How long does it take for steroid’s effect to leave the body?

Hi, my kittie has come OUT of remission, vet thinks because of the Budesonide that we tried for diarrhea (he probably has IBD). His numbers have been in the high 300’s and tonite was 407.
I’m tapering him off of it, today’s the last day.
If you’ve ever stopped a steroid because it was (possibly) causing your kittie’s #’s to go off the charts, how long did it take for the BG numbers to go down?
Thank,
Susan & Scout

 

Hello Susan, I feel your pain! My Chachi also has IBD and he has taken Prednisolone for couple of years now and he too has steroid induced diabetes however he is Siamese and genetically prone to diabetes. Important, you must go very slow with weaning off steroids and you may not ever be able to get him off completely due to the IBD. Chachi is now taking 1/2 a 5mg tablet Pred every other day along with 1/2 of a 16 mg tablet of cerenia at the same time. On rare occasions he might need a 4mg tablet of Ondansetron but very rare now (maybe after the grandkids come and go LOL) . If we go any lower on his steroid and Cerenia his IBD symptoms flare up and he becomes miserable. However on the good side, he has remained in normal BG levels with 1 unit Lantus 2x day for a little over 2 months now. The steroid helps to avoid severe drops in BG. He loves Fancy Feast classic 1/2 can 2x day and he gets 1/3 cup Royal Canin Hydrolyzed Protein kibble (for IBD) for daytime snacking. His weight is stable at 13 lbs. All kitties are unique, I know, but I hope this information may be helpful for you and your baby Scout.

 

Thank you Chachi’s Mom. I am hoping and praying that his IBD troubles don’t come back once the steroid leaves his system completely.
Chachi is beautiful, by the way - such exquisite coloring.

 

Does Chachi take Cerenia for the IBD? If so, did the vet say that helps the IBD?

 

Yes, When his IBD flares up he would vomit and have loose stools. He would become so miserable with spasms and cramps he would start urinating outside his box. The steroid reduces his inflammation and helps keep his spasms under control and the Cerenia helps with his nausea and vomiting. I found that Cerenia works slower that Ondansetron (for Nausea) but given every other day with the Pred seems to keep things on an even keel. At least so far so good... I only use Ondansetron when needed (last time was mid June while trying to wean down) He was taking 1/2 5mg pred daily with Cerenia every other day but now he seems to be doing good taking them every OTHER day. I try to keep everything as stress free as I can even when the kids come. He was diagnosed June 6 2019 with Diabetes and that was when we started trying to wean down a bit on the pred. I tried giving to him every 3 days but no go. He started having IBD issues so for now we are sticking to every other day. As long as he is happy and comfortable I'm happy.

 

Hi, my cat is taking Budesonide too and I am just starting to wean him off. May I ask you your method for reducing the dose?
My cat was taking 0.5ml, and my vet said to cut in 1/2 for 10 days and then stop. Is it safe? In my experience, steroids needed to be reduced very slowly, but Budesonide might be different?

During the first 2 weeks of taking the steroids, his BG was not impacted. However it started to go up and now is only in reds and blacks. I suspect the steroids might be the culprits.

 

Hi, Scout is almost 17 pounds, and was on
0.5 ml. per day as well. He was on it for 6 days, the vet told me to go to 0.3 ml. for 2 days and then to stop it, as he is getting a smallish dose for his size, and she was concerned about the high numbers doing damage to his organs. His numbers too started going into purple and now, red. They started to climb up the 3rd - 4th day he was on it. Scary to have the #’s climb high so fast, isn’t it?
Is your kitty on the steroid for IBD?

 

I see, so the tapering is different according to the length of steroid use.

Macka was diagnosed with IBD yes, but without symptoms. Vet saw thickened intestines on the ultrasounds. I am not sure he needs this extra medication. We will see once he's off if it changes anything with his BG and his transit. Did Scout have any IBD symptoms? I don't think that 6 days on it did anything to him in terms of improvement, because it takes about 2 weeks to see any, I was told.

Edit: oh yes, he has diarrhea, that could be anything. Did he get ultrasounds?

 

I think he had an ultrasound about a year ago, I’m not sure. But 3 vets have said his intestines were “thick and ropy” which is indicative of it, perhaps, I think. And diarrhea on occasion.

 

Have you tried novel protein, raw food, bone broth, probiotics?

 

Novel protein, yes. On a LID of venison. It seems to work best. And Cerenia and Ondansetron daily.
And Fortiflora for the probiotics, but I’ve heard of s. Boullardi, which is supposed to be better than Fortiflora. I’m looking for a better probiotic, I know they’re out there.