@jennashaped, Congratulations on your recent liver transplant. Welcome to Connect! I am a liver/kidney transplant recipient and don't specifically remember joint pain after my transplant (2009). Maybe I'm one of the lucky ones, or maybe I was so relieved to be rid if the excess fluid in abdomen and my legs that I didn't recognize it. Yep, I know that that doesn't make much sense, however that is all that I remember about it.
I will add that after 5 years, I did get taken off prednisone upon agreement with both liver and kidney teams to taper off prednisone on a slow taper. That is when I remember having discomfort, particularly in my hands and fingers. When I mentioned it to my PCP he suggested a slower taper and that worked for me. My biggest disappointment with getting off prednisone was that there was no weight loss that I expected!

Jenna, I know that we are on a high dose of prednisone right after transplant, and that it is lowered and monitored over the first weeks/months. I was not a candidate to be off completely, and so I continued at a low dose for the health benefits to my transplanted kidney. I think that I was on 5 mg during the following 5-6 years when Mayo research indicated that I could taper off. During those years, I had none of the side effects that affect many people with prednisone since it was a low dose. I do know that each one of us reacts differently to medications and that my experience was to not notice any side effects. From a non-medical perspective, I look at this a decision about whether you want to continue with the joint pain. It sounds like you might have a choice, because you said that, "I've been told that it "going back on prednisone" might help..."

I hope that you can address this issue soon so that can feel relief from the pain. Why don't you talk to your transplant team about how long you might need to be on prednisone, or how low of a dose would help you? Does that sound like something you might consider?