I have been on 10mg of Prednisone for 4 weeks, and I am suppose to be tapering to 91/2 this week, but with the way I am feeling, there is no way!
I overdid during Christmas holidays and ate foods off my eating plan . I have been hurting so bad since the day after Christmas. It feels so much like it did when I first got diagnosed with PMR. Hard to sit, hard to stand, hard to lift my arms! Ugh! This is so annoying! Does anyone have any suggestions? I am not scheduled to see my Rheumy until the end of January .
Thank you so much!
Joy
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Joy713
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Don't taper if you are feeling bad , especially if you symptoms are feeling the same as your original PMR symptoms.
Try getting more rest , relaxation, fluids , light nutritious meals , a little gentle stretching and taking a standard dose of Paracetamol through the day for a few days to see if it helps.
If you are meant to be doing alot of socialising , jobs that could be put off , or were going to start new exercise classes you would be better to cancel these this week and just spend the time getting your symptoms back under control.
If the Self Care doesn't help , especially the painkiller , and your symptoms remain the same , or continue to get worse, on your current 10 mg , you are probably having a Flare brought on by Overactivity.
You should see, or contact your GP by phone, and ask for extra advice about doing a short increase in your Pred dose to take care of the problem .
Or , you could just return to the previous dose you were on last that was keeping your symptoms under control , do the Self Care advice and wait to get extra advice at the end of the month at your Rheumy appointment.
If it were me I'd certainly not be tapering any further until the symptoms have abated!
However, the question arises as to how much you had reduced at the previous point 4 weeks ago? Is 10mg really enough? Two weeks after a reduction is a common interval for a flare to appear because the pred dose is no longer enough to manage the inflammation - whether it is due to eating all the wrong foods or not. But either way, you need to get the symptoms under control - and it may be you need to ask either your rheumy or your GP for help.
Going back to the original dose you were last comfortable is often a good idea. Stay on it for a few days to see if you are comfortable then slowly reduce. Check with your doctor.
What action you decide to take at this point has a lot to do with your relationship with whomever is treating you. Personally, I never had access to reliable medical staff during my first few years of PMR due to living in a remote location. This forum and others were my lifeline in managing PMR. Whether you decide to act on your own initiative, or in consultation with your GP or rheumy is up to you.
However, your current condition would be clear signs of a flare for me and going back to 12.5 to get things under control sounds like the best move. If things don't improve or symptom worsen a further increase may be necessary.
The Joy note could be me exactly. I have been miserable since 2 days after Christmas...started on left shoulder down my arm into my wrist and fingers but also in my left leg my ankle and my foot and then going to my right knee ankle and foot but not my shoulder or arm contact with she dsys Rumi says you have a rotator cuff impingement problem and I am assigning you for physical therapy to work on it. She said I do not believe that you are having a flare otherwise you would have it in both shoulders and left shoulder down my arm into my wrist and fingers but also in my left leg my ankle and my foot and then going to my right knee ankle and foot but not my shoulder or arm contact with roomie says you have a rotator cuff problem and I am assigning you for physical therapy to work on it. she said I do not believe that you are having a flare otherwise you would have it in both shoulders then I was sent for lab work my sed rate never registers above-normal no matter how much pain I express and stiffness that I am in I received a note on my medical site from my Rumi that your lab work is fine be sure to schedule your PT this is not a a flare. I was so discouraged so tired missed out on most of all the things that we're going on the week after Christmas with family and such that I increased 1 mg a pred I have been on five for a long time and have had flares on three occasions over about five years. This is long I know but here is my dilemma I have never increased my pred without permission from my Rumi but this time I went to six on my own it helps very little. So on the site I see that many of you adjust your pred according to what you think is good for you and you taper in very responsible ways and you self care. I am wondering if I really have to get another Rumi as she is compassionate but she never seems to grasp the kind of pain that I am in and because I have very low platelets actually 35 I cannot take any kind of anti-inflammatory medication because it could cause bleeding intestinally. I am so frustrated I'm having my pain level tied to my sed rate which is not normal to me because my pain can be a five or even a six and it does not register on the lab work. This is long I know but thank you all if you have any ideas for me. I have scheduled physical therapy and working on staying with the diet. I have had this Rumi for two years because of a move and my other Rumi had real history with me and I was never left in pain. She most always dealt with increasing my prednisone for a month or so and then following closely how I reduced back to five. lastly I feel a rotator cuff problem or suspected injury should be diagnosed by an orthopedic specialist. thank you so much for whatever you have to offer to help my present stste of affairs. may you all find peace and freedom from pain in this new year .
My notes say once my body was happy at 12.5, I successfully tapered from 12.5 to 11.25 over a month using DorsetLady's taper plan, (thank you DL!) then from 11.25 to 10 over the next month, which is a more moderate reduction. After that I reduced by .5 each month. Just a suggestion as we are all different. All the best
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