Steroids are the ONLY thing that relieve my pain and the doctors refuse to give it (medrol pack)to me more than once every six months. I have tried Humira and Enbrel. Pretty much totally disabled at age 37. I understand the risks but what else can I do if low dose steroids are the only thing that give me quality of life. Seeing a new rheumatologist soon...curious what they will say. Maybe there is another medication that can work for my AS 🙏🏼 Any thoughts are appreciated. I’m a prednisone drug seeker lol!

Steroids help with pain management by effectively reducing inflammation so that's great if they are helping you feel better. There are long term effects / side effects with Steroids, so if you are facing something out of the norm definitely consult with your doctor.

I take 5mg daily and have for 8-10 years. It is considered low-dose so they are not worried about side effects. I would think you should only take 20 mg doses for a short time to get you through a flare. I do that occasionally too.

They can cause diabetes if taken too long at a high dosage. If your doctor is prescribing it, I wouldn’t worry too much.