Increased pred to 25mg

[Shirpam22]

Hi after 3.5 weeks on 15mg and still in terrible distress in mornings - couldn’t get out of bed, move without pain, doctor increased my dosage to 25mg. What a relief. By next morning could move fairly easily. And later in day, I felt positively normal. Back to see doctor today to work out plan for future.

[paulst955]

You are lucky some doctors would have said that having 15mg of pred for 3 weeks means you do not have PMR. A rheumy I visited privately after I was first diagnosed said lots of GP's do not really understand PMR and think relief should come in 24 hours. I was still struggling after 2 weeks that's why I went private my GP did not think I had PMR, after a letter from him all was sorted, still got PMR though after 9 years so be patient. Please don't rush your lowering of the pred doses. Never lower by more than 10% a month and if pain comes back increase dose till it goes away.

[Shirpam22 in reply to paulst955]

Thanks will remember that. He has now said to stay on 25mg for 4 weeks then will drop to 22.5 or 20 depending on what has happened to my CRP.

[Coffeebeans]

That's positive, you must have just needed that little bit more. I hope things improve once you spend some time on this dose before tapering.

[Shirpam22 in reply to Coffeebeans]

Yes hopefully. Certainly feel 100% better than I was.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I wish I knew why so many think that 15mg and a couple of days is all you need - it is for a few but we are in the minority, I was lucky and could tell the difference in under 6 hours. However - I still have it after 11 years of pred and 16 years of PMR.

I have to say - I do lay part of the blame at the feet of rheumies who decided the 30mg dose that was commonly used previously was too much and causing too many adverse effects and decided 15mg was better. I also wonder if it is the lower starting dose that gives some of us such a difficult journey.

[jinasc in reply to PMRpro]

Me too.

[Constance13 in reply to PMRpro]

Not sure! I was started on 30mg straight away but I'm still on 4mg after 8 1/2 years.😏

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Constance13]

Mmmm - but at least you are down to 4mg which is rather more usual and acceptable than 15mg!! Anything below 10mg has been a real struggle for me.

[Constance13 in reply to PMRpro]

True! I know I'm lucky. 💥

[Shirpam22]

Luckily my symptoms were quite classic, with CRP of 90 plus mother had it, so dr was fairly sure that’s what it was. The difference after 3 days on 25mg is amazing.