Update Newbie with Questions (original posted 12 April)

[jaycee444]

Update..... had emergency appointment with GP today as have had a terrible weekend. She has put me on 15mg per day Prednisolone - 3 weeks supply but if no impovement after first week then stop the tablets. If signs of improvement then continue 15 mg per day till I see her again in 3 weeks. Have my fingers crossed and will let you know how I get on. Thank you all so much - its really comforting to know there are others out there willing to give good sensible advice and if I hadnt come to this website I would probably still be struggling without knowing what to do.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

She is not entirely correct to insist on 15mg for a week being "diagnostic" - some people need more or longer.

Hope you get a good effect though.

[Hidden]

That’s pretty good, you have the Pred, l was put on a two week trial & by day three l was just like myself again!

Good Luck 🍀

Keep Us updated

Kind Regards

MrsN

[jaycee444]

Further update.....only 10 hours since took first dose Prednisolone and can feel my symptoms have dramaticallly improved already. Is this usual? Cant believe that after being in so much pain for weeks I didnt actually have to drag myself up the stairs this evening.

[Soraya_PMR in reply to jaycee444]

Good news!

I started at 20mg and within about 4 hours I was able to turn round to see my son speaking; after another couple of hours I could WALK up the stairs: by next morning and second dose I was a new woman.

You’ll want to do everything tomorrow, DON’T!!!! after being stiff and stuck you’ll be free and energised. Just rest and potter about. No catching up with all the jobs you’ve missed.

[jaycee444 in reply to Soraya_PMR]

Thanks Soraya.....could be a good excuse for just resting and pottering After being such an active person I feel like Ive been inactive for too long but am certainly going to take your advice and not over do things too quickly.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to jaycee444]

I stood outside the pharmacy and took my first 15mg dose at 10.15am, as soon as I got the tablets. I crawled home, had something to eat and drink and crawled upstairs on hands and knees to work at the computer. Just before 4pm I needed a cup of tea and walked downstairs, made the tea and walked back up with the mug in my hand. Then it hit me - I had done that normally! No stomping down like a toddler and no sitting the mug as high up the stairs as I could reach and crawling up to it.

It can happen - we are the lucky ones! But as Soraya says - don't rush around doing what you haven't been doing or you will probably wake up in as much pain as you were in and think the pred isn't working.

[Hidden in reply to jaycee444]

Brilliant. Yes. After 4 hours I turned my head to the side easily and almost without pain after 6mths. No wonder physio didn't help.🌻

[Yellowbluebell]

You will learn what your limitations are but right at the beginning it's hard not to just start doing everything you used to do pre pred. Its especiallty hard if you were very active before. I still do my garden but sitting down and doing things over a longer time or better still I watch while OH and grandson do the jobs!! Just take things slowly.

[Daisy-Roots]

I describe pred as the magic bullet, I went from couldn't get off the bed to dancing in the aisles at a concert 48 hours later. Careful though, I didn't realise then that 4 years later I would still be struggling to get off pred and have other associated mobility problems like plantar fascitus and trochanteric bursitus brought on by my persisting in working and carrying on as normal as poss. I wish I'd seen the cautionary tales on this forum back then... Good luck on your journey. There is a lot of good advice on here.

[Noosat]

I started with 40mg for three days after a very bad time. I am surprised your initial dose is so low.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Noosat]

15-20mg is normally enough for PMR. 40mg is a dose for suspected GCA.

[Jackoh]

So pleased it had the desired effect. Now as others have said try to pace yourself and not try to catch up on all the jobs that you weren’t able to do before!!

[Sallyaches]

I needed a higher dose initially and got about a 60-70%

Improvement. It’s good news if 15mg is working for you, someone on the forum did say once that smaller people may need a correspondingly lower dose. I found keeping a diary of what I could and couldn’t do useful to convince my G.P. It also helped me to see progress when having a very tired day. PMR can leave you feeling like you have had multiple doses of flu so plan in plenty of rest.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Sallyaches]

Think the other way round is better - 15mg as a starting dose, larger people may need more. A study found that 75% of patients would respond in a month to a starting dose of 12.5mg. Smaller people did better than larger people. But who is going to be patient enough to wait a month?