Worried about GCA

"People participate from other countries like Canada, UK and Australia. Those folks are given PREDNISOLONE, not PREDNISONE."

I don't really know why this is. It seems to make little difference about which one we take except prednisone is called a "pro-drug" because the liver converts it to the active form prednisolone. Prednisone might be slightly cheaper and was FDA approved earlier than prednisolone. Both medications are used in the same way and have the same side effects regardless of country.
https://www.drugs.com/medical-answers/difference-between-prednisone-prednisolone-3508888/
-----------------------
Medical professionals in all countries seem to agree that there are serious consequences to the long term use of all man-made glucocorticoids. They replace the natural cortisol that is produced by the adrenal glands which is why a slow taper off Prednisone is needed after long term use.

Short term use of prednisone is relatively safe but "short term" is a few weeks compared to years of treatment for PMR.

I think the USA is embracing biologic treatment rather than long term treatment with Prednisone for the treatment of many autoimmune conditions. It seems that relapses or flares are more common when Prednisone is used which makes it nearly impossible to discontinue Prednisone. I'm on a biologic which seems to have far fewer serious side effects but I'm having difficulty stopping the biologic and it is very expensive. There isn't a single best solution to these problems.

The differences between methylprednisolone vcompared to prednisone are explained in the following link.
https://www.drugs.com/medical-answers/difference-between-methylprednisolone-prednisone-3509126/#:~:text=Both%20methylprednisolone%20and%20prednisone%20belong,severe%20and%20requires%20reducing%20quickly.

You made the best decision in the
situation we are in with diminished access to doctors in urgent situations. Our local ERs
have half day waits and are full of
respiratory illnesses.
Most urgent is to see an ophthalmologist for an exam.
When you get in contact with your PCP they could at least send you to the lab for inflammation test screen in the meantime. If the eye doctor can’t readily biopsy you an ultrasound can be helpful in diagnosis. Request a timely appointment with a rheumatologist as they have the most experience managing higher
doses needed if you have vasculitis.

Thank you for the info. All of this is really helpful. I am in BC, Canada.
I was prescribed Prednisone. I am grateful that it is a cheap medicine as I have to pay for it.

You made the best decision in the
situation we are in with diminished access to doctors in urgent situations. Our local ERs
have half day waits and are full of
respiratory illnesses.
Most urgent is to see an ophthalmologist for an exam.
When you get in contact with your PCP they could at least send you to the lab for inflammation test screen in the meantime. If the eye doctor can’t readily biopsy you an ultrasound can be helpful in diagnosis. Request a timely appointment with a rheumatologist as they have the most experience managing higher
doses needed if you have vasculitis.

Good post. Good advice. Time is of the essence.

Do Canadians have to pay for prednisone? Most medical insurance in the USA, private or government, will happily pay for prednisone because it is inexpensive. . In the long term, the side effects associated with prolonged treatment with prednisone may cost a lot more in terms of health care costs.

"The annual incremental cost of steroid-toxicity ranges from $6000 to $30,000 depending on the dosage.[1]"
https://www.steritas.com/insights/steroid-toxicity-the-cost-to-healthcare
--------------------------
I only got treated with a biologic because of my long term (decades) of Prednisone use and my inability to taper off Prednisone. My rheumatologist didn't think taking Prednisone for the rest of my life was a good outcome.

I agree that time is of the essence under the circumstances.

I have never been diagnosed with GCA but I did have recurrent flares of uveitis. An inflamed red eye was hard to ignore and was obvious to anyone who saw me. Other symptoms included blurry or foggy vision, floaters, photophobia and occasional flashes of light before being unable to see. For me, there were plenty of symptoms but not too much pain before I couldn't see. Even when I couldn't see, my uveitis flares responded quickly when I took 100 mg of prednisone.

I'm grateful for the ophthalmology department at the nearby University. I knew the phone number from memory and could call it any time of the day or night and someone always answered. All I needed to do was mention "uveitis" and I was immediately asked how soon I could come in to be seen. It could be a holiday ... it didn't matter because there was always an ophthalmologist who handled emergencies.

I got somewhat nonchalant about uveitis because I could somewhat tell how serious each flare was. Some flares of uveitis developed more slowly than other flares. I once went to a rheumatology appointment with a red eye. My rheumatologist immediately asked me if I knew that one eye was red. I knew but I didn't call the ophthalmology department yet. My rheumatologist called the ophthalmology department for me and refused to see me until I went to see the ophthalmologist first.

My rheumatologist always asked me about symptoms of GCA after I was diagnosed with PMR. She made sure I knew those symptoms and what to do if I ever had the symptoms. I frequently had facial pain because of trigeminal neuralgia and that can be mistaken for symptoms of GCA.

Trigeminal neuralgia and GCA are both conditions that can cause facial pain, but they are distinct entities with different causes and mechanisms. Alterations in the innervation of the eye by the trigeminal nerve can also affect vision.

I had surgery for trigeminal neuralgia but now I have neurotrophic keratitis as a complication from the surgery. I'm at risk of developing a corneal ulceration. Treatment is aimed at corneal protection and preventing vision loss.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK431106/#:~:text=Neurotrophic%20keratitis%20is%20a%20degenerative,this%20condition%20experimentally%20in%201824.
--------------------
Sometimes I think it is a miracle that my vision is still relatively good. Except for the medical specialists I have seen, I probably wouldn't be able to post this.

"Access to medical care" is part of the problem and receiving a correct diagnosis and treatment is the other part. I was lucky and didn't have any problems with either part.