Just been prescribed prednisolone started taking yesterday, could anyone tell me how long it takes to feel less pain? Thanks
Prednisolone : Just been prescribed prednisolone... - PMRGCAuk
Prednisolone
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Mistyfied
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with a sufficient dose 15 mgs to 25 mgs you ought to experience at least 70% of relief from pain and stiffness within days or even hours in some lucky people. It took about 6 days to relieve most of my symptoms with a dose of 20 mgs.
Hi SheffieldJane
Pleased I have joined the forum it’s good to get feed back, thank you for your valued reply. It is only day two on 15mg perhaps I am expecting miracles. Did you happen to get headaches when you started the medication?
I believe that headaches are a side effect of Prednisalone for some people, usually relieved by paracetamol. These effects tend to settle as your body gets accustomed to the drug. It is an imperfect drug but it is literally all we have currently and most side effects can be mitigated. A low carb diet is necessary to avoid weight gain for instance. We are here to help with other effects you may notice.
Thank you for recommending taken paracetamol, just taken some, unusual for me to get headaches ! Maybe I am causing my own headache as I feel quite anxious about this new illness. I am not concerned about weight gain though as I am underweight due to drugs I have had to take for lungs .
I was very fortunate that I was lucky enough to feel less pain within a few hours, but maybe I’m in a small minority.
That was almost 4 years ago and I’m about to taper down from 3.5 to 3mg (I’ve done this journey twice before, so this attempt I’m taking it extremely slowly).
Just bear in mind Mystyfied that everyone is sooo different and there is certainly no ‘one size fits all’. Just take it slowly.
DorsetLadyPMRGCAuk volunteer
Hi and welcome,
For some it's immediate, for others it takes longer, but certainly you should notice a significant difference within a week, if not then you need to speak to doctor.
Maybe have a look at this - hopefully allay some of your fears... and always someone about to talk to -
healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...
Thank you Dorset Lady grateful for your reply :0)
Thank you again DorsetLady, have saved your interesting article reading a bit at a time , most helpful. 🤗
Hi,
For me, it took about three weeks before I started to taper down very slowly, and the pain relief was gradual rather than instant.
However, for everyone it seems to be different as others have replied, so, could be instant, or longer. Either way, it ain’t half some relief!
Hello Charlie1boy
Thank you for your reply, it’s so good to be able to speak with others and hear your experiences:0)
PMRproAmbassador
It does depend on being on enough pred for you to get a dramatic result but I got a massive improvement in 6 hours with only 15mg. But others need up to 25mg to get a result. It can be quite variable.
In my case 15 hours 26 minutes!
15 mg was not sufficient for me so increased to 25mg. I tried to talk GP into making it 20 mg but he said no with a look that told me not to argue the point. It was over a week before there was complete relief and I felt I had my life back on track. Some side effects may occur but they mostly dissipate as the dose lowers.
There are extremely knowledgeable and kind people on this godsend of a forum who are always here to help with any problems or questions you may have. All the best! 🌻
I felt considerable relief within 4 hours on 15mg but then had to increase to 20mg to tackle some more resistant stiffness. Now back to 15mg and no doubt will attempt tapering when I see GP tomorrow, 6 weeks after starting Prednisolone.
Good to know thank you for your reply :0)
Hi and welcome to the group. I was skipping down the stairs at 15mg after 3 days, it felt great. I hope you have a good effect also.
Hello Abcd123455, it’s day three today, felt less stiff this morning hopefully like yourself I am starting to improve ! Thank you
I remember starting to feel vaguely better after a few hours. On the morning of the third day I suddenly realized I'd got out of bed and was puttering around normally without any problems (for months it had been a painfully slow four-step process).
And yes, one of our adages is, "We are all different". 😊
It improved a bit each week but it took two weeks to feel really better.
Hi Mistified! Started on 30 mg pred, & pains and stiffness improved within 24 hours. Upped to 40 mg 2 weeks later on confirmation of GCA PMR and could get out of bed and walk downstairs in mornings without any discomfort. OK, so there were some other unwelcome side-effects, notably fatigue, but I shall be able to identify potential flares by recalling that pain and stiffness pre-pred!
Morning random 901, I am sorry that you have been diagnosed with GCA as well PMR, getting GCA is my biggest fear. Doctors thought my sister had GCA after a small operation and loads of steroids they told her she didn’t have it after all , it’s all very scary !
