Prednisolone for hives.....?

ok ive been suffering from hives since 31st of january....its been severe, had swollen lips, joints etc....was put on a high dose of anti-hist tablets.......they failed to do anything so today i was back at the doctors, he saw i was covered in hives and has now given me an even higher dosage of anti-hist plus he wants me to take 40mg (8 tablets) each day, of PREDNISOLONE (steroids)...for a week....once i got home and read the leaflet i was disturbed at the amount of possible side effects! i was wondering if anyone else has had experience with these tablets, and if they were ok, i dont want to wake up tomorrow 10lbs heavier! thanks

Prednisone is pretty nasty, but most of the bad side effects don't show up until you have been on it for more than a few weeks. You won't experience any of the nasty weight changes in this short of time.

The doc has you on a moderately high dose. The biggest thing you can do to control the side effects is to take the pills right after you get out of bed in the morning. This makes a huge difference because the chemical will mess with your sleep cycles and all sorts of body functions if it is taken at a different time of day. If the hives are gone by day 6, its a good idea to split you last pill in half and take 1/2 pill on day 7 and day 8 instead of a single pill on day 7.

there are other ways...be wary of steroids. see a homeopath. also:

Urticaria is another name for hives, which are localised swellings that usually itch intensely and which are caused by an allergic reaction to something and the release of histamine within the skin. Hives can affect up to 20% of the population at some time in their lives, including children, and what you have to try and work out is what are you reacting to?

The place to start is your diet. Those foods which commonly trigger urticaria include milk, eggs, chicken, fruits, nuts and food additives so cut these out for at least two weeks. If you can face it, a strict elimination diet which only allows water, rice, lamb, pears and vegetables would also clear the condition if you can stick with it for a fortnight.

Vitamin C is a natural anti-histamine and is always more potent in the presence of one of the bioflavanoids such as quercetin or rosehip. You need to take 500mg of vitamin C three times a day and one capsule of rosehip (which provides additional vitamin C). If you plan to use quercetin, which is now widely on sale in good health stores, take a dosage that is the equivalent of 400mg five minutes before a meal.

It was prescribed because the Dr. feels the benefits are better than the risks. Yes, steroids will increase your appetite, just be cautious of what you are eating and when. It is only for 1 week, see if it works.

Steroids are commonly used to treat skin issues like hives, and other rashes. I highly doubt you will wake up 10 lbs heavier since you know the risks and what not to do.

Good luck, I hope it works for you!

Yes you need to take the steroids to get rid of those hives! I was hospitalized with them and was on intervense steroids for a week. Being on them for only a week will not harm you. If you had to take them all the time, then yes the side effects would be bad. You will have some changes while you are on them, but as soon as you get off, you will go back to normal.