills by mouth.

Ask him if you can try that route for awhile. You never know unless you try . . .

Good luck!

TexasGal 💖