advice please

[Manchesterlady]

hi

i have been for my blood results this morning ,and after tree weeks on 15mg pred my results were normal.

my GP has now reduced me to 12 and a half mg for 3 weeks ,then drop to 10mg .

he also injected both shoulders .

does this sound too quick a reduction?

thank you

[PMRpro Ambassador]

It's a standard one - and many people do manage it OK. You might find that you feel a bit as if the PMR is back when you try the drop - it is your body objecting to the change in dose. It should then improve over the next week or so . If it gets worse it is a sign that the new dose is too low to manage the inflammation YET - it doesn't mean it won't work eventually, just not yet.

The change might be less obvious to your body if you spend a week taking 15mg one day and 12.5mg the next, alternating old and new, before going to every day the new dose.

If that doesn't work - we'll tell you about other options to make it easier. Having the shoulder injections might well help you too.

[Manchesterlady in reply to PMRpro]

thanks PMRpro for your support

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Manchesterlady]

Yes - DL reminds me - try to persuade your GP to let you go much slower from 12.5 to 10 since that will be over Christmas! one mg at a time would be far better than trying the 2.5mg all at once.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Should be okay, but as PMRpro says you may get steroid withdrawal for 2 or 3 days, I always did - just a feeling of not being really 'with it' and a bit short tempered. Some would say -same as normal then😏

If you get pains etc after about a week then dose is too low, and you may be starting a flare.

I always stayed on new dose for a month just to ensure everything okay, but 3 weeks should be sufficient - just be aware that Christmas is around the corner, and that can be stressful so don't be too rigid on Drs 3 week plan. What's a week here or there?

Good luck.