bloods tests dont show inflammtion

I don't think it is too young, but it is unusual.  Your response to pred will be a key diagnostic tool for the doctor, and it could be because of your age that's why they're trying with such a low dose as they don't want a higher dose to possibly mask some other disorder.  Patience!

well i,m 68 and although have had aches and pains on and off, back troubles come and go, through years, this was different, slowly developed from sept to full blown agony by oct 8, and yes, first dose of 40 mg pred, same day, few hrs later, no symptons, only have experienced lately now as tapered per dr instr, bout 3 every day, down to 20, which i have been on for a week now, feeling same in am,s as i did leading up to full blown pain,

Hi I'm in the uk my gp sent me to a neurologist.

It's a rheumatologist you need - they are the specialists in this field.It is an autoimmune vasculitis, nothing to do with nerves and neurologists in the UK don't usually have anything to do with this so are pretty ignorant of the best practice (so are some rheumies but we won't go there...)

Try showing the neurologist the papers I've given you links for.

I've got to have some nerve tests done first and try the steroids as well then she is going to refer me to a rhumy

Then she needs to try the right dose of pred - though the 10mg may do the job if you rest as well. No trying to catch up on what you haven't been doing!!!!

I will try and rest but I have 3 year old daughter I run around after she keeps me on my toes lol

Possibly - or you will have to be patient. It's a silly dose to use really - it takes so long to get a result whereas 15mg might have given a clearer answer.

you mean 20 mg is a silly dose,? well guess they had to taper to that before going lower, and i am still having some symptons, now on that 20 mg, 

NO! Cheryl - if you look at the top of each post it tells you who the reply is aimed at and who wrote it. My comment was in reply to Ginette's who was put on 10mg to start with, it says: EileenH > ginette1977. Nothing to do with your dose at all. 

oh so sorry,not very focused today, lots of family problems

I will be very interested to hear if you eventually do well with the 10 mg.  I found it so easy to reduce from 15 to 10 (had to slow down drastically after that) I've wondered whether I'd have done all right starting at a slightly lower dose.  Of course I was kept at 15 for about five weeks before a 1 mg drop per week for next five weeks.  It's taken me another year to get from 9 mg to what I hope is 2.5 but is certainly 3.  Perhaps I'd have got here a bit sooner if starting at a lower dose.  This is the sort of information which really needs to be collected, along with a few other possibly relevant factors, including body weight, age and other pre-existing conditions.  I suspect most of us would be willing to trade an extra week or two of diminishing pain to the best point in the short run if it meant in the long run we had a more successful taper to lowest effective dose.  

There is some suggestion that there are fewer relapses with a higher starting dose. I think there must be some evidence because in the most recent recommendations they have decided that a slightly higher rather than lower starting dose is better and that is all based on GRADE methodology - all explained on the third page if that sort of thing floats your boat!

2015 Recommendations for the Management of Polymyalgia Rheumatica A European League Against Rheumatism/American College of Rheumatology Collaborative Initiative Christian Dejaco, Yogesh P. Singh et al

Some years ago they used to start with 30mg but then it was felt that 15 would also work and reduce the total pred load. I know patients who have had both approaches - and they say they found starting with the higher dose seemed towork better/they got off pred faster. Now the pendulum has swung the other way but not quite as far, 20-25mg seems the idea. 

For myself, when I was ill 4+ years ago I had a dollop of high dose pred for something else before being switched to Lodotra/Rayos - and then for the first time was able to reduce steadily and relatively easily down to 5mg. Coincidence? 

The woman I met who was started at 40 mg is having a dreadful time reducing.  I mean it was six months ago and she still can't get to 30.  And I seem to have noticed a number of people starting at this higher dose lately and having trouble even getting to 20.  But we don't know what other factors are involved, if there are any commonalities, etc.