I am panicked. I was down to 4 mg of prednisone (4 pills @ 1 mg) and in a rush for work believe I took 4 @ 5 mg at least one day, maybe 3 days. I have been diagnosed w PMR since Aug. 2018. Also, super tired and achy even w meds. By Wed. Of each week I am wiped out.
What harm have I caused by my mistake? 4 mgs. Sat. Am. (Today) And doing okay.
Can't see much harm. On 20 mg you shouldn't have been feeling too many aches, though.
On the one day I took 20 mg (for sure) was the only day I felt great all week. Starting on Sunday I had just dropped from 5mg to 4mg, and all week felt lousy, except for my oops day Fri. Am. Thanks
Dont worry about doing any harm. You dont need to stay at higher dose as you were only on it for 1/3 days. Its something a lot of people have done! Some of our experienced members will coming along when they wake up to give advice on your tiredness.x
Hi, no you won’t experience any harm, it sounds like you may have only done it on the one day from what you describe.
However, I’m wondering are you reducing too quickly or trying to do too much if you are feeling so wiped out?
I agree with mrsnails...tbere should be no problem making that mistake. I took an extra dose a couple if times in brain fogged state. It does sounds however as though you NEEDED the extra just to give the inflammation a good kick. Its only 3 days.
Perhaps you need to go back to a dose where you had fewer niggles. I have been dx with pmr for 3 years and have been stuck at 6mg. After my initial 8 months on pred i ended up back at 15mg because i had followed the 1mg a month and ignored pains and aches. My markers ended up higher than at diagnosis. Take a beat and consider what your options are.🌻
“What harm have I caused by my mistake?” None! In fact because you’re “achy even w meds” you’ve just illustrated for yourself that 4mg is a bit low, because a higher dose wiped the pain out. Clearly you don’t need 20mg now, but maybe 5 or 6 would be sufficient.
You’re also in the ‘adrenal zone’ and it will take some time for your adrenals to catch up with production, hence the ‘wiped out’ feeling. Really you need to slow your reductions to give your body a chance. If you were ok at 5, try 4.5 (get ‘script for 2.5’s or cut plain pills)
August 2018 20mg down to 4mg is really very fast.
Me: April 2017 20mg down to 6mg currently.
Well people with other conditions eg asthma get higher than that for a three week course, the actual dose you got is nothing compared to what it can be. A few days of higher dose can be just stopped and many here have made that mistake. My worry is you’re doing all this rushing about, feeling far from good and still taking only 4mg regardless. also, a jump of 5 to 4mg is a 20% drop on top of being busy. Would have floored me on a good day. What about 5mg to 4.5mg?
None! You’ll just feel lively and astonish everyone. I’d just return to normal tomorrow. Who knows, you may blast the fatigue. I’ve done it in years past and waited for a dramatic reaction, none came. If this has been 3 days you may wish to get back to normal in three stages. You’ll be fine.
None whatsoever - you will just have had a good week. And MAYBE you will realise that actually - 4mg after 9 months is too low a dose. Do think about it - would you do better with maybe even just 6mg?
Thank you. I will consider what you suggested. It makes sense!
No worries, this has happened to other folks on here I’ve read. Better than the other (taking too low of a dose or forgetting the dose altogether). You should be able to resume back to the dose where you felt best (prob a bit more than 4mg). At such low doses you may want to drop by .5mg each time.
Thank you very much for all of the input. Trying to be tough through all of the aches and pains. Feel as if I’ve aged 25 years in 8-9 months. Now at 60 feel like 80 after a lifetime of health and exercise. Prior to PMR rode 13-22 miles 6-7 days weekly while teaching 6th graders all week. I was like “Ricochet Rabbit” now I am moving like “Deputy Dog” (old cartoon). Without Ibuprofen (200 mg) 1 pill almost every day, shoulder ache, mild headaches, severe night sweats, and extreme fatigue - tough to make it to work 5 days per week.
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