Wonder if someone could clarify again...I tapered too quickly from 7 mg to 6 mg and a major flare was the result. After consulting the forum I have tried 10 mg...this is the 4th day of the 10 mg. I feel a lot better, except for the neck pain (where it all began!). Should I just sit on the 10 mg until all the pain is gone?...days, weeks? I am taking Tylenol...but it really isnt doing anything, but it is manageable, I am able to get around and do some things.
Thank you for any advice!
no idea but sending good thoughts your way. hang in there!
In such cases, my rheumatologist says to stay there for one month. She may be conservative, but I have followed her advice in the past with success. Hope you feel better soon.
In my limited (7 months) experience I would increase the dose to 15mg and see if that does the trick. I would have thought that if the dose was high enough you would see improvements almost straight away.
I may be wrong though....it's been known. Just the once. Yesterday. Ask elieen.
I have been hovering around 12.5mg-15mg for months unable to get down.
Hello Kathy, I found that my flare was harder to bring under control than when I originally started taking preds, but then my initial dose was 15mgs so that if course could be the difference. Definately stay on the 10mgs until all the pain has gone. When I had my flare and went back up to 10mgs I stayed on that dose for 6 weeks just to make sure all the inflamation had been brought back under control. I have now successfully reduced back down to 8mgs. All the best, Christina
If you already feel better I'd stick there for longer. And don't rush - a bit longer at 10mg is better than going back to 15mg and starting over.
BUT I would also counsel that the neck pain might not be "just" PMR. When I have a flare it always starts with with what the Germans call a "witches shot" - a back spasm that leaves me unable to move. For me it is usually lower back but it can be shoulders and neck. Needless to say - I use Bowen therapy but I also used to consult an osteopath which also helped a lot. It could be muscle spasm causing the pain, it could be a "blockage" where the bones in the spine are sticking, not moving smoothly.
Lots of people go poo-poo - but Bowen has worked in similar situations for a lot of people. It has no side effects (except the cost which isn't horrendous and if 3 sessions don't make a difference it isn't likely to).
One of the research groups is hoping to look at whether dealing with such acute problems separately with a physical therapy of some sort and cortisone injections will help with management of the PMR at a lower oral dose. It does for me - and a few people have found that something differently painful (OA in a hip) must have affected the PMR badly as they were able to reduce the pred dose steadily and stop once they had had their hip op.
Kathy Tylenol isn't an ati inflamatory Advil would probably give better results. Can you not take nsaids?
Thank you all for your support. Will try sticking with the 10 mg...see how it goes. So discouraging to have work d my way down to 7....then continued, like a speeding train! I forget that the inflammation is just as scary as the prednisone....pick your poison. At diagnosis, 15 months ago, I believe I started at 10 mg...worked within the hour!
NSAIDs of any sort should not be taken alongside pred on a regular basis as both cause gastric irritation and taking both increases the risk of bleeding. A lot of rheumies tell patients to take them - obviously they haven't had any stomach problems themselves.
When you started 15 months ago your body was pred-naive - it hadn't met it before. Now it is used to it and more resistant - that is why yoyoing the dose is not recommended. You will get back to 7mg and you should be able to go back to 8mg fairly quickly. The odd 1 or 2 mg isn't a massive deal.
Well I guess I am fortunate I occasionally take them with no problem never at the same time as pred per rhuemys instructions and always with food.
You are right. My body is not getting a "quick charge" from 10 mg...will take longer than 5 days! My rheumatologist said I should not take Advil...only Tylenol. In the past 15 months I would take the Tylenol occasionally and it would help...days when I was gardening, etc.
P.S. I know you are in the UK, Eileen...I am in Colorado, U.S.A....I was waiting for you to wake up in time for my morning dose...and you did! Thanks!
No - not the UK, Italy! An hour more ahead of the UK.