sick day rules.

[Slosh]

So I asked for advice recently as I thought the PMR had flared when I got to 5.25mg Pred.

I had played around with upping my dose but then on advice here I went up to 10mg for 8 days then to 8mg for 3 days and now 7 for three days .

However during that about a week ago I got a very sore throat /.Sinus / cold. Been treating that at home fairly successfully but feeling terribly weak, faint, dizzy (like low blood pressure). Could not think why it had knocked me so - anyway this morning I wondered whether it’s perhaps a bit of adrenal insufficiency and whether I should have tapered whilst sick.

what to do now? I took 10mg this morning.

HELP please oh wise ones.

Thank you - as usual very grateful for advice.

[piglette]

Weak, faint and dizzy are adrenal symptoms. Ideally you should try and stay where you are, but if really bad go up a bit, say one or two mg. If you have a flare then you need to increase to hit the PMR on the head.

[Slosh in reply to piglette]

Thanks Piglette - already went up to control glare and then got sick but was already tapering down again instead of following sick day rules.

As you say feels like adrenal symptoms - so I went up to 10 today.

Xx

[SheffieldJane]

I would try staying at 10 mgs for a week and then return to the dose you were at before the one that triggered the flare. Tis’ the season to be poorly so lots of TLC. X

[Slosh in reply to SheffieldJane]

Thank you - will do that.

I was just worried that in total I would then have gone quite a lot of 10mg days and some 8 and 7 mg days - and do will it still be ok to drop to 7 and then six perhaps and then to the target 5.5?

Xx

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Sounds very much like adrenals stuttering, and if so then really [unless you feel really ill] you should try and stick with it… and a combination of the virus [have you tested for Covid?]

As you’ve gone back to 10mg today, then maybe stay there for another 5-7 days -see how you feel then… if okay back to 6 or 7mg [in 2 steps if you wish] and then if all settled , restart your taper proper.

However, should it be Covid you might need to re-think. Hope it’s not…

[Slosh in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you - it’s not Covid. Have tested 2 x

So I would have done quite a lot of days at 10 by then - will it still be ok to drop to 7 and 6 in 2 stages?

Xx

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to Slosh]

Should be, but unfortunately you won’t know until you try… 🌸

[Slosh in reply to DorsetLady]

Thanks

[SnazzyD in reply to Slosh]

My husband took 7 days to test positive, my daughter 5 and I never did with the same symptoms recently.

[Slosh in reply to SnazzyD]

Oh wow really! I’ll test again tomorrow.

[SnazzyD in reply to Slosh]

We are not unusual either amongst people we know.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

NEVER taper when sick!! Sounds like a touch of adrenal insufficiency when your body wanted a bit more to deal with being ill.

As DL says, try dropping from 10mg if it has been a week or so.

[Slosh in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you - I’ll stay on 10 now for a week.

I had been on 10 already for about a week (to control the possible PMR symptoms - when I then got the sore throat / sinus / cold so I thought it would be ok to start tapering - well I suppose big mistake! I twigged this morning when I remembered how I felt after Covid last year March - when I tapered too quickly then.

Pity - I thought my adrenals had hopefully woken up - wishful thinking.

Xxx

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Slosh]

Unlikely above 5mg, or at best, they will be very unreliable.