More pred ??

[Uglow]

I suspected a flare so went up to 12.5 from 11 now on 15mg for 2 days pains not settling should I go up to 17.5 where I started off 😢 don’t want to but need pain to be controlled. Hips and shoulders not happy. Please advise. Thank you

[piglette]

What dose did you last feel comfortable? I should go there.

[Hidden]

Me too Uglow. I managed to get down to 6.5, then mini flare with possible GCA too. Up to 15mg but staying on each dose for a month. It was my arms and shoulders and my bottom. However, my recent blood test for ESR/CRP came back yesterday 2 and 2.4....so really happy about that...slowly does it we keep being told !!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

You really need to discuss this with your doctor - it may not be the PMR, it may not even be PMR. Are you doing your part and resting appropriately? Was there any chance that any of the pain could be due to overdoing it or injury?

[Uglow in reply to PMRpro]

My doc just wants me down to 10mg. I don’t know if it’s down to something else tbh. But I think I will return to11mg tomorrow and play the waiting game. I have coated pred now as I thought it might be irritating my stomach have had a bit of reflux. Does coated work as quickly as non coated please.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Uglow]

I'm sure they DO want you down to 10mg - but unfortunately it doesn't work like that. You need enough to manage the inflammation and in the early days of PMR that is mostly a lot more than later. It took me 4 years to get reliably under 10mg. No point taking too low a dose -the inflammation will build up and you will eventually be as bad as you were before pred.

No, coated pred can take 4 or 5 hours to work and may even need a bit more until the inflammation calms down as it is absorbed over a longer period and may not get to as high as level in the blood. Some people find taking it before bed makes mornings better because it is present in the early morning as the new day's inflammation starts up.

[Uglow in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you so much for your support. The Gp makes me feel like I’m not trying like I want to be on steroids I said no I just don’t want the pain. Tbh o don’t know how I would have got through with out all of you.

[Summerrental]

Are you on a statin drug? I had pain all over, despite going up to 16 mg of pred. I called Cardiologist to see if I could go off of Pravastatin for a while since statins have been known to cause joint pain. I had immediate relief after going off of statin.

[Uglow in reply to Summerrental]

No statins

[Uglow]

My Gp is suggesting costochondritis as my back rib pain. Anyone else had this please. Awful pain