Dose for a flare

[Lyndaki]

Hi all, I was diagnosed with GCA & PMR in November 2018. Started on 60mg of Prednisolone & now reduced to 3mg. My question is, if I have a suspected flare, how high can I go with my dose & for how long without the need to remain at the higher dose? I seem to remember reading that it is double the current dose but wasn’t sure. Thanks in advance.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

This post explains what you need to do when having a flare….and the difference between a flare and steroid withdrawal.

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

But at your dose, it may be your adrenals so have a look at this as well -

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

[Lyndaki in reply to DorsetLady]

Thanks very much.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

No limit to dose - you could take 40mg for a week and drop back to just above where you were. But it all depends - are you flaring because you have just overshot the dose you need while tapering? In that case, adding 5mg to the dose where the flare in symptoms appeared for 7-10 days is usually enough but you stay above the dose you flared when you go back down.

[Lyndaki in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks for your reply. I’ve been having problems with my neck & headaches & wasn’t sure if it was a flare, & having GCA made me very wary, but I think it is just a muscle problem. I went to physio on Monday & yesterday was awful, but it’s calming down now & the headache has gone so fingers crossed it’s nothing else!

[tonypne]

i would say 3 x 5mg tablets for 5 days then step it down over a week, but the advice is always the same, if you are not sure, ask your Doctor!