Roland, I did have those symptoms. I have been off prednisone now for about a week. The swelling has gone down also some itching in ankle area. After about 5 hours, sometimes 6, I wake with pain in fingers and thighs. It is not unbearable. I get up and walk around a little, drink some water and then go back to bed and drowse for a few more hours. Prednisone affects my vision, I have raised pressure for which I use eye drops. Also I feel more heart flutters at night when I am using it, consequently, I look for alternatives, such as Tylenol and learning to live with a certain level of pain. I concentrate on good organic diet (I think Mayo or some other site has a recommended diet for this problem, calming meditation so as not to constantly dwell on how PMR is affecting my body (don't look for pain) For the new year, I want to concentrate on recovering muscle strength as, at my age, being very sedentary for 3-4 months I lost a lot.