Prednisone

[Guest guest]

I am typically what one might refer to as " pro-T & A " , but ignoring that -

I'm not exactly anti-Prednisone either. Our Pediatrician used

Prednisone with two other children and got them to the point of growing

out of them around 7-8 years old. However, I do think you have to be

careful with how much you give. Both my pediatrician and immunologist

were okay with 1-2 doses of Prednisone in a month. Sounds like you're

giving closer to 4.

Now, that said... what is a " dose " ? Well, the typical dose is 1-2

mg/kg..... Which in the American world of pounds and teaspoons (if

liquid) or ML if using a syringe.... it gets confusing. But It seems

most varieties of Orapred (liquid or dissolvable) comes in 15mg doses

(that is 15 mg per 1 teaspoon (or 5 mls) of liquid - or what I can

assume is a 15 mg dissolvable tablet). We always used liquid.

A pound is roughly .45 kg. So... for those that hate math... a 33 pound

child is roughly 15 kg. Bear with me... I chose 33 pounds for a reason.

A 1 mg/kg dose for a 33 pound child is equal to 15 mg/15kg --- i.e., 1

teaspoon of liquid Orapred (15mg/5ml dose).

So a 2 mg/kg dose for a 33 pound child is equal to 30 mg/15kg ---- i.e.,

2 teaspoons of liquid Orapred (15mg/5ml dose).

Our initial prescription was for 2 teaspoons for a 32 pound child. This

worked. It knocked out the fever, but after about 2 months of using

Prednisone, we encountered 11 day intervals...which meant we were giving

6 teaspoons of Prednisone to a 18 month old child --- that started

sounding excessive to us and to our Pediatrician. So we started to give

slightly lower doses, and 1 teaspoon seemed to work just as well, but

the fevers hung out at 2-2.5 weeks. So we tried lowering it still - and

3 mls (i.e., a .6mg/kg dose) seemed to work fairly well for a now 35

pound child. We did encounter manageable fevers the day after (usually

100-101 range).

So.... my recommendation is to TRY using a lower dose and see if two

things happen (1) the fever still resolves quickly without coming back

full force and (2) do the intervals lengthen out again. It worked for

us - and it reasons that it could work for others, but I don't really

know. HOWEVER, there is an article, which I swear I will find and

repost... that indicates closer to a .6mg/kg dose is starting to seem

like a more reasonable dose.

I have yet to read any articles that clearly articulate when a dosage

might be considered excessive and result in long-term damage.

I hope that helps!

Ginger

Daughter - le, almost 3 years old

(fevering since 7 months, diagnosed at 15 months, T & A on

12/11/07, Fever-free since 11/16/07)

Son - Jay, 1 year old

-----------------------------------------

====================================================

This message contains PRIVILEGED and CONFIDENTIAL

information that is intended only for use by the

named recipient. If you are not the named recipient,

any disclosure, dissemination, or action based on

the contents of this message is prohibited. In such

case please notify us and destroy and delete all

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====================================================

[Guest guest]

I am typically what one might refer to as " pro-T & A " , but ignoring that -

I'm not exactly anti-Prednisone either. Our Pediatrician used

Prednisone with two other children and got them to the point of growing

out of them around 7-8 years old. However, I do think you have to be

careful with how much you give. Both my pediatrician and immunologist

were okay with 1-2 doses of Prednisone in a month. Sounds like you're

giving closer to 4.

Now, that said... what is a " dose " ? Well, the typical dose is 1-2

mg/kg..... Which in the American world of pounds and teaspoons (if

liquid) or ML if using a syringe.... it gets confusing. But It seems

most varieties of Orapred (liquid or dissolvable) comes in 15mg doses

(that is 15 mg per 1 teaspoon (or 5 mls) of liquid - or what I can

assume is a 15 mg dissolvable tablet). We always used liquid.

A pound is roughly .45 kg. So... for those that hate math... a 33 pound

child is roughly 15 kg. Bear with me... I chose 33 pounds for a reason.

A 1 mg/kg dose for a 33 pound child is equal to 15 mg/15kg --- i.e., 1

teaspoon of liquid Orapred (15mg/5ml dose).

So a 2 mg/kg dose for a 33 pound child is equal to 30 mg/15kg ---- i.e.,

2 teaspoons of liquid Orapred (15mg/5ml dose).

