Hi everyone just asking did everybody's pains go away altogether when on a starting dose of 15mg of prednisone I still have a bit of muscle pain but not half as bad as I did will the pains eventually go away altogether.
There are a few lucky people who are pain-free on Pred, but it's generally felt that a decrease of 70% pain is the most usual scenario. That should be enough to allow for some quality of life while on the PMR journey.
The usual starting dose is 15-20mg of Pred, so you have definitely started off on the right foot.
I started on 15mg and within a week went to 20 mg which really helped. Within the 2nd week i also started split to control my afternoon pain which i take at 3pm.
It would take a couple of hours ay first in the morning for the drugs to kick in but now just stiff and slow in the morning.
As for pains going away for me not really it depends on how much and what i do in a day. Some days pain free but usually have some sort of pain but ive learned to live with it. I've lately had severe shoulder pain that i couldn't live with but my chiropractor has got rid of it. Ya.
I hope this helps
Mariane
Mine did, within four hours, but I was prescribed 30. It took three years to get to zero almost without a glitch but when, three years later the symptoms retuned and I was treated " less aggressively" as the same GP put it, and started on 15 the response was a bit less dramatic and it was five years and several " relapses" later before the symptoms finally went away. I've often wondered whether the larger starting dose had anything to do with the different progression.
Prednisone doesn't cure anything, just controls the symptoms. One thing I've learned is that we have to care for ourselves as we would if we had a visible illness, like the flu or a broken leg. Before increasing pred, look at your activity level and consider finding more ways to rest. If your family thinks you are all cured, then you'll have to tell them to treat you as if you had the flu, because in many ways PMR is at least as serious as flu or broken limbs. There's a temptation to dive into doing everything because we feel so much better - don't! Pace yourself.
Google the Spoons Theory for an interesting way to describe your situation to your friends and family. If you are still working, especially in a stressful or physically demanding occupation, see if there are ways you could get time off for a few weeks, or at least have your work load modified to give you more chance to rest.
They look for a 70% overall improvement in symptoms - i.e. all stiffness may go but not all pain. I had a dramatic improvement in 6 hours with 15mg - but it was a few months before the bursitis part of the pain faded. I suddenly realised it had gone and it didn't hurt to walk. Some people might need a bit more - especially if they are big, although there is no dose/weight-relationship for PMR and pred, a higher dose will work faster - but there are also likely to be more side effects. Just be patient!
Now I have almost no pain as long as I take the right dose - but a lot of being pain-free is lifestyle management. I know what will make me hurt - I don't do it! Housework???? No way!!! You have to do your part of managing PMR symptoms - the actual disease is still chugging away in the background and your muscle remain intolerant of acute exercise. If you overdo it you will get sore muscles and they will take longer to recover.
You will be able to do more - but you will have to get into training at a much slower rate than you used to. Just because you FEEL better on pred doesn't mean you are back to normal (whatever doctors will try to tell us) and it means you shouldnt be rushing around getting all that cleaning done you couldn't before!
I started at 15 mg of prednisone when diagnosed, but after a month I still had morning pains that lasted about 5 hours. When my rheumy did my blood work, she increased my dose to 20mg. Since the increase, I feel fine even in the morning. I'd suggest you'd let your rheumy know how you feel and ask to have your tests done again. I think it's about getting those numbers down.
I was started on a VERY high dose of 50mg two years ago when I was first diagnosed, and was pain, but not stiffness free within a day or so. I dropped the dose fairly dramatically from that point but the stiffness never really left me. I've been pain free for about 12 months, but I know I still have PMR as I'm always tired, stiff and feel the odd twinge/niggle.
But you can't stay at 20mg - well you COULD but it isn't advised! How long have you been at 20mg?
I've been on 20 mg for two weeks, but it's another 6 weeks before I see my rheumy again. So, I'll be on 20 mg for a total of 2 months at least. I feel good, I'm careful about what I eat and I walk 2-3 miles a day. I'm trying my best to stay healthy. I try to drink lots of water, but I'm not very good at that.
He didn't suggest a period when you could start reducing SLOWLY? No reduction should be more than 10% of the current dose - i.e 2mg at present, by the time you are at 15mg, 1.5mg is better, 1mg by the time you get to nearer 10mg.
We haven't discussed reduction yet. I'm assuming that we will at my next appointment.
I believe what Eileen is alluding to is that 20mg for 8 weeks is considered a very high dose for treating PMR - however, if your Dr has not discussed reducing to you then you shouldn't.