Mistakenly taken too much Prednisolone

Sounds sounds like a good plan to me Mrs O 🤗

thank you Mrs O I'll try that.   I'm starting to wonder if I'd taken them a couple of weeks ago and the odd 2 tablets left are from then, just because I thought I'd had a virus that made me off balance for around 7 days.   There again it may just be coincidence, I don't think it would have come to light had I not have popped 2 x5 mg and -a 1mg and noticed the difference in size.

thank you once again 

Did you check with your doctor ? If I have a goof up in meds., or questions, I call the Dr's. offc. & get instructions. I know most on prednisone get pretty self sufficient with dosage ups & downs. I although rely on that person who writes my script & gets paid well to do so. Question: Anyone have good looking SED & CRP lab rates/numbers, but still have many PMR symptoms ? Best to you Angel & all PMR talk-lists friends, this is a great source of info. & more so great support. THANKS

Hi reggie, thanks for your reply, the reason I haven't called the doctors is because their not open at the weekends.   I did think of calling 111, but knew that I would also get sound advice on here.

All the best to you too.

angelcake 

Hi Reggie,  My SED and CRP have alwayis been in the normal range, even before my dx when I was so "crippled" that I wanted to die.  SED is lower since taking  pred.  Yes, this is a fantastic site with such good information from people who actually HAVE PMR!  Good luck to all!           Elinor   

PS: I am down to 7.5 and soon whittle down to 5mg.  No energy!

Reggie, 1 in 5 people diagnosd with PMR never have raised ESR and CRP markers.  

If you are someone who had raised markers of inflammation at diagnosis, it is still possible to have PMR symptoms but for the lab results to lag behind the symptoms.

On the other hand, depending on the severity of your symptoms, perhaps you need to consider a slightly higher dose for the time being.

Elijo, I hope you aren't considering going straight from 7.5mg to 5mg in one fell swoop.  Around the 7.5mg dose can be a tricky one to reduce from as it is around the equivalent dose of natural steroid (cortisol) that our bodies make when well, ie pre-PMR.  Your body has to start producing this natural steroid again at around your present dose after having been suppressed by the artificial steroid.  This takes time and if you reduce too quickly at this stage, you will have a shortfall of cortisol in your body, running the risk of a flare.  Far better to slow reductions down, remembering that each reduction in dose is a larger percentage than the previous one so more of a shock to the body.  If it were me, I would try reducing from 7.5g to 7mg in the first instance.

Angelcake, when in doubt, and during weekends when surgeries are closed, you can always ring your prescribing pharmacy and ask their advice regarding any problems.

Hi MrsO-UK Surrey, Thanks for your good advice, and I was considering a slower reduction.  I'm wondering if my LOW energy and fatigue are a product of the lower prednisone and my adrenals trying to recover?  How are you doing?

Yes, Elijo, it is quite common to experience low energy and fatigue due to the adrenal glands tryng to get up to speed with their pre-steroid supply of cortisol.  Dont' be tempted to overdo things especially for a week or so around the time of reductions in dose.

I have now been off steroids and in remission from PMR and GCA for 4 years - thank you for asking.  And good luck with the rest of your 'journey'.

Reggie, I think contacting your doctor urgently in UK is becoming pretty impossible in a lot of areas. It took me five days for a reply from my doctor the other day and he had asked me to contact him and it took over four weeks to get an appointment. If you want to see a consultant you need a fairy godmother. Our pharmacists are excellent though and usually a lot more knowledgable than a lot of doctors.

You are amazing!  You are in remission and STILL giving intelligent suggestions to those of us still "suffering". Wow!  Thanks for your advice, and I hope we both continue to do well.

My one complaint now is my hair is like straw, no body, ugly.  No matter what I do, I doesn't improve, and is not growing now.  Ugh!  Skin bruising and infections haved been very bad, but I'm learning to be more careful how I move.

Stay well!               Elinor

Elinor, I'm blushing now!  Your hair will recover as you get to the lower doses.  Mine used to block the plughole which was very worrying having fine hair.  Use arnica for the bruising, and keep you skin well moisturised - Doublebase Gel is excellent, available on prescription and over-the-counter.

Thanks.  I recently started using bag balm, my dermatologist siad that was OK as long as I wasn't allergic to the lanolin in it.  Stay well.     

Elinor