Our initial prescription was for 2 teaspoons for a 32 pound child. This

worked. It knocked out the fever, but after about 2 months of using

Prednisone, we encountered 11 day intervals...which meant we were giving

6 teaspoons of Prednisone to a 18 month old child --- that started

sounding excessive to us and to our Pediatrician. So we started to give

slightly lower doses, and 1 teaspoon seemed to work just as well, but

the fevers hung out at 2-2.5 weeks. So we tried lowering it still - and

3 mls (i.e., a .6mg/kg dose) seemed to work fairly well for a now 35

pound child. We did encounter manageable fevers the day after (usually

100-101 range).

So.... my recommendation is to TRY using a lower dose and see if two

things happen (1) the fever still resolves quickly without coming back

full force and (2) do the intervals lengthen out again. It worked for

us - and it reasons that it could work for others, but I don't really

know. HOWEVER, there is an article, which I swear I will find and

repost... that indicates closer to a .6mg/kg dose is starting to seem

like a more reasonable dose.

I have yet to read any articles that clearly articulate when a dosage

might be considered excessive and result in long-term damage.

I hope that helps!

Ginger

Daughter - le, almost 3 years old

(fevering since 7 months, diagnosed at 15 months, T & A on

12/11/07, Fever-free since 11/16/07)

Son - Jay, 1 year old

-----------------------------------------

====================================================

This message contains PRIVILEGED and CONFIDENTIAL

information that is intended only for use by the

named recipient. If you are not the named recipient,

any disclosure, dissemination, or action based on

the contents of this message is prohibited. In such

case please notify us and destroy and delete all

copies of this transmission. Thank you.

====================================================

[Guest guest]

I am typically what one might refer to as " pro-T & A " , but ignoring that -

I'm not exactly anti-Prednisone either. Our Pediatrician used

Prednisone with two other children and got them to the point of growing

out of them around 7-8 years old. However, I do think you have to be

careful with how much you give. Both my pediatrician and immunologist

were okay with 1-2 doses of Prednisone in a month. Sounds like you're

giving closer to 4.

Now, that said... what is a " dose " ? Well, the typical dose is 1-2

mg/kg..... Which in the American world of pounds and teaspoons (if

liquid) or ML if using a syringe.... it gets confusing. But It seems

most varieties of Orapred (liquid or dissolvable) comes in 15mg doses

(that is 15 mg per 1 teaspoon (or 5 mls) of liquid - or what I can

assume is a 15 mg dissolvable tablet). We always used liquid.

A pound is roughly .45 kg. So... for those that hate math... a 33 pound

child is roughly 15 kg. Bear with me... I chose 33 pounds for a reason.

A 1 mg/kg dose for a 33 pound child is equal to 15 mg/15kg --- i.e., 1

teaspoon of liquid Orapred (15mg/5ml dose).

So a 2 mg/kg dose for a 33 pound child is equal to 30 mg/15kg ---- i.e.,

2 teaspoons of liquid Orapred (15mg/5ml dose).

Our initial prescription was for 2 teaspoons for a 32 pound child. This

worked. It knocked out the fever, but after about 2 months of using

Prednisone, we encountered 11 day intervals...which meant we were giving

6 teaspoons of Prednisone to a 18 month old child --- that started

sounding excessive to us and to our Pediatrician. So we started to give

slightly lower doses, and 1 teaspoon seemed to work just as well, but

the fevers hung out at 2-2.5 weeks. So we tried lowering it still - and

3 mls (i.e., a .6mg/kg dose) seemed to work fairly well for a now 35

pound child. We did encounter manageable fevers the day after (usually

100-101 range).

So.... my recommendation is to TRY using a lower dose and see if two

things happen (1) the fever still resolves quickly without coming back

full force and (2) do the intervals lengthen out again. It worked for

us - and it reasons that it could work for others, but I don't really

know. HOWEVER, there is an article, which I swear I will find and

repost... that indicates closer to a .6mg/kg dose is starting to seem

like a more reasonable dose.

I have yet to read any articles that clearly articulate when a dosage

might be considered excessive and result in long-term damage.

I hope that helps!

Ginger

Daughter - le, almost 3 years old

(fevering since 7 months, diagnosed at 15 months, T & A on

12/11/07, Fever-free since 11/16/07)

Son - Jay, 1 year old

-----------------------------------------

====================================================

This message contains PRIVILEGED and CONFIDENTIAL

information that is intended only for use by the

named recipient. If you are not the named recipient,

any disclosure, dissemination, or action based on

the contents of this message is prohibited. In such

case please notify us and destroy and delete all

copies of this transmission. Thank you.

