Prednisone dosing

[barbthy]

Morning from North Carolina

Saw GP yesterday and gave him a copy of Bristol protocol, he read it, listened to me and is following it. Had been on 15 mg for a week and will continue for 5 more weeks. Struggling to find right time(s) to take it - split or not- that manages pain and still lets me sleep. I took morning dose at 7AM and took night 5 mg at midnight. Arm and shoulder pain had gotten severe by then that I was still awake and miserable at 3. Woke at 7 with shoulder and knee pain and now jaw pain. Told GP I had been having frontal headaches. See ophthalmologist next week. I am looking for advice and trying to learn all I can but these revolving symptoms are most distressing

Thanks for listening - reading

Barbthy

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Midnight for the other part of the split dose is too late - you want to take at about 2 hours before the pain reappears.

However - frontal headache, jaw pain and PMR symptoms makes me suspicious you have GCA and that will need more pred. If you have any visual symptoms at all, however fleeting, please don't wait for next week but go to the ER and ask about the possibility of GCA. There is info about it in the Bristol paper too.

[Baileyw06]

I was using a split dose ,my Doctor said to take the full dose after breakfast and it is working!!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Baileyw06]

Yes, a single daily dose is the first way to try - always. Then work from there.

[barbthy in reply to PMRpro]

What's best time for single dose

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to barbthy]

For most people first thing in the morning.

The inflammatory substances that cause the symptoms we call PMR are shed in the body at about 4.30am. The sooner after that you take the pred the less inflammation has been caused so the less work it has to do. There is one form of prednisone that you take at night and it releases 4 hours later, at 2am, the time a study found was the best time to take pred for minimum morning stiffness. It has reached a peak in the blood by about 4am - lurking ready to nab the cytokines (inflammatory substances) when they appear.

[Sandy1947]

My unsolicited advice...get yourself to an experienced Rheumatologist. PMR/GCA need expert and immediate attention. Make sure the person has lots of experience treating these "beauties"

This will probably require research. If you are not well enough to do that, please get help.

Keep me informed about results. Do not tarry!