Hi everyone I am currently on 3.5mg a day and doing fine with reducing, but had to go to Doctors on Friday abou t severely swollen ankles.
It was a new GP who said Pred was the cause of all my problems. He told me to reduce to 2mg immediately for a month and thereafter down to 1mg for a month and to be of completely by August.
Do you think this is rushing it a bit, I am so frightened of being back where I started.
Thank you, Jenny x
Thank you, Jenny xx
Hi,
At 3.5mg I doubt it’s “the cause of all your problems”.
He might be overzealous in getting you to stop Pred, but not very zealous in looking for other reasons for your swollen feet.
Did you have the same problem at higher doses?
There can be various reason for swollen feet, including PMR, so to tell you to reduce may actually be counterproductive.
I think more investigation is required, and certainly a drop from 3.5mg to 2mg in one go is not recommended.
Is there another doctor in the surgery you can see for a second opinion.
Ignore him. He is a pr*t and knows not whereof he speaks. He could make you a) unwell and b) cause a horrid flare if the PMR is still awake and it could well be. Patients can be managed well at 2mg. Trouble is - is your old GP still available? Or another with a bit of common?
I don't have swollen ankles at 15mg - and if it were the pred you would have had them long ago.
I don’t get why most docs want you off quick on prednisone! When here always says slowly slowly. I know it’s a powerful drug but why so many on off off off
Because they are taught it is dangerous and there are lots of adverse effects. They are used to using it short term and using other drugs for rheumatoid arthritis that they are told are much safer. That's fine - but PMR is a chronic illness so needs long term pred and the other drugs don't work in PMR although some doctors think they do.
I used to get swollen feet and ankles on a high pred dose,l still get swollen ankles sometimes on a 5 mg dose.My Doctor was not that concerned and blames it on the pred., at least your new GP seems to be taking it more seriously.l,would not reduce your pred dose too quickly,it is not easy to come off completely.lt is best to reduce by 1/2;mg at a time. I wish you ATB .
For some GP’s Pred is the cause of all evil, famine & disaster!
I think l’d be inclined to go & see someone else in the practice for another opinion.
Let us know how you get on!
Kind Regards
MrsN
In the interim sit with your legs up preferably higher than your heart & if you can raise the end of your bed that can also help.
Swollen ankles are not to be taken lightly until they have eliminated any underlying cause.
Please go to see a different GP & let us know how you get on.
MrsN
Hmm. So he’d rather risk pushing you into adrenal problems than look for other possible diagnoses that really ought be ruled out.
While I was on higher doses of pred, probably until I got down to 15 mg, I had bad swollen feet and ankles, so bad that I gave several pairs of shoes to the local charity shop, much to my current regret as my feet and ankles have been normal for some time now (I'm now on 8 mg) I've heard of others who had the swelling for a while but lost it when they reduced their pred dose. This suggests to me that your problem isn't caused by pred as it is normally a far higher dose that causes the swelling and, from what you say, it's only started fairly recently. Your doctor is being lazy and alarmist and you definitely need further investigation. And certainly don't rush to reduce your dose.
Quite simple get another doctor, i would have no faith in a doctor who does not know what they are taking about.
Jenny Hi there
Keep reducing slowly as other here have advised. Some GPs are not quite up to date. Yours sounds like one without very much experience in the affects of prednisone and reducing ..
Good luck and please let us know how you are getting on.
Yulik
After a stay in hospital my Mum who is 93 and doesn't have PMR, developed swollen ankles. Her GP said she needed to exercise her calves more as that will help. I'd try that before dropping the pred so quickly.
Hi Attic. Ironically I only get swollen ankles when I reduce pred. Happens every time at the beginning of the reduction. So I would be in quite a state with his plan. All the best cc
As they say, we're all different in our reactions to pred. I definitely had the swelling when I was on higher doses, not at all since I reduced below 15 mg.
Being proactive!
