Medrol (Prednisone) 4 mg for 6 days

[Jake LaMotta]

Yesterday, my doctor prescribed to me Medrol (Prednisone) 4 mg for 6 days to help decrease inflammation that I still have from torn pec surgery that I had in May. He prescribed to me to take 6 pills the first day, 5 the second, 4 the third, 3 the fourth, 2 the fifth, and 1 the sixth. How long until this stuff kicks in and I'm feeling better?

How long does this stay in your system for? Basically what I'm asking is...once this kills the inflammation and pain, is that it or will the inflammation and pain return once the drugs wear off?

 

[OuchThatHurts]

It's a dose-pack. While I'm not sure how long the steroid remains in the body when taken orally, I can tell you that methylprednisone is a corticosteroid (like cortisol) and you can expect some of the side effects you would normally get from having high levels of cortisol (like when your body produces corisol when under stress). Water retension, fat gain, possibly weakened immune system.

You're not on for long enough a duration to probably realize some of those side effects but it is an effective anti-infammatory and should permanantly reduce at least some of your swelling. How much will depend on too many variables but 2 weeks would be a good time to revisit your doc and see how much progress you are making.

Schedule a follow-up if you haven't already.

 

[Jake LaMotta]

Today is my last day of taking the Prednisone. They gave me a pack to take with 4 mg tabs. I started taking it last Weds. They told me to take it for 6 days starting with 6 tabs the first day and tapering it down 1 tab a day (6,5,4,3,2,1) until tommorow when I stop taking them. My question is, when will the Prednisone wear off? My last day taking it is today, does that mean tommorow it will be out of my body or does the effects linger around for a few days or weeks? If so how long does it linger around for?

I'm just afraid once it wears off, my 'post surgery' pain and inflammtion will return.

 

[Tough Old Man]

Today is my last day of taking the Prednisone. They gave me a pack to take with 4 mg tabs. I started taking it last Weds. They told me to take it for 6 days starting with 6 tabs the first day and tapering it down 1 tab a day (6,5,4,3,2,1) until tommorow when I stop taking them. My question is, when will the Prednisone wear off? My last day taking it is today, does that mean tommorow it will be out of my body or does the effects linger around for a few days or weeks? If so how long does it linger around for?

I'm just afraid once it wears off, my 'post surgery' pain and inflammtion will return.

Pred is a great med but not good for you. But you'll probably be surprized when the inflamation and pain doesn't return.

 

[OuchThatHurts]

Today is my last day of taking the Prednisone. They gave me a pack to take with 4 mg tabs. I started taking it last Weds. They told me to take it for 6 days starting with 6 tabs the first day and tapering it down 1 tab a day (6,5,4,3,2,1) until tommorow when I stop taking them. My question is, when will the Prednisone wear off? My last day taking it is today, does that mean tommorow it will be out of my body or does the effects linger around for a few days or weeks? If so how long does it linger around for?

I'm just afraid once it wears off, my 'post surgery' pain and inflammtion will return.

Like I said, you need to follow up with your doctor. The anti-inflammatory effects unless you aggravate the injury should be permanant and the drug should leave your body in a few days. I'm not sure it will "linger" for much of any length of time since what you basically did was a frontloaded tapering cycle. So you tapered off and so did the amount of prednisone in your body.do you want it to linger around? Why is it important to you as to how long it stays in your body?

Again, shedule a follow-up. I've seen many guys follow the prednisone with a NSAID like naproxen sodium or ibuprofen which are non-steroidal.

 

[Jake LaMotta]

Like I said, you need to follow up with your doctor.

I have a follow up with my doctor in 2 1/2 weeks.

The anti-inflammatory effects unless you aggravate the injury should be permanant...

I had my surgery May 9. My doc thinks because I wasn't always disciplined in wearing my sling the first 6 weeks that now I have increased scar tissue thus explaining my pain now. How do you figure the anti-inflammatory effects will be permanent? When the Prednisone wears off don't you think the inflammation and pain will come back?

...do you want it to linger around? Why is it important to you as to how long it stays in your body?

I would like to know if the pain and inflammation will stay to a minimum while the scar tissue resolves.

I've seen many guys follow the prednisone with a NSAID like naproxen sodium or ibuprofen which are non-steroidal.

All those NSAID's did absoloutly nothing to help bring down my inflammation and pain. The only thing that helped was the Prednisone.

I'm hoping over the next couple of months that the scar tissue resolves and my inflammation and pain will decrese and than I can start light lifting again.