I want off Prednisone and back on Aleve

I have told two doctors that I want off Prednisone. It seems to go in one ear and out the other.

Some history: I have had muscle pain for years and have controlled it well with Aleve. I have had two back surgeries, one involving fusion, for Spinal Stenosis and a hip replacement. A year and a half ago I developed pain in my left should when reaching overhead for a bowl out of our kitchen cabinet. Put up with it for awhile, then decided to see the family doctor. He put in a Rx for 20 mg tabs of Prednisone taken at 3 tabs oral daily for 4 days, then 2 tabs oral daily for 4 days, then 1 tab oral daily. That took care of the shoulder pain. That is where I should have demanded to end it. I continued taking 10 mg for 10 days. All this time I am off Aleve and of course my muscle pain comes back. Kept telling the family doctor I wanted off Pred so I could go back to Aleve. Finally had enough and ask to see a Rheumatologist. Of course I had to start over and be off pred for a week and have blood work done, sed rate and C-Reactive Protein. Family doctor did this as well. Reactive Protein was never out of the upper or lower normal range. Sed rate was 19 and above only twice in about a year and a half. C-Reactive Protein was out the very first reading with the family doctor and never since. My Rheumatologist has had me drop 1 mg per month from 10 mg. I have insisted that I want off to see if I can function with taking aleve. In looking back I should have insisted my family doctor put me on a prednisone regiment like he did for a sinus infection. That was about a two week time frame, starting at 20 or 40 and dropping down.

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