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Post by Melissa & Zero + Huck on Apr 18, 2019 11:04:51 GMT -7
yes 1 whole tablet is 1 gram. we are doing 1/4 tablet 3x/day, each time mixed with 3ml of water.
how long does it take generally for prednisone to start working?
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PaulaM
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Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,541
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Post by PaulaM on Apr 18, 2019 19:34:29 GMT -7
It may take several Prednisone courses totaling 7-30 days to resolve the pain caused by swelling.. Taper days/doses do not count as the level is too low to work on the painful swelling around the spinal cord.
Keep us posted on trembling, twitching, weakness in rear legs or the front legs.
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Post by Melissa & Zero + Huck on Apr 22, 2019 8:43:35 GMT -7
Zero good morning! finally, a positive post where I'm not panicking. Zero is doing so much better, i'm so grateful. it took the Prednisone to start doing it's job this weekend, about 4 days into starting the meds. he's moving so much more confidently to potty and no sign of struggle nor falling over. his personality is back and he even was wagging his tail this morning! his fronts look great, no twitching/trembling, and his hinds are a little wobbly but progressing beautifully. such relief!! we begin the taper on Thursday, 04/24, and hopefully we won't see any neurological deminishment or pain, but I will keep everyone posted regardless. thank you again everyone. so thankful you all are here. [Moderator's Note. Please do not edit 10 lbs. Carprofen as of 3/21: 18.75 mgs 2x/day for 27 days ,STOPPED 4/15 to switch to Pred Relapse 4/14 w/front and back leg increased diminishment Prednisone as of 4/18: 5mgs 2x/day for 6 days, then Thurs 4/24 test taper to reveal __pain / _neuro issues gabapentin 200mg 3x/day methocarbamol 125mgs 3x/day Tramadol 50mg 3x/day Trazadone 12.5mg 3x/day Pepcid AC 5mgs 2x/day Sucralfate 250 mgs 3x/day ]
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,541
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Post by PaulaM on Apr 22, 2019 9:36:58 GMT -7
Melissa, specifically remember the job of prednisone is to get all painful swelling down over the course of 7-30 days (taper days excluded). Prednisone does not heal damaged nerves. The body does that on its own. So the improvement in neuro function is what the body has done without the aid of any meds.
So the taper on 4/24 is to see if any existing pain would reveal itself, if any new neuro diminishment might happen. So that you can properly assess for pain which is your vet calling for: 1) full stop of all pain meds ( gaba, pred, metho) on the 4/24 as the test taper begins. 2) OR..... a backing off of all 3 pain meds that mask pain
Which is the date the pred taper starts: Wed 4/24 or Thurs 4/25?
Got fingers crossed that the extension of pred til 4/24 or was it 4/25 for a total of 6 o 7 days will do the trick of ridding the body of all the painful inflammation!
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Post by Melissa & Zero + Huck on Apr 30, 2019 11:53:23 GMT -7
Hello all. Thanks for all that info Paula. We were advised to do an ultra slow taper of the pred first, with one day of only one dose and the next day of the 2x/day dosing. This is an addition to halving the pain meds to 100mg of Gabapentin 3x/day, 125mg of Methocarbamol 3x/day and 25mg of Tramadol 3x/day. We ended up trying our first day of taper on Saturday, 04/27. Honestly I was just nervous to start it and our vet said a couple of extra days on it is fine. So Sat night he was good but then Sunday morning he had trouble standing while pottying and fell. This was followed by neck twitching/spasm’ing. [Moderator's Note. Please do not edit 10 lbs. Carprofen as of 3/21: 18.75 mgs 2x/day for 27 days ,STOPPED 4/15 to switch to Pred Relapse 4/14 w/front and back leg increased diminishment Prednisone as of 4/18: 5mgs 2x/day for 9 days, then Sat 4/27 test taper to reveal √4/28_pain &√neuro issues as of 4/29: 5mgs 2x/day for 3 days, then Fri 5/3 test taper gabapentin 200mg 3x/day methocarbamol 125mgs 3x/day Tramadol 50mg 3x/day Trazadone 12.5mg 3x/day Pepcid AC 5mgs 2x/day Sucralfate 250 mgs 3x/day ]
We talked to our vet yesterday (Mon, 04/29) and she advised to go back to normal dosing consistently until the end of this week so until Thurs, 05/02 which would total the Pred days to 14 days, not including the 1x/day taper dosing on Sat, 04/27. It’s hard not to be discouraged. I do want him to get better. He seemed a little more wobbly today but is also pretty drugged as I gave him Trazadone. I’ve been giving it on an as needed basis depending on his energy level. Today his spirits worried me that he’d be moving too much. Good moods = potential harm. I guess I won’t fully start worrying until we reach day 30 of prednisone dosing however it’s truly hard to stay positive right now. I was so hoping this last round would do that trick for him.