Appreciate your reply thank you
I was diagnosed April 2022 with PMR. Almost immediate relief from discomfort once started on pred. Such relief, felt back to normal, that I had a lovely night dancing and upped my physical activity. Then diagnosed GCA in June 2022 and had a rotten year 2023 which I put downmostly to side effects not only of pred, but more, I believe, from Leflunomide and Omeprazole,/lansaprazole.I wish you all the best with getting your PMR under control. Look after yourself and do keep looking for advice in this forum if you need it. It's incredibly supportive and informative and I'm so grateful for it.
Thank you Steal appreciate you reply. So sorry you developed GCA I really don’t want to get that as well , life is definitely a challenge at times . I have the song ‘I will survive ‘ going round in my head ! . It’s early days for me, the best thing that has made me feel better in my mind is that there are so many of you out there with supportive help and advice I can’t thank you enough . I will keep looking on the sight Good luck to you
I was one of the lucky ones to get good relief in 4-6 hours, starting on 20mg. Hope you’re feeling some improvement now.
Morning KingWilf, thank you for your reply , I must admit I am a little less stiff this morning, it’s day three today !
Fingers crossed you’re feeling even better now 🤞. It really felt like a miracle to me having been so seized up. However, I’m still not completely pain free after 7 months 😞.
Welcome Mistyfied! You will find someone here to answer your questions and make you feel less isolated. It took me a while to come to terms with my diagnosis but thanks to the helpful people on this website I have learnt to live with it. I began pred in February 2023. My pain was 95% better after 5 days on 15mg. , I am tapering to 9mg now. Good luck on your individual journey.
That’s so kind Lclmlbls, you have made me feel so much better just reading your message . I know it’s another illness I need to come to terms with and learn how to cope with it all. It is only day three, reading all the messages it’s going to be a long journey Thank you so much
Hello and welcome - this is an amazing forum and will usually have an answer to any query or anxiety you may feel along your journey. And yes as said one size definitely does not fit all.
I think I’m very fortunate was diagnosed eventually in October and started on 15mg - there was huge relief after 24 hours noticeably when getting out of bed. Tapered to 12.5 after 3 weeks successfully then tried down to 10 but niggles returned so back to 12.5 for a month, then 11 and have just got to day 3 on 10 mg so we will see. I don’t seem to suffer fatigue or lack of energy at all and would say despite knowing otherwise that Prednisolone is “my friend”. I do notice though that when I stop being very active all at and sit down late pm with a cup of tea- I do go very sleepy!
Good luck and try not to be anxious - everyone here and hopefully your GP is here to help you. 😉
Hello Sungolfer, thank you for your welcome, I suddenly feel I have knowledgeable friends that are happy to listen . Your information is helpful. Its been a shock being diagnosed with PMR thought I could sort myself out ,starting realise it’s out of my hands ! I do Qigong exercise daily some are for anxiety & stress it’s been helpful these past few weeks before I knew what was wrong . It is only day three since starting Prednisolone , joining the forum only yesterday I do feel less anxious this morning. Thank you again :0)
I found a (different, no longer functioning) forum online in the middle of a sleepless night a couple of months after starting pred because I had a tapering question, and felt I had fallen among friends. It's made all the difference.
I started to on 15 mg and could feel it taking an effect within 3-4 hours. I was 100% pain and stiffness free by next morning.
For me it took 36 hours and then all pain and stiffness was gone. Good luck.
Hi Mystified (aren’t we all?! 
This forum is a godsend. Such attentive, kind, helpful people. They will be here for you on this unexpected and unwanted health journey.
10 mg prednisone worked for me within hours. I’d had extreme stiffness overnight, could hardly walk and could not lift my arms higher than shoulders. But I always feel lucky because I had minimal pain. Maybe that’s part of the explanation of why only 10 mg worked so thoroughly and quickly for me. However, 15 mos. later, I developed GCA. :(. I did not notice any side effects at 10mg. or under. The high dose for GCA is a different story!
Pay close attention to that headache (did the paracetamol work?) due to the possibility of GCA. Some additional symptoms can be: fatigue, tender and swollen temporal artery, scalp tenderness, vision issues, jaw fatigue, and (less commonly) a cough.
I hope you feel better soon, and may GCA never appear for you!
You made me smile Lenore58, Every name I put in the suggestion box when signing up was rejected or no accepted I could not understand why, I was so mystified hence entered it and it was accepted 🤣🤷♀️ think I am stuck with it now 🤔 sorry I digress.. Your story is very interesting pleased you were able to get on top of the PMR however horrified to then get GCA what a blow. I am concerned about getting GCA as well. Doctors thought my sister had it turned out she didn’t but went through a tough time getting her off the steroids which left her with other issues . It’s all very scary it doesn’t help when I get so anxious. The paracetamol must have worked as I head was only muzzy this morning . I am very grateful for the your advice and symptons of GCA though, especially mentioning a cough because I might ignore that one as I suffer with two lung conditions ! Thank you so much , I wish you well 😊
Hi and welcome to the club! I was on 30mg Prednisolone to start with and had 75% improvement within 48 hours. I hope you get some relief soon.
