Intravenous steroids

I have had PMR for nearly two years and am now down to 3mg Pred and doing ok and apart from hair loss have no other side effects. When it started I was on holiday in America and the medics acted promptly as my blood tests were sky high and I was showing possible GCA symptoms. I was hospitalised and put on a 700mg drip and had two more over the next couple of days. I felt wonderful within hours! With hindsight I realise I had symptoms long before it became what it did but I put it down to age etc. My question is why I was put on such high doses when most people I am reading about seem to get relief and out of CGA danger on just tablets of perhaps 60mg or less? It has been on my mind ever since and I wonder what damage such high doses may have caused? I did not have GCA but a small pericardial effusion was discovered but no treatment was deemed necessary.

[SnazzyD]

Many people don’t get away with low doses and have to start on 100mg pills. It is quite possible that if we all had an IV blast it might be better and some docs like to do a 3 day induction of IV. Even if you didn’t have the IV you might still have needed more than 60mg.

[Hidden in reply to SnazzyD]

Thank you

[PMRpro Ambassador]

There are some rheumies who believe that immediate use of this pulse dosing of high dose steroids is better way to start. i.v. steroids certainly work immediately and reduce the inflammation that is putting vision at risk very very quickly. In fact, studies have found that over the entire course of GCA, patients are able to reduce their oral dose more easily and, after a certain point, actually have a lower cumulative dose of pred than patients started on lower doses. The 3 day pulse of such high doses won;t have done any great damage - it wasn't long enough.

[Hidden in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you so much, that has put my mind at rest! X