Since starting on Turmeric I've discovered an interesting side to it. I've been on prednisone for around 9 months and managed to get down to 12 mgs, any attempt to get below that, even by half an mg has always resulted in a lot of pain. After taking my first dose of turmeric I imediately felt a little better so lowered the prednisone dose from 12 to 11.5mgs. As there were no ill effects I cut down again to 11 within a couple of days - again no ill effects so I continued lowering the dose by 1/2 mg increments until I got to 10mgs - again with no ill effects. Despite suffering no ill effect I stopped it there and sat on 10 for a few weeks. A couple of days ago I lowered my prednisone dose again by 1/2 mg to 9.5 - again no ill effects. In short turmeric has allowed me to lower the dose of prednisone from 12mgs to 9.5 in a matter of weeks with absolutely no ill effects. Whilst the turmeric hasn't lowered pain levels to any great extent it does speed up the recouperation after a flare. Previously recouperation after a flare would take up to a week and then only with assistance from ibuprofen. With Turmeric recouperation after a flare takes a day, two at the most, with no requirement for ibuprofen. If you are having trouble tapering the prednisone, try turmeric.
Is the turmeric you are taking in powder form?
Ooooh no, that's horrible stuff. I take the 600mg tabs.
WOW great info! Thanks Tony
Just keep in mind everybody's different, what works for me may not work for you. Tapering prednisone can be extremely painful if you're not careful, particularly when the dose gets below 10mgs.
I looked at it for me.
Put off by the warning may upset stomach, as I suffer from reflux, have been very cautious about starting.
Have you had any problems with stomach issues
I have it growing in garden, in a pot, othersie its a weed here in queensland, and have been using a little with each meal, i just grate like ginger, I have been better recently, so i may have hit on help as well.
Best regards lyn
No stomach upsets yet but I do have a sensitive gut: MTX makes me nauseous as does prednisone, hydroxychloroquine, BP meds, sulfasalazine and ibuprofen. I think you have to be on a fairly high dose of Tumeric for it to have an effect, instructions say to take two to thre tabs per day (each tab=600mg), I take two at the moment. Problem with eating turmeric from your garden is you don't know how much curcumen you are ingesting.
Lyn, it too upset my stomach. I tried different product as per Doctor recommendation, but still upset. I tried just adding turmeric slice and black pepper to my eggs, still some slight upset.
Im now trying to heal my stomach with sips of buttermilk, MSM supplement, seems to be helping. I hope so, I'd like to try turmeric or Curcumin again. I'm also on prednisone so I blame that for messing up my stomach.
I started Turmeric about a week ago for RA and from the first
day no morning stiffness or pain really surprised at results
I'll keep taking it and start reducing Sulfasalazine and see
What happens, I also have IBS which is much improved.
Hello Tony.
So pleased to read that you are having some success reducing the prednisolone. Do you mind if I ask you, how did you know what dose of turmeric to take and also, previously, when you stated to reduce the steroids, even by a very small amount, what the negative effect pretty much immediate ie even the next day?
many thanks for sharing your experiences.
Dosage is written on the bottle, but generally the max dose is around 1500mgs. I started on 155 mg capsules and as it it appeared to work started taking 4 caps per day, When all gone I graduated to 600mg tablets, first two then three but that dose made me nauseous and the tablets don't appear to work as well as capsules.
I went fom 12mgs of prednisone to 9.5mgs in a matter of weeks with none of the usual tapering side effects.
ut nothing is straight forward is it? So I came down with a skin rash a few weeks ago assumed it was the turmeric and stopped taking them. A week of so later I started to get extremely painful wrists and forearms and then realised I hadn't been taking my evening prednisone -silly me! So now I'm back to square one!
Thanks for reply and sorry to hear of a setback. Hopefully only a short term one!
Hi Tony, you are right, what works for one may not for another. I have been taking Turmeric, with black pepper and coconut oil cooked 3 times a day for years for my arthritis and swear by it. But alas it has not really helped my PMR : I had to go off it recentley for an operation in Oct, and oh boy!! do I feel the difference in my joints : Can't wait to get back on Tablets are good also : Good Luck
Turmeric has stopped working for me as has MSM.
Tony, I too found that after about two weeks things stopped seeming like they work. So I don't know if it's placebo effect, or is that how the body works, maybe two weeks on, two off? I haven't tried that yet. Even my thyroid meds, I feel great for two weeks, then seems old symptoms come back.
i use the MSM to heal my stomach, but some days it seems my stomach feels aggitated, so I stop.
Maybe be we both should try 2 and 2 and report back?