Actually, I suspect that most doctors are pretty well ok on pred and PMR. For treatment of polymyalgia rheumatica, start with 15 mg/day of prednisone and taper very slowly to maintain remission, decreasing no more than 1 mg/day every 2 months. Tapering too quickly can cause a flare to happen. Your doctor will gradually lower your dose. For relapse therapy, oral prednisone should be increased to the dose the patient was taking before relapse and then decreased gradually over 4 to 8 weeks to the dose at which the relapse occurred. Patientsshould be monitored for symptoms or signs of arteritis after treatmentinitiation, because low-dose corticosteroids such as prednisone do notprevent progression of PMR to GCA. The first diagnosis of PMR was in January 2007. Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them. It's not the race to the end, but managing the symptoms (inflammation and pain). The hallmarks of PMR are shoulder and hip girdle pain with pronounced stiffness. High dosages (40 to 60 mg per day of prednisone) are used for giant cell arteritis, and low dosages (10 to 20 mg per day of prednisone) are used for polymyalgia rheumatica.1, 2 Let's give it a try, ...with experience leading the way, so "newbies" can locate the wisdom in one chunk! It takes patience, tolerance and belief in the messages your body gives you. We tend to hear of the problem cases on the forum, but there must be lots of PMR patients who do ok. From what I read on here, it is more often the rheumatologists who get the "bad" press! “The hallmark of this condition is the rapid and often dramatic response, typically within a few days, to … For example, instead of tapering from 4 milligrams to 3 milligrams of prednisone, a doctor may prescribe taking 4 milligrams one day and 3 milligrams the next day, and alternating back and forth for one week (also known as an … Debilitating acid reflux, sleep deprivation, end of my tethe... Prednisone initial dosage and tapering off, Tapering off update (10 days on prednisone). -A response to treatment with prednisone would help to confirm the diagnosis of PMR. Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked. My personal approach was to complete a taper drop, then settle on that level for a while. However, disease flares occur more frequently when a rapid dose reduction is used, although spontaneous disease flares can occur independently of GC dose. How Long Does Coronavirus Live On Surfaces? diagnosed dec 2017 PMR . Personally, I had not known that prednisolone was regarded as. I'm always very conscious not to say that! As you say, very useful when answering posts, I very often find I get half way through an answer and then have to check back when people were diagnosed and what their starting dose. I’ve been reading about PMR quite a bit the... blog with a little bit about when I acquired PMR and treatment. Expect that you will be tapering off of prednisone for a period of days or even weeks. First off...prednisone is the only drug recognized to treat this disorder called PMR!!! You are so correct, ! The hardest for me was the last year where for about 6 months I was going back and forth between 1 mg and 1/2 mg dosage. The doctor will give you a schedule to gradually lower your dose. I have suddenly developed a sore spot on my throat. At least I was lucky enough to have an excellent GP Practice. So, new PMR traveler...you are embarking on a long journey, which gets better with time. Thanks Paddy, feel free to add your wisdom to this thread. The suggested schedule for initial tapering is to taper to the oral dose of 10 mg prednisone-equivalent per day within 4 to 8 weeks. Which millenium were you hoping for a response? A full recovery can take anywhere from a week to several months. This approach limits total dose of prednisone by reducing relapse rates and minimizing steroid side effects. Also, I had hip pain along with the arm and shoulder pain/stiffness for the first bout of PMR. All you need is a date and whether it is GCA or PMR - after all, if someone belongs to this forum you'd assume they have one or t'other! Anyway, I think you've done a great job - well done. Also, I experienced acid reflux for the first time this past week, on one occasion. i have been prescribed short prednisone "bursts" of 2 weeks, as treatment for upper respiratory ails. Fatigue hits nearly all auto-immune illness and a good read is 'The Spoon Theory'. It’s like you’re the pilot in an airplane. A doctor should either extend the length of the “step” their patient was on or increase the dose of that step. The autoimmune symptoms subsided quickly, and my blood tests have returned to normal. Not just! Blood tests. It has been around for so long that only two are missing from the list............'steroid brain fog' and 'treacle brain'. After a bit of an adjustment, I feel OK. Is it advisable to try next decrease in a week and go back up if I'm miserable? It is an extremely useful addition, as it instantly tells you the start date. A gradual reduction in prednisone dosage gives your adrenal glands time to resume their normal function. During the exam, he or she might gently move your head and limbs to assess your range of motion.Your doctor might reassess your diagnosis as your treatment progresses. I started on 60 mg and was tapered to to 5 mg in 2 weeks while in the hospital. –Prednisone 15mg po daily (max 20-30 mg/day) with a slow taper over 1-2 years. All rights reserved. Things to remember when you fill your prescription. Also, when we first get put on prednisolone, for PMR, we often refer to it as a miracle drug, so it's a bit of a Jekyll and Hyde! Perhaps we Aunties ( including honorary[!] They’ll watch you carefully and adjust your prednisone taper dose if needed. Most prednisone regimens longer than five days will need a taper. Wow is me . Some people initially given a diagnosis of polymyalgia rheumatica are later reclassified as having rheumatoid arthritis.Tests your doctor might recommend include: 1. Thanks, the link is excellent.. my thoughts earlier were to facilitate an informal discussion with newly diagnosed patients. Bought a new pc and mobile and lost everything. Just tried again, and managed to delete old profile notes, doesn't seem to be too keen about taking new ones though. It is also apparent that some (most??) Would like to capture and keep them accessible. You will learn to read those messages and respond as appropriate for your needs. It’s safer to taper off prednisone. You may need to taper off more slowly or go back to your regular dose if you have severe symptoms. I welcome everyone to jump in to fill in my info gaps. POLYMYALGIA rheumatica (PMR) ... number of clinically recognized disease relapses but had them early in the course of treatment at higher doses of prednisone during tapering. The NAKED truth regarding PMR and prednisone, is that most people with PMR must continue using prednisone for years, not days or weeks. So to commence worry about tapering prednisone in the first weeks, is premature, and I believe, seriously contributes to the overall stress of learning to live with PMR. i have had PMR for 2 years and am now in a taper from 7.5m prednisone down to 7m. As a result, there is no evidence from controlled studies on the efficacy of different initial doses or drug tapering. thought it was me, I've done it before and its been okay - perhaps its just today!! Don't know why I'm bothering really... but I will not let a bit of technology get in the way --- although it's a good job I'm on PC at moment - tablet would have been flying by now. You will be both traveler...and teacher...using what you learn to educate others, and perhaps, even your doctor. I am hardly the expert on any of these topics, and hoped those of you who have more experience, education and information will weigh in. I'm truly honoured... :-D. Think you might have a point about Data Protection but the idea makes a lot of sense. Maybe. Don’t try to speed up the taper on your own. You listen to your body using this method and halt the taper if the PMR symptoms begin to gather in a persistent way. sometimes wontnlet me delete my second thought messages too lol. it seems that tapering prednisone is a topic that could use its own thread. Even a tapered dose of prednisone helps prevent inflammation, which is why you took the steroid in the first place. Newbies could then see how long people do actually have it, or did have it - as compared to what the doctors tell them! wishful thinking, I have tried a few times since I joined.