New to this

[Captinron]

Diagnosed with PMR in May 2019

Not sure how long before diagnosed I may have had it . swollen finger since early 2018

Frozen shoulder February 2019

Both disappeared when started taking prednisolone

Woke up on a Saturday with pain in shoulders

Wrists and groin by Monday I couldn’t get out of bed went to A and E and they couldn’t find anything wrong gave me co codamol and told me to see GP luckily got appointment that afternoon prescribed prednisolone and by Tuesday evening was pain free started on 30MG am now on 13 MG dropping by 1MG a week

[Hidden]

Hi Captinron Welcome!

If you haven’t already done so it would be worth copying this on to your Profile Page.

Dropping by 1mg per week is a very rapid taper, how low is your Doctor expecting you to go?

Please keep in touch & update us with your progress.

Kind Regards

MrsNails.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi, and welcome

30mg is a high starting dose for PMR, any particular reason why so high?

You may have reduced quite easily to 13mg, but may I suggest you now slow up a bit. Reducing every week you are likely to go below the dose you actually need, and whilst you can do it on high doses when you have plenty of surplus Pred sloshing around the system, as you get lower, the margins get much tighter. The last thing you want to do is go too low and have a flare necessitating an increase in dose.

Reducing in a monthly basis is certainly recommended once you get to the dose you are on.

Have a read of this, and then come back with more questions or comments -

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

[SnazzyD]

Hello. Welcome to the forum, there are some very experienced people here and a listening ear if you need it. What were you told regards duration of PMR and the steroids? Is that 1mg per week to zero? To have gone from 30mg to 13 since May is a cracking pace, how are your symptoms?

[Captinron in reply to SnazzyD]

I went from 30MG down to 10mg dropping 5mg a week but pain in wrist and shoulders at 10mg so went back to 15 mg now dropping 1 mg a week so far ok

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Captinron]

So obviously your target dose at present is IRO 10-12mg. I'd slow down and spend at least 2 weeks at each dose now.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Welcome!

I do trust that 1mg per WEEK reduction is going to slow down a lot very soon? When you reduce at that rate you can easily overshoot what you are looking for: the lowest dose that manages the symptoms as well as the starting dose did. Top experts have said that a reduction rate of more than 1mg per month is predictive of flares - and when you reduce at that rate it may not be obvious at what stage you overshot.

[teesher]

Hi Captinron, the experts have been along and you'll know by now that slow and steady is the only way with pred/pmr. It really does work, takes some time to get your head round it, but you will. You'll also feel the benefit as you get your mobility back. Don't be in a rush. You'll find lots of sound, solid advice on here from people who know pmr inside out.

[MamaBeagle]

Hi Captinron! I too was prescribed 30mg as starting dose and pains disappeared within a couple of hours. My own theory is that the dose was high enough to flush out the inflammation - but that's just me thinking.....that was in October 2017 and have been pain free now for all that time apart from a small flare in one wrist in mid 2018. I had been reducing by 1 mg a month from 15mg - but when I had to go up to 7mg with the flare up I have taken the advice on here and reduced very slowly - and from 7mg I have been reducing by half a mg a time. If I feel alright after the taper then I don't hang around I start reducing to the next half mg. But this is only me, I have learnt that we are all different and have to listen to our own body and it's response to the pred, Good Luck