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Post by Romy & Frankie on Apr 30, 2019 13:04:38 GMT -7
I am sorry that the taper was not a success but many dogs have to try several tapers before all the swelling is gone. Is he showing any signs of pain? When our dogs feel better they often try to move too much and the trazadone should help if he gets over excited and moves more than he should. There are some natural ways to keep a dog relaxed which you could try. Try using any oral calmer in combination with a Pheromone diffuser. This seems to work best. It takes several days for these to start working - it isn't immediate but they are a much better option if you can avoid heavy duty prescription sedatives such as Acepromazine, Trazodone, etc. Of course always keep your vet in the loop on all things you give your dog. Other product brands may be available in your area or on-line… just shop by the active ingredient(s) on the label and the quantity for best price Place a DAP pheromone diffuser at floor level where the recovery suite is. Dogs: Adaptil (DAP) wall plug in diffuser 48ml www.adaptil.com/us/Products/ADAPTIL-Calm-Home-Diffuser with dog pheromones Use a diffuser with one oral calmer from below: 1) ANXITANE® S chewable tabs contain 50 mg L-Theanine, an amino acid that acts neurologically to help keep dogs calm, relaxed: us.virbac.com/product/behavior/anxitane-chewable-tablets2) Composure Soft Chews are colostrum based like calming mother's milk and contain 21 mg of L-Theanine: www.vetriscience.com/composure-soft-dogs-MD-LD.php
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Post by Melissa & Zero + Huck on Apr 30, 2019 13:28:35 GMT -7
No signs of pain at all! Even the day we tapered and the day which he showed neuro diminishment. Thank you for all the calming suggestions.
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PaulaM
Moderator.
Member since 2007: surgery, conservative . Montana, USA
Posts: 19,541
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Post by PaulaM on May 1, 2019 9:36:22 GMT -7
Melissa, neck twitching and spasming are signs of pain. Are those now fully subsided with the additional 3-day course of pred? The test taper is scheduled for Friday 5/3 over the weekend when the vet is not open.
Do you have extra pred and pain meds just in case you need them til the vet re-opens on Monday 5/8?
A three day course of Pred is rather short, so do not loose hope if again another course is needed. Often the courses are for 7 or maybe even a 14-day course. Neck disc just are more difficult as the whenever the body needs to move, the neck/head usually move too.
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Post by Melissa & Zero + Huck on May 1, 2019 10:43:13 GMT -7
Hi Paula. Ah ok, then yes on Sunday, 4/28, he had pain (twitching/spasm'ing) but it subsided as soon as the Gaba/Metho/Tram/Pred combo kicked in that morning. He was like that for probably an hour. Once we went out for potty trip #2 that was mid-day, he wasn't falling over, just wobbly walking. Yes I have about 2 additional weeks worth of Prednisone as our vet knows this is a situation where we may be doing multiple rounds. I have a ton of pain meds handy as two of our other dogs take them regularly. I'm not sure where the 3 day course is coming from. At this point at our next taper day of Fri, 5/3, he will have been on 14 days of prednisone, not including the one taper day on Sat, 4/27. Please let me know if i'm missing something. Thank you!
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Post by Romy & Frankie on May 1, 2019 13:06:20 GMT -7
It can take up to 30 days at the full dose of pred for all the swelling in the spinal cord which causes the pain and neuro deficits to be gone. More than one taper has been necessary for a number of dog's on Dodgerslist.
Hoping that Zero's taper on Friday goes well.
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