I was recently diagnosed with PMR, was on 15mg prednisolone for almost 4 weeks, but pain didn't ease, and got a bit worse,
so doctor reduced the dose, with view to coming off them, I've been on reduced dose for 4 days, and pain has now got worse, has this happened to anyone else?
If you did not receive relief from the 15 mg then if it's still thought you have PMR the answer should have been to increase the dose. Up to 25 mg is perfectly acceptable as a beginning dose for PMR and many people do need that much.
The fact that the pain is worsening with the reduction indicates that even the 15 was helping and if I were you I would ask the doc if you can try 25 for a week and see if that has a better effect.
Hi daveao... The fact your pain has increased since the pred was reduced indicates tbat it most likely is pmr. Not everyone gets immediate relief at 15mg, and the guideline suggest up to 25mg can be the dose some people require. You need to speak to Dr and explain the pai. Has got worse. Some peoe can take 4 to. 6 weeks for sigificant improvement to show. . You need to be referred to a rbeumy if the dr does not feel up to treating pmr. But you maybe need to see another Dr at the practice. Let us know what happens. 🌻
thanks, i was wondering if just 4 days on the reduced dose would make that much difference, and yes I'm going to try and see a different doctor...
It will... Especially as your body was slowing thi nking it was start ing feeling better then gets the rug pullex from under its feet!
As others have said the dose of 15mg was probably not enough for you. I was put on 15mg but was only 9 stone and i suspect as a male you weigh a bit more than that. Even lighter people slso need more and for longer before they feel the full effect. Hopefully seeing another gp on Monday will help you get the right dose. Please let us know how you get on. YBB
Had the 15mg given you aporox 50% pain relief ?
As the others have said just because you didn't get 100% pain free when starting Pred for PMR doesn't mean you haven't got it , they just may have got the dose wrong.
They should have increased it to a more conventional 25/20 mg and based your dose on your body weight not decreased.
Get on the phone to the GP and ask to try the increased dose rather than decrease. If you still have issues after that they should also try and establish what you have before changing your medication .
Some people also need the higher doses , especially at first if they have severe symptoms or other Chronic Health Conditions that involve Pain.
You could always print off the guidelines from this site and use them to refer to while talking with the GP so that you get the appropriate recommended care.
I was started at 20 mg, but that didn't clear the pain, so GP put me up to 30 mg. Stayed there for three weeks, and was then able to taper down ok.
Good luck.
Paddy
I suggest you find a doctor who isn't wearing blinkers: the response should have been to RAISE the dose, not stop it. Some people need more and some people need longer than the so often trumpeted 15mg and a week.
Here is a link to the 2015 Recommendations for management of PMR. The recommended starting dose is "The lowest effective dose in the range 12.5 to 25mg, exceptionally 30mg"
rheumatology.org/Portals/0/...
See Rec 3 on page 6
Welcome Dave to our reluctant club!
Well - that’s a strange one - reducing the dose?!
I started on 15mg with only a marginal improvement and the dosage was ‘upped’ to 20mg/day. That led to a rapid improvement and significant advance towards a more normal life.
A word of caution tho’ - I followed a VERY slow tapering plan (see Dorset Lady’s plan) and having managed to avoid any flares - am now on 1mg/day - but that’s taken FOUR years.....
Best of luck with your recovery!
Q: what was the diagnosis that said you had PMR ? If it was your ESR and or CRP readings being high, then you should keep raising the dose. After three months of testing I was finally diagnosed with PMR and given 15mgs a day, then went on holiday for two weeks. Though the pains were reduced to manageable, my Doctor immediately raised the dose to 30mgs. Pain removed, (Joy) then told to get off the tabs. Like Rokerman it's been a hard road of slow reduction methods. About 4 flares and after 5.5 years I'm down to 4.5 mgs. Hoping to be off in another year. Hopefully your path will be easier, but keep realistic, don't be pushed around by Doctors, it's how you feel that's real.
Keep taking the advice and keep friends with your Doctor.
Prednisolone withdrawal
Prednisolone reduction 
Prednisolone tapering
Tapering Prednisolone
reducing prednisolone