I took them one day and woke up pain-free the next morning. It was pretty dramatic - I could barely turn over in bed or walk downstairs before. My starting dose was 20mg.
Best of luck. If you are anything like me my severe symptoms were completely gone in 2 days and my mood become very manic but it felt so good. I was racing around and couldn’t believe it! Mind you that was nearly five years ago. Still slowly trying to reduce to zero. Wish you the best.
Hello Loyd, thank you for your response, five years sounds daunting trying to reduce to zero, I guess it doesn’t always clear up , a bit like my lung issues I’ve been coping with for 7 years, on the positive side I am still here and still coping , best wishes to you to :0)
I felt relief within 4 hours on 20mg, 80% improvement within 24 hours and it took about 3 months before It was pretty much 100% aside from some initial creaks upon waking.
Well done cranberryt there is hope for me yet , thank you
it took 3 hours for me and symptoms eased very quickly
For me, I was virtually pain free within 2 days, but it took about 4 to 6 weeks to get my strength up and to start gentle stretches to try to improve my muscle tone. I remember the first day I could bend my legs to get in and out of the bath, after about 4 weeks. Major achievement after 4 months of being unable to do anything much! Good luck....
Thank you Pr0jection for your experience ever little helps me understand it a bit more. Pleased you were pain free in two days, well done getting your strength back eventually . I am glad I mentioned the pain I am in when I visited the doctor for my respiratory review. You are only supposed to have one ailment per appointment, thank fully the doctor eventually listened to my symptoms when I said I couldn’t do the physio to clear my lungs everyday due to excruciating pain ! Third day of Prednisolone , definitely slightly easier this morning . Good luck to you also :0)
Hi Mistyfied. Well done you for joining our forum. So sorry to hear of your diagnosis, but you're definitely not alone. I began at 20 mg. and pain, which was debilitating, was immediately relieved witin a day and some of it overnight. That was two years ago and the journey continues. No question on here is too small or irrelevant. Even a rant or two or three is understood. Hang in there!
Aah thank you Missus835, you have made me smile , it’s making such a difference to my anxieties, knowing there is someone out there just to have a wee rant to if need be ! I am learning there isn’t a quick fix. Sorry your journey is over two years now , I wish you well in your journey, thank you :0)
Rest is key. Don't feel guilty about resting. When you're feeling highly energetic (which Pred can do at the start), don't overdo it and don't compare these days to "before PMR". Sometimes routine tasks have to be done in stages, if at all. A positive attitude helps, as does one day at a time. Fighting it is not in PMRs vocabulary. It will eventually give in, in it's timing, not ours. Hope these tidbits don't bum you out. 🌹
Thank you again Missus835. Never really been good at resting, have always been on the go all my life , however these last couple of months with such excruciating pain has definitely stopped me jumping out of bed in the mornings. Mornings have been bit of a struggle. You sound like my daughter ‘ you are aloud to have a rest Mum’ she is such a good listener but sure I frustrate her at times ! I will listen to the advice ‘rest is key’ , at least whilst sat writing which I love doing I am sort of resting , aren’t I 🤔 your tidbits are definitely not bumming me out they are much appreciated thank you 🤗
Rest - that is so true Mistyfied. And don’t be tempted as I was to start exercising too soon. As soon as I felt better I did a low level Joe Wicks for Seniors 10 minute video - could barely walk for 2 days! Be warned. I was given what for on here I can tell you!
Thank you Lclmlbls I will heed the warning. I will carry on with Qigong for Anxiety & Stress when I am feeling stressed, it’s breathing exercise with gentle movement 😊
Qigong is good. I used to do that as part of the warm up exercise for the tai chi class I used to attend before covid lockdown.
In my experience taking 15 mgs of pred was a life changer. Went from being unable to dress myself and barely walk due to PMR, to having full range of motion in shoulders and hips and no pain OVERNIGHT. Been on it now for 15 months, reduced to 7 mgs, also on 15 mgs a week of methotrexate to try and get me off the pred but up to now haven't seen any difference, they say it takes 3 months and I've only been on it a month.
3 months perhaps to feel it doing anything - IF it works, ANd it doesn;t for everyone by any means.
