Polymyalgia flaring up

[Farkelife]

My polymyalgia condition affects my shoulders, very stiff and achy, stopping sleep. Stiff arms and hands, pins and needles. I am going to move my Prednisolone dose back up to 10mg. Any thoughts?

[PMRpro Ambassador]

More information would be helpful - like current dose and how you got to it, time scale and so on.

Basically though, you need enough pred to relieve the symptoms. If what you are currently taking isn't doing that you possibly do need more.

[Knitwits]

What dose are you on at present ? I have found as soon as I go below 9mg the pain keeps creeping back.

[Farkelife in reply to Knitwits]

Was on 12.5 but got down to 8 has been fine but last week murder,

[johnybiker]

Same here went from 15 to 8 over 5 months OK then below that rough again.. Bumped back to ten for week then back to 9..seems OK.. Advised my doc who said OK to do and give it six weeks then try back to tapering... Why feel bad for the sake of 1mg.

[Farkelife in reply to johnybiker]

My doc says to keep on normal dose, but I have read quite a few who say blitz on higher does for a week then recede. I think I’ll try that to alleviate pain!

[HeronNS in reply to Farkelife]

It makes sense. Don't drop right back to where you flared, though. Are you able to go by 1 mg steps? After you're sure you'll be good at 9 if your 10 mg week does the trick, then you could consider slow taper in half mg steps from there. If you have uncoated pred you can cut tablets to achieve half mg.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Farkelife]

He's happy for you to get into a proper flare and maybe need to go back to the start then?