how long before starting steroids does pain go

[SuzeWooze]

Hi this is the 8th day of taking 15mg prednisolone and no difference in the pain whatsoever, suspecting wrong diagnosis of PMR? and maybe something else... Ulnar nerve entrapment (slight compression in top of neck after scan) was mentioned and i do have bursitis in left shoulder as well as other shoulder pain, elbows and wrist pain

[PMRpro Ambassador]

If only it WOULD go BEFORE pred!!!!

You will only get a result if the dose you are taking is enough - and 15mg is at the bottom end of the range suggested: 12.5 to 25mg/day. If you aren't getting anything in 2 weeks, your GP should try a higher dose before concluding it isn't PMR. And some people do need 2 or more weeks - the magic effect happens but not that often.

PMR isn't the illness - it is the name given to a set of symptoms with an underlying cause and there are several which should be ruled out before deciding it is PMR as we mean it. Inflammatory arthritis is one - and unfortunately there is absolutely no way of distinguishing between "our" PMR and late onset RA when it has a polymyalgic presentation. What is often seen then is a partial response to pred and then difficulty tapering but even that isn't always the case - some people just need more, some people don't absorb as much pred as others, some people have fewer of the receptors that pred needs to attach to to be able to work.

I would say 8 days is a bit early to make assumptions - but trying 20mg would probably be a good way to go.

[PlymouthAndy]

Hi I’m very new to PMR and found 15mg didn’t work for me - even when upped to 20mg I was struggling - my breakthrough moment came when I split my dose between breakfast and dinner- the next day all the symptoms disappeared! I wouldn’t have thought to try this without the benefit of this forum and reading about other experiences. Good luck - hope things improve soon