I am down to 4.5mg steroids and now have a bad chest infection. Doctor wants me to take 30mg a day for 5 days then drop back down to 4.5mg. I feel PMR is under control and have tried desperately hard to get to this low dose so I am reluctant to jeopardise this as its taken me four years to get to this point.
Will it be ok to drop straight back down to 4.5mg or will I struggle?
You shouldn't do - a 5-day 30mg/day course of pred is a common approach to chest infections these days it seems and for most people the baseline would be zero - yours is 4.5mg, that's all.
Why is it considered a good idea to give moderate dose of pred during an infection when pred is known for its immune-suppressing properties?
It is to reduce the airway swelling that is likely to lead to you developing a bacterial infection and so - hopefully - reduce the need for antibiotics. And as i said somewhere else today - it all depends which bit of the immune response it damps down. I can't say I've noticed any deterioration in my response to infections.
Morning
Hope you are starting to feel a bit better, I’ve heard of this before & when l had my surgery l had Hydrocortisone Cover in Theatre; they rang my Rheumatologist for her opinion on the dose post operatively & she put me to 10mg for two weeks & then back to 7.5mg & l didn’t miss a beat.
Basically you need the extra to help you cope with the Chest Infection as that’s extra stress on your body.
Get Well Soon 🍀
PMRpro is spot on with her reply.
Me? Been off pred for 6 years. Jan 3rd broncho pneumonia, GP came straight out and , 30mg for 8 days then stop. I was given an anti-biotic at the same time..........saved me from being in hospital, which is the last place I wanted to be.
My longest standing friend has CPD and every time he has a problem, up to 30 mg for 5 or 10 days days and then off. And he often has chest infections.
2 weeks seems to be the cut-off - if longer then slow reduction.
Pred, so I have been told, is the most powerful medicine we have.
Thank you. It has certainly put my mind at rest 😊
Adrenals appointment 
Post PMR - free at last, even though still on 4mg of pred. 
What is Methotrexate doing for me? Shall I stop it?
Advice on what to do next
Worried and confused 
