Just Diagnosed

[lvaughn]

On Dec. 22nd I was diagnosed with Polymyalgia Rheumatica. I am taking 15mg prednisone for another week and will lower to 10mg. Then blood work to see where I am at then. I had my bone density test today to get a baseline.

[piglette]

Hi Ivaughan. I am so sorry about your diagnosis and just before Christmas too. Personally I would have thought it more sensible to have the blood work done first before reducing so you can check if the pred has got the PMR under control or not.

Glad you were offered a Dexascan so quickly. Have you also been given vit D and calcium?

[lvaughn in reply to piglette]

Dexacam? Yes, taking Vit D and Calsium

[piglette in reply to lvaughn]

The Dexascan is the bone density scan you had.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi Ivaughn,

Welcome, and sorry to hear about your diagnosis.

My initial reaction would be -

If you’re only going to be on 15mg of Pred for 2 weeks before you decrease that’s not really long enough to get your accumulated inflammation under control - 3 weeks minimum, 4 weeks more the normal, 6 weeks even better!

15mg to 10mg is a big drop - you may find it too much! Recognised taper is 15mg -12,5mg - 10mg - and some struggle with that.

As piglette says bloods should be checked, and if okay then you should decrease, not the other way round.

Have a look at attached - healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

[Sandy1947]

Listen to Piglette and Dorset Lady! Welcome to our club where slow is the new normal. Rushing the taper causes problems.

[jinasc]

Golden Rule, no more that 10% at a time.

Piglette and Dorset Lady have given you good advice.

[yogabonnie]

Yes, welcome to the forum and you will be given some great advice from those more in the know than I but.. I have transitioned from 15 to 12.5 and tried going down to 10 but too soon. I was a month on 15 now 3 weeks on 12.5 (tried to go to 10 in the midst of the Holiday and family stress which was a mistake) I think you will find that a slower reduction is the advice of pretty much everyone on this forum. Also look for the "Spoon" theory.. on this forum. It is spot on. I bowled with the grandkids 2 days ago and used up all YESTERDAYS spoons too. slept all day! And be warned! Prednisone brain lies ahead. I thought I was on 30 when I was in fact on 15mg. Doc says no harm done just thinking the wrong thing as long as I wasn't TAKING the wrong thing!

[lvaughn]

I have actually been on prednisone longer, I broke out in a rash and was on a high dose and lowered, so now on this dose

[HeronNS in reply to lvaughn]

Nevertheless your taper should be no more than 10%. My experience, for what it's worth: 5 weeks at 15 mg, then dropping by 1 mg per week until 10. After that I wasn't able to tolerate a 1 mg drop again, so after returning to 10 for a couple of weeks I started the dead slow taper with my doctor's approval. But I had no trouble at all between 15 and 10 going the way I did and it only took 5 weeks. I can't imagine what would have happened to me if I'd dropped the 5 mg all at once.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to lvaughn]

Details would be helpful - the usual starting dose is 15mg. But the drop from 15 to 10 is too big for comfort. Top experts advise not more than10% of the current dose when tapering - it isn't the same as reducing the pred dose to get of a short course. You are looking for the lowest dose that is enough to give the same control of the symptoms that the starting dose gave. In the early days of PMR that will be higher than it will be later on. If you reduce too far or too fast you will risk a flare and end up back where you were before and have to start again.