====================================================

[Guest guest]

Hi Jackie

I also hated the idea of all the medication and hated giving Prednisone

(although we did use it for a year prior to the T & A). My ped rheum always

assured me one or 2 doses per month is not harmful, asthma children were

apparently getting much more than that. Still I read many horrifying stories on

this board about long-term affects. I remember there was one adult on here at

some stage who was suffering from the side effects of having been given

prednisone in childhood. It was mainly problems with the endochrine (sp?)

system. In children one of the side effects if a slow-down in development and

growth.

Surgery is scary I agree. For us constantly medicating was no longer acceptable

and the surgery became the lesser evil. It was the best decision we ever made.

Not only are the fevers gone (so far) but Emma is also a much happier,

healthier, more active child now.

Good luck in making your decision. You must do what feels right to you.

Take care

Inga

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[Guest guest]

Hi Jackie

I also hated the idea of all the medication and hated giving Prednisone

(although we did use it for a year prior to the T & A). My ped rheum always

assured me one or 2 doses per month is not harmful, asthma children were

apparently getting much more than that. Still I read many horrifying stories on

this board about long-term affects. I remember there was one adult on here at

some stage who was suffering from the side effects of having been given

prednisone in childhood. It was mainly problems with the endochrine (sp?)

system. In children one of the side effects if a slow-down in development and

growth.

Surgery is scary I agree. For us constantly medicating was no longer acceptable

and the surgery became the lesser evil. It was the best decision we ever made.

Not only are the fevers gone (so far) but Emma is also a much happier,

healthier, more active child now.

Good luck in making your decision. You must do what feels right to you.

Take care

Inga

__________________________________________________________

Not happy with your email address?.

Get the one you really want - millions of new email addresses available now at

http://uk.docs./ymail/new.html

[Guest guest]

Thank you Ginger, this is very helpful.

Jackie, Landon's mom

[Guest guest]

Thank you Ginger, this is very helpful.

Jackie, Landon's mom

[Guest guest]

Thank you Vivian. It is comforting to know you do not have any lasting effects,

thank goodness you came through it, can't imagine how difficult that must of

been.  I need to speak to our doctor again.  After being apart of this group and

I am starting to think T & A is the way to go. 

Take Care,

Jackie, Landon's mom

[Guest guest]

Thank you Vivian. It is comforting to know you do not have any lasting effects,

thank goodness you came through it, can't imagine how difficult that must of

been.  I need to speak to our doctor again.  After being apart of this group and

I am starting to think T & A is the way to go. 

Take Care,

Jackie, Landon's mom

[Guest guest]

Thank you Vivian. It is comforting to know you do not have any lasting effects,

thank goodness you came through it, can't imagine how difficult that must of

been.  I need to speak to our doctor again.  After being apart of this group and

I am starting to think T & A is the way to go. 

Take Care,

Jackie, Landon's mom

[Guest guest]

I give my girl 1 teaspoon 5 mls and it works fine. My doc told me that such a

small dose of the steroid won't hurt her at all. Remember that some people take

it for asthma and are on them daily, now that would bother me.

Steve.

[Guest guest]

I was just given the same information regarding Prednisone- that with a low dose

and only administered a couple of times a month would not be an issue in terms

of side effects.

We are not currently using Prednisone, but wanted our specialists to discuss the

side effects. Our dr's are currently not in favour of a T & A, so we need to

explore all options.

Regards,

- mother to son 33 months, fevering since 8 months.

Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

[Guest guest]

I was just given the same information regarding Prednisone- that with a low dose

and only administered a couple of times a month would not be an issue in terms

of side effects.

We are not currently using Prednisone, but wanted our specialists to discuss the

side effects. Our dr's are currently not in favour of a T & A, so we need to

explore all options.

Regards,

- mother to son 33 months, fevering since 8 months.

Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

[Guest guest]

I was just given the same information regarding Prednisone- that with a low dose

and only administered a couple of times a month would not be an issue in terms

of side effects.

We are not currently using Prednisone, but wanted our specialists to discuss the

side effects. Our dr's are currently not in favour of a T & A, so we need to

explore all options.

Regards,

- mother to son 33 months, fevering since 8 months.

Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

[Guest guest]

My son is 13 and was diagnosed last week. It¹s been going on about 18 mths

­ 2 years. He¹s otherwise a healthy child, in fact when the other children

in the family get a cold, he typically doesn¹t. He¹s developing just fine,

doing well in school, physically where he should be, and showing clear signs

of being a teenage boy. : )

I know it must be stressful for you with a young child. I know it is for us

and our son can communicate with us. I keep reminding myself that he will

outgrow it.

