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Bell's Palsy,chichen Pox When Young,janumet For High Blood Sugar,prednisolone Dosage?
Question: Female 53 5'7" 180 lbs I have Bell's Palsy. Would like to know the pred dosage to take for this. No history of Herpes Simples I , nor Lyme's, nor AIDS. Did have bad case of Chicken Pox as young child. I have taken pred before with no adverse effects. Do have 20 mg. tablets on hand. I am taking Janumet for high blood sugar.
Hello Carie,
Thanks for posting your query.
One thing to note is that you have deranged blood sugar levels and diabetes for which you have been prescribed Janumet and taking steroids can increase the blood sugar levels and cause hyperglycemia. So whenever you have to take oral steroids, always do it under a medical supervision if you are a diabetic.
Secondly, it is true that steroids are often prescribed in the treatment of Bell’s palsy. But treatment with oral steroids is successful only if prednisolone is taken in the first week of diagnosis of bell’s palsy and is most effective in the first 24 hours. Studies have proved that treatment after 24 hours failed to show a statistically significant difference from the recovery rate when prednisolone was administrated within the first 24 hours.
Prednisone must be given within the first week of facial weakness, in order to be effective and is generally reserved for persons with complete facial paralysis. Usually a dose of about 60 mg is given per day in a single morning dose. This dose is usually continued for about a week, and then tapered off to nothing at about 10 days.
But prednisolone should always be taken under medical supervision because of its serious side effects especially in diabetics or hypertensive patients. It can cause serious derangement of blood sugar, blood pressure and electrolyte levels and hence I advise you to take it only after consulting your treating physician.
Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.
Wishing you good health.
Thanks for posting your query.
One thing to note is that you have deranged blood sugar levels and diabetes for which you have been prescribed Janumet and taking steroids can increase the blood sugar levels and cause hyperglycemia. So whenever you have to take oral steroids, always do it under a medical supervision if you are a diabetic.
Secondly, it is true that steroids are often prescribed in the treatment of Bell’s palsy. But treatment with oral steroids is successful only if prednisolone is taken in the first week of diagnosis of bell’s palsy and is most effective in the first 24 hours. Studies have proved that treatment after 24 hours failed to show a statistically significant difference from the recovery rate when prednisolone was administrated within the first 24 hours.
Prednisone must be given within the first week of facial weakness, in order to be effective and is generally reserved for persons with complete facial paralysis. Usually a dose of about 60 mg is given per day in a single morning dose. This dose is usually continued for about a week, and then tapered off to nothing at about 10 days.
But prednisolone should always be taken under medical supervision because of its serious side effects especially in diabetics or hypertensive patients. It can cause serious derangement of blood sugar, blood pressure and electrolyte levels and hence I advise you to take it only after consulting your treating physician.
Hope this answers your query. If you have additional questions or follow up queries then please do not hesitate in writing to us. I will be happy to answer your queries.
Wishing you good health.
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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