Flare ups

After a week of having reduced to 13mg from 25mg too fast on rheumy's instructions in 5 weeks,  I suffered such unbearable pain in the spine I thought I was dying.  Went very red and was sweating all over.  Could hardly move and had to get my husband to call 999.  They didn't know anything about PMR and told me to contact my surgery.  Luckily I had taken an extra 2mg and suddenly the pain started to subside and within an hour I felt back to 'normal'.    Well, I presumed this pain, worse than childbirth, was a "flare".  I then stayed on 15mg for a few weeks and can only reduce half mg per month. First week feel very fatigued and achy so don't organise anything , then start to feel better.  I rang the rheumy and told him I was going to take myself down as and when and told him about this forum and all th advice it offers.    He said that was fine. 

Trust me, you will know when you are having a flare up.  If your pain in your thighs remains at the same level, I wouldn't consider that a flare up and I wouldn't increase the meds.  My humble opinion.

I live with pain in my thighs, ankles, right hip and lower spine. I assume this is largely to do with arthritis but also, to a certain extent, PMR. I would not consider it a flare. I have had this pain even when on 20mg, so it is not improved by pred. What the pred does make disappear, is all the original pain in the top half of my body - arms, shoulders etc. So I feel there is a difference between the two kinds of pain - top half and lower half! I find a couple of paracetamol perhaps twice a day certainly helps the leg/hip pain. I am currently on 15 mg and have started reducing today to 14 mg. Good luck.