Could it be pred withdrawel

[Celticrival]

down to 0.5mg using dead slow method after 4 years and two flares, arms achy and heavy and all over pain in bed in the morning, would normally up the pred but have found that 2 tablets of ibuprofen at night mean no pain at all in the morning or for rest of day which would suggest to me not a pmr flare, so was wondering if it might be pred withdrawel? Anyone else experienced this?

[jinasc]

Think you need to ask for Synacthen Test, to see if your adrenal glands are woken up and becoming fully functional. It can take a year for them to get up to speed. You can look it up usingyour search engine.

Sometimes after long-term use of pred+aging means they don't work properly and you need to know this so an Endocrinologist Consultant and that test, way to go.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Difficult to tell isn't it? I have heard others say much the same. Have you had your ESR/CRP checked - do they mean anything for you?

[SnazzyD]

It’s a tricky one. Since I’ve been on single figure doses dropping 0.5mg every 6-8 weeks, my withdrawal has felt like Fibromyalgia with all over cloud of pain in bed and in the morning. When I’m going through it a paracetamol means I’m fine and sleep well but sometimes I have 10mg of Perphenazine a slightly sedating antihistamine if insomnia threatens, which makes the pain worse. I don’t have PMR, just GCA.