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What steroid dosage did you start on? Did you find the right dosage?
Hello I am wondering what dosage of Prednisone everyone started on and how long (days) did it take to get complete 100% relief (if ever). Or how long did it take to find the right dosage? I have trialed 3 different steroid doses (with help from my doctors) for the past month and no success yet controlling all the pain 100% or determining the right dosage for me. Maybe I'm impatient.
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Started on 30mg,worked 100% immediately,on 7.5 after 3 months with hands at 4 out of 10 for pain in mornings,2 out of 10 afternoons.I take prednisone early mornings.
Welcome @naparker, I've had 2 occurrences of PMR and I was started on 20 mg of prednisone for both. Here's some information from 2019 on the topic.
What is the starting dose of steroid prescribed by rheumatologist in the management of polymyalgia rheumatica?
-- https://ard.bmj.com/content/80/8/e133
Do you still have pain with taking the 30 mg dose?
Thank you for this information, John. While I do continue to have some pain, it is likely due to ongoing osteoarthritis which the onset of PMR pain overlayed. The pain is definitely much less than before starting the prednisone.
I started 20mg Prednisone on Jan 4/22 and achieved pain freedom within a couple of weeks. Now being weaned and down to 15mg for the last 2 weeks (approx). Find that the tiredness has returned somewhat and also my right hand is tending to swell and stiffen a bit. Nothing that is not manageable. Do miss the extra energy I had on 20mg. but this is okay for now.
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1 ReactionI totally agree with you about missing the “high” during weaning but gradually my natural cortisol is kicking in and I feel so much better. I also had issues with my hand (Dactilytis aka sausage fingers ) and my CRP didn’t increase, so Tylenol, ice, and compression gloves certainly helped. This group has helped me inasmuch as I do not feel so alone 💞🇨🇦💞
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2 ReactionsYes, I feel the same about the group. As I had to go to walk-in clinic this afternoon, it turns out that a cut on my leg has developed cellulitis, so now on antibiotics. Also BP up and have developed hypertension. Had to buy a home BP tester. Doctor feels this is directly related to the Prednisone, as I'm not predisposed to high BP or cellulitis in my life. Glad I'm weaning off of it, stiff fingers or not. A little disheartened and concerned at the moment. One day at a time.
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1 ReactionI cut out prednisone. Instead, I drink tea made from green tea leaves, turmeric, ginger, black pepper and a pat of butter. My aches dissolve within 45 minutes.
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1 ReactionThank you. I'm thinking I might have to cut it out as well. How many times a day do you have to drink your tea?
The amount of Prednisone that I am reading about here is so much more than I've gotten. I started at 4 a day and tapered to 2. My pain is bad. My doctor never suggested going higher. I was diagnosed in September and have had very little relief.
Hello @patzmar, Welcome to Connect. My Mayo Clinic rheumatologist who diagnosed my PMR started me at 20 mg prednisone. If you have PMR I think the starting dose of prednisone is usually between 12.5 and 25 mg according to the latest recommendations. Here's some information that discusses the topic:
"The mainstay of treatment of PMR is oral prednisone therapy.29 According to the latest EULAR/ACR guidelines, prednisone therapy should be within the range of 12.5 to 25 mg, using the minimum effective dosage to achieve remission. Tapering should be individualized once remission is achieved.30
In a randomized controlled trial, Kyle and Hazleman31 found that oral prednisone 20 mg/day led to fewer flares than 10 mg/day. The study was limited by small sample size, but this dosage has been noted anecdotally to bring good symptom relief. On the other hand, Kremers et al,32 in a retrospective study, found that higher initial corticosteroid doses and faster tapering were significant predictors of future relapse."
--- Polymyalgia rheumatica: An updated review: https://www.ccjm.org/content/87/9/549
An older recommendation from 2011 has the following: "The only controlled study suggests that initial prednisone doses ≤ 10 mg is associated with high incidence of recurrences, whereas doses ≥ 20 mg are associated with considerable side effects [3]. " --- The correct prednisone starting dose in polymyalgia rheumatica is related to body weight but not to disease severity: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3114801/
Have you been diagