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.

Steroids have been the *only* thing that consistently helps. I am a bit confused about that because I read steroids don’t help folks with AS and it’s not recommended treatment.

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.

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!

They know for a fact that a gut bacteria causes AS to those that have the gene for it. Controlling carbs and eating high fiber veggies will lower that bacterial count and create gut biome diversity to keep it in check and help the flares. It can be killed with antibiotics but hard as it can rebound. Everybody carrie’s this germ in the gut like e.coli and others. This one that causes AS is caused by klebsiella and it affects this that have the HLA B27. The enemy probiotic that curbs it is s. boulardii. There are other bacilluses that help as well. But my diabetes gives me infections when I use probiotics. The probiotics cause diverticuli infection and uti’s in me. So for now I’m just back to low carbing or starving,