How long on 20 mg Pred?
Posted , 9 users are following.
I am curious how long of a stretch of time have others stayed on say 20-25mg dose of Prednisone? without successfully reducing? ( I am speaking of those with PMR only and not with GCA.) Are there others out there that have s difficult time reducing even using the DSNS method? I decided to try Methotrexate. It's been 10 weeks. I'm not even sure what I'm suppose to look for. I've started s reduction to 19 using DSNS and it seems to be going ok but then again I did that without the MX. I usually get to 17 then all the symptoms slowly re appear.
0 likes, 23 replies
mimi1950 Marla0415
Posted
I had been on 20mg.since October Oct. 2016. I couldn't reduce either, probably due to many stress factors that hit me all at once.I did manage to get down to 15mg and was fine for about a week , then the pain came back with a vengeance.As I was scheduled to fly trans Atlantic, I went back up to 20mg but I kept getting worse by the day. I thought I had GCA as I was experiencing malaise, dull headache, nausea, chills, etc..plus the classic PMR symptoms.Eileen suggested that perhaps it was due to jet lag or maybe a cold or virus.
It turned out to be both, I think, because I just went back down to 15 without tapering and Im fine now as far as the PMR is concerned. I still have the malaise and the nausea though, and need to find the cause.
I was initially on the 20mgs longer than you, Marla and was prescribed mtx too, but I refused it as I didn't want to add any more side effects.
This disease is so complicated ,with so many variables that I keep going from thinking that I know the"rules'" and can handle it to being completely confused .I think the most important thing I've learned so far about the management of PMR is that the pred only manages the typical pain and stiffness and that when you taper and begin feeling the symptoms, if they go away in a few days it's due to withdrawal but if they continue getting worse , it's a flare and you need to go back up. For me, this concept was difficult to capture.
I was blaming all my symptoms on PMR and any doctor I've seen was blaming everything on the pred !
Marla0415 mimi1950
Posted
Well it seems we have had some of the same experience. I initially rejected doing the MX as well but since I had gone so long not being able to reduce and had many Pred side effects I decided to try. My MX dosage has already been increased once but I've not had any changes in how I feel and so far no side effects from it. My RA Dr said she really hasn't had a PMR patient that has had trouble reducing until they reached the 10 mg level. I don't think she knows quite what to do with me! So for the time being I will forge ahead and hope for success one of these days and I wish the same for you.
EileenH Marla0415
Posted
She's obviously has not had many PMR patients then! Or she has been VERY lucky.
Marla0415 EileenH
Posted
paulszak Marla0415
Posted
have PMR just in my hips. The symptoms have subsided and no increase on 15mg.
Marla0415 paulszak
Posted
Let's hope you continue to do this well as you lower the dosage further. That would be sweet!
paulszak Marla0415
Posted
tightening while on prednisone? I seem to have developed
tendonitis when reducing to 15 mg.
amkoffee Marla0415
Posted
When the pain comes back do you go all the way back up to your high dose? I was having a terrible time getting below 11mg and on the fourth try (just this week) I'm doing it. But when I started to hurt I only went up to where I was when I wasn't hurting.