[Guest guest]

My son is 13 and was diagnosed last week. It¹s been going on about 18 mths

­ 2 years. He¹s otherwise a healthy child, in fact when the other children

in the family get a cold, he typically doesn¹t. He¹s developing just fine,

doing well in school, physically where he should be, and showing clear signs

of being a teenage boy. : )

I know it must be stressful for you with a young child. I know it is for us

and our son can communicate with us. I keep reminding myself that he will

outgrow it.

[Guest guest]

My son is 13 and was diagnosed last week. It¹s been going on about 18 mths

­ 2 years. He¹s otherwise a healthy child, in fact when the other children

in the family get a cold, he typically doesn¹t. He¹s developing just fine,

doing well in school, physically where he should be, and showing clear signs

of being a teenage boy. : )

I know it must be stressful for you with a young child. I know it is for us

and our son can communicate with us. I keep reminding myself that he will

outgrow it.

[Guest guest]

Hi Becky,

kids are typically healthy in between episodes and develop normally.

You'll find a

bunch of info on this board that will surely help you!

Saw you mentioned Cimetedine. Cimetedine is typically given daily, not just

during fever

episodes. My son takes it 2x/day. Sounds like you just administer it during

episodes so I

thought I'd mention it. If it works(less than 20% of kids) then it takes away

the fevers

entirely. They typically put you on the drug for a trial period. I believe our

Dr told us if my

son got one or two episodes while on it then we'd stop it. If it did take the

fevers away

we'd try it for several months(think 6) then try stopping it to see if the

fevers are gone for

good. Hope this helps!

Vivian

[Guest guest]

Hi Becky,

kids are typically healthy in between episodes and develop normally.

You'll find a

bunch of info on this board that will surely help you!

Saw you mentioned Cimetedine. Cimetedine is typically given daily, not just

during fever

episodes. My son takes it 2x/day. Sounds like you just administer it during

episodes so I

thought I'd mention it. If it works(less than 20% of kids) then it takes away

the fevers

entirely. They typically put you on the drug for a trial period. I believe our

Dr told us if my

son got one or two episodes while on it then we'd stop it. If it did take the

fevers away

we'd try it for several months(think 6) then try stopping it to see if the

fevers are gone for

good. Hope this helps!

Vivian

[Guest guest]

Hi... my 2.5 year old daughter was on cimetidine for 8 months, I never

really saw much change. We also gave Prednisone a bunch of times. But

the fevers come back sooner. And she was so NUTS and CRAZY after

giving her a dose. I have chosen not to give it anymore. We just give

fever reducers during an episode.

She is developing fine, (shes a VERY picky eater) but besides that.

Shes a normal kid.

[Guest guest]

Hi... my 2.5 year old daughter was on cimetidine for 8 months, I never

really saw much change. We also gave Prednisone a bunch of times. But

the fevers come back sooner. And she was so NUTS and CRAZY after

giving her a dose. I have chosen not to give it anymore. We just give

fever reducers during an episode.

She is developing fine, (shes a VERY picky eater) but besides that.

Shes a normal kid.

[Guest guest]

We gave Nick prednisone with his last episode, Aug 28th. We were able

to get about half the recommended dosage in him (about 2 tsp.). It

broke the fever and it was gone for about two days, then returned as a

low grade that lingered for about 4 more days. We were ready for his

next episode, due Sep 18th, but it still has not come.

I have heard of the prednisone increasing the frequency of the fevers,

but not delaying them. Has anyone had a similar experience? We're

just watching and waiting. Thanks.

Jen

Nick - 2 yrs, fevering every three weeks (clockwork) for the past 9

months

[Guest guest]

We gave Nick prednisone with his last episode, Aug 28th. We were able

to get about half the recommended dosage in him (about 2 tsp.). It

broke the fever and it was gone for about two days, then returned as a

low grade that lingered for about 4 more days. We were ready for his

next episode, due Sep 18th, but it still has not come.

I have heard of the prednisone increasing the frequency of the fevers,

but not delaying them. Has anyone had a similar experience? We're

just watching and waiting. Thanks.

Jen

Nick - 2 yrs, fevering every three weeks (clockwork) for the past 9

months

[Guest guest]

Vivian-

Thank you for the info, we are giving the cimetidine daily but havent notiiced

much of a difference.  The fevers still come but maybe dont spike as high. He

has been on it since July.  I will call the doctor this week to see he wants us

to continue.  It is so nice to hear from people who have heard of this!!

Thanks so much!

Becky

[Guest guest]

Vivian-

Thank you for the info, we are giving the cimetidine daily but havent notiiced

much of a difference.  The fevers still come but maybe dont spike as high. He

has been on it since July.  I will call the doctor this week to see he wants us

to continue.  It is so nice to hear from people who have heard of this!!

Thanks so much!

Becky