I got decent relief at 20 mg, but not nearly enough so we ended up going to 30 mg for 5-6 weeks to where I REALLY was feeling like my old self (maybe 95%?). Still had a few days that were worse than that, but overall it was almost like miracle. As you are seeing, everyone is very different with this PMR experience. Don't lose hope, I noticed it takes good 5 days to a week for me to deal with a flare up..so it can take some time. Welcome to this forum, lots of great info and people here.
Hi Mistyfied, welcome to this wonderful forum.
I’m 3.5 years into PMR. I was initially put on 15mg prednisone. From being unable to dress myself and having awful pain in both shoulders and hips I was within 24 hours much more like my old self. The Prednisolone did mess about with my head a bit at first and I felt spaced out each afternoon for a while. This improved on lower doses. Please don’t be tempted to reduce your steroid dose too quickly. It just doesn’t work for most of us. Good luck, 🌸
Thank you. My sister had PMR 10 years ago and was off steroids within 15 months. We are all different. I had two shoulder surgeries in 2022 which set me back and in 2023 I’ve yo yoed up and down with flares which hasn’t helped. Listen to your body and get plenty of rest. A lot of my set backs have arisen when I’ve overdone things. Some people get off Pred in two years, fingers crossed you are one of them 🤞
Thankyou again Tiggy70. Interesting your sister had PMR, my younger sister had it five years ago, wonder if it’s in the genes or an age thing ! Sorry to hear you had 2 shoulder ops, was that due to PMR? Yesterday was a reasonable day however pain has woken me early this morning , guess I am expecting miracles too soon, it is only day 5 today ! It’s hard slowing down when I’ve always been on the go! I will heed your advice and try not to over do things 🙈. Have a good weekend 😊
wonder if it’s in the genes or an age thing
Bit of both…..😊 usually over 50 [although not exclusively], genetic & environmental links .
A lighthearted look -
healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...
Thank you DorsetLady , your lighthearted link lifted my spirits and made me smile thank you 🤗
Dear Mistyfield
My experience was that I felt no pain after 24hrs,
I started on a high dose for GCA and had reducing dose over about a year.
When pains occurred months later my doctor thought it might be PMR. I went on a reducing dose from 15mg. Now I am awaiting a hip replacement, but don't have pains in my legs any more, just around by groin and restricted movement on my right side, ( nothing to do with PMR)
I am now recovered. This is my life story of illness. I am 76years. I try to keep moving interspersing light housework with sitting at my computer etc. Not sure when my op will be.
Good luck on your journey. Join a local support group if you can. I have and look forward to our monthly meetings as we encourage each other.
Poetryb
Dear Poetryb, despite your illnesses you sound positive and amazing . It’s still early days for me best I don’t expect miracles any time soon, just take each day as it comes. I will look into a support group, not sure there is one near me though 🤔.
I think the people who moderate this forum could tell you where your nearest group might be. Good luck with it.
As per Poetryb comments - see this for local groups… Hope you can find one, if not come back to me, there is one online that is for those who cannot get to a local one that might interest you - I’ll give you details…
pmrgca.org.uk/get-support/g...
Hello DorsetLady, you are so kind it is much appreciated. How is Dorset I was born in Shaftesbury, my grandmothers cottage was the thatched one at the bottom of Gold Hill , sorry I digressed 🙊. I will take a look at your link thank you .
Hi,
Dorset doing nicely thank you… last couple of days been quite sunny… and a lot milder today.
Know Shaftesbury [and of course Gold Hill] we lived in small village between there and Blandford for quite long time in the 80s when the kids were younger, and when hubby came out of forces. I worked in Shaftesbury for a while - up and down Zig Zag Hill on many an occasion.. Still have a mooch around the area …. I’m a bit farther south and west nowadays…
Hi, lucky having it milder, it’s a bit colder here in Gloucestershire. Sounds an idyllic location to live with family in the 80’s. Remember Zig Zag Hill from my childhood, many a walk from Shaftesbury down towards Cann Common & area up to the amazing views on Melbury Hill looking back to Shaftesbury , good memories 😊 Dorset is a beautiful county…
Yes it is..mind you Gloucestershire is as well..; my daughter [before emigrating to NZ lived about 10 miles from Cirencester… Eldest grandson returned last year to work in Tewkesbury/Cheltenham area.
It’s a small world , your grandson living in my location you obviously know the area well especially when your daughter lived near Cirencester, no doubt you miss your daughter now living in NZ. I admit I love Gloucestershire as much as Dorset , lots of lovely walks.
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