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Whether to accept a certain level of pain instead of decreasing pred?

Posted , 6 users are following.

barbara75814
barbara75814

I am a new pmr patient (one week), taking 20 mg. in four separate 5 mg. doses each day. It has given substantial pain relief, to be sure, and I think I would like to go on living with a bit of pain, rather than having the doctor try to lower the dose for more pain relief, which seems to be standard.

Is lowering the dose quickly, more and more--is that standard operating procedure? I can tolerate the level of pain I have now, but before I got the pred, it was unbearable, for sure.

Any thoughts would be appreciated................... 

2 likes, 22 replies

22 Replies

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  • tavidu
    tavidu barbara75814

    Posted

    Hi Barbara. Sorry to say it but welcome, this is a club that no one wants to be in. I have had PMR since last May and it has been a sort of up and down time as far as preds are concerned. I too am trying to reduce due to Hives (a skin complaint), which can be caused by preds but also cured by preds. All I can advise is to listen to your body, if you are in pain you may need to up your dose slightly to compensate then lower gradually. Good luck and hopefully with the help of this forum we can all get thru this. Dave (tavidu)
  • tina-uk_cwall
    tina-uk_cwall barbara75814

    Posted

    Hello Barbara, you really are a newbie! And what you have read today is a lot to take in but this really is the place to come if you're not sure of things.

    you sound as if very little has been explained to you, an experience all to sadly appears yo pretty much the norm. 

    I can't add to what has already been written but I was left on each dose for 6 weeks until I got yo 10 mgs then left on that for 6 months. And I understand that's the dose whereby it is recommended to be on for anything up to a year.

    when members advise you on the very slow taper it's for a reason, it works better and there's less chance if a flare up. Good luck, christina 

    • barbara75814
      barbara75814 tina-uk_cwall

      Posted

      Oh, gosh! If possible, I DON'T WANT to taper--I just want to stay where I am and put up with the residual pain I have. In other words, as we say in the south of America, "Just leave it be!" Actually, last week was my first visit to the rheumy, so I am far from an expert in all this, obviously--just asking an occasional question of you good people.

      Of course if there's a taper it should be a slow taper, that I realize--but at the moment I don't want any taper, so I'm not sure why people write me about it--?

      Thanks for writing, Christina--

      Barbara

    • tina-uk_cwall
      tina-uk_cwall barbara75814

      Posted

      Also Barbara, you've only been on medication for 1 week so you will still be experiencing residual pain. Give it another couple of weeks and hopefully that will die down some more, then after a few weeks more as the prednisone gets to work reducing the inflamation that causes the pain then hopefully you'll get a little less pain but even now I still get the odd twinge especially if I overdo things, then all that's needed is a good rest until the pain dies down again. Christina 
    • barbara75814
      barbara75814 tina-uk_cwall

      Posted

      Thanks, Christina--I keep saying that my pain is entirely within acceptable limits to me, so I am not particularly searching to have less, although it would be a nice surprise. I am quite content as it is, just accumulating more knowledge, thanks to you and everybody--

      Barbara

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