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Canine Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia (AIHA & IMHA) - Magnus has lack of energy...
| So Mag received his latest CBC and his lymphocytes are down to about 6,000!!! The head Oncologist at Auburn University recommened Mag quit taking Prednisone (which he was taking for the last month), but continue his chemo (6mg every other day) for the rest of his life... His energy level has gone way down the past week since quitting the pred.... I understand the pred has a lot of negative side effects for longterm use, but can't he take a lower dose to maintain his energy level? He sleeps all day and night. I will ask my vet in the am but wanted your input first! Thanks~ Shannon and Magnus... |
| Shannon Florida |
| Shannon, I really glad that Mag's bloodwork is good enough that your Oncologist is looking to stop the prednisone. I think I can easily explain why he feels so fatigued. A number of years ago, I had a severe allergic reaction to a sulfa antibiotic. I had been covered with hives for 10 days and I was actually sitting at the pharmacy waiting for a script for prednisone when I started having trouble breathing. Short story, I was experiencing anaphylactic shock. I did end up on high doses of prednisone, they actually have a dispenser pact that meters the dosage out over time, and then started the decreases about 3 weeks later. I have never felt so washed out in my whole life. It was a tough period of time that lasted the better part of a month. Remember how I describe that the adrenal glands have "gone to sleep" while you were giving the high doses of prednisone? Well they are trying to wake up now in response the lowered dose of prednisone. They actually produce cortisol, which to the body is nearly the same thing as prednisone. They may not be quite up to the job yet and might not be producing cortisol in the corrects amounts at the correct times. When are those times? Cortisol controls many of the body's stimulation functions. When you are startled in the middle of the night because you think you hear a burglar, your breathing and heart rates increase, the blood flow to your digestive tract diminishes etc. Your body is preparing for something. There are more intricate body functions at the cellular level that are also affected by secretions from the adrenal glands. Could you please post the dosages for the last 3-4 weeks to give me an idea of how the decreases were done? It may be possible to make more minute decreases and stretch them out over a few more weeks to help the situation. And yes, some dogs continue with a small dose (for the adrenal glands) throughout life. Looking into the future, if you do a more gradual decrease of prednisone and you are still faced with low energy levels for more than a month, it might be good to revisit with the vet about testing the function of the adrenal glands. I would not worry about that right now, however. my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
| Thanks Patrice. What a help you always are to us! I am not at home right now, but I know he took 2 pills everyday for week #1, then 1 1/2 pills everyday for week #2, then 1 pill every other day for the last 2 weeks, then none... |
| shannon pensacola |
| Shannon, To avoid the kind of fatigue you are describing, assuming that he was on high doses of prednisone for longer than a month, then doses below around 10-5 mg a day should be carefully tapered. If you can tell me the exact dosages he has been on and the dates, perhaps I can help you with a little more tapered dose reduction. That is assuming, of course, he is still on it at all? If he was on it every other day at a certain dose (once a day?) and is now *not on it*, you would need permission from your vet to go back to a low dose again for his symptoms. It is certainly common to have these symptoms during prednisone dose reduction. All medical professionals understand how the dosages need to be reduced and the risks of doing that too quickly. I am not a vet and I can't monitor Mag, but your vet should be made aware of these symptoms so they can monitor his condition. It can be merely uncomfortable, but, rarely, can be more serious. my best patrice |
| Patrice NYS |
This thread was discussed between 30/06/2009 and 01/07/2009
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