New to this Crazy journey!

Lynda, please believe me nobody wants to be on Prednisone, but it is the only thing that controls PMR. Rushing to get off it leads to a flare and you end up taking more Pred than if you used the DSNS method. And yes you might yo-yo up and down before it is over if it is ever over, but I can guarantee you that you will yo-yo much more rushing. Good luck on your journey, stay positive and try to smile, it helps. ☺️

Hello Lynda - I was recently diagnosed with PMR and have been taking 15mg pred for just under 2 weeks. It looks as though you're a couple of weeks ahead of me in terms of diagnosis and treatment. People on this forum are so helpful and knowledgeable - they really have helped me navigate through unknown waters. 

I can't give any advice as I'm new to this too, but it does sound as though you may have reduced the pred too quickly - although I fully understand why you'd want to. I too was dismayed when I had to start taking pred (it seemed like the end of the world - and I'm still getting used to the idea). I can't wait to get off it, but I realise now that it will be a long slow process - there are no shortcuts, unfortunately. Having said that, hopefully we'll both get off pred in the shorter timescale, rather than the longer one!

 

Don’t worry or get anxious about pred.It’s much too soon to be reducing . It will only come back again with extra clout  . 4 lbs isn’t a lot and pred does make you retain water so it could be water retention  . Just keep an eye on your weight once a fortnight. I actually lost weight when I went up on my dose last year and that was because I could move around more with pain relief . Headaches and the  fatigue could well be due to the sudden drop of pred. That’s quite a jump you did with the dosage!  Especially as you have not long been digonsed . Take care . 

Be carful and don’t go on silly fad diets . If you cut back on carbs too much which could even effect your organ health in the long run your only put it back on twice as quick. A good balanced diet is all you need. I lost weight slowly and kept it off by eating whole grains and good quality foods in general and keeping pain free is also key . If you go on fast quick fix diets which don’t work in the long run your just upset your health more. Keep away from junk foods is key snack on things like oatcakes. Drink plenty. Look up the NHS diet which is a good steady healthy balance diet. 

Please re-read ElaineH's advise sent to you 5 days ago, especially regarding the following:

GCA, giant cell arteritis, . . .  it is a close relation to PMR and you are more likely to progress from PMR to GCA if you do not take pred to manage the inflammation of PMR. In its worst form GCA can affect the blood flow to the optic nerve and if it is bad enough the optic nerve is damaged, in the same way a stroke damages brain cells, and you can go blind if not treated very very quickly with high dose pred. The doses for GCA tend to 60mg.day and sometimes more - a very different matter from living with the low doses required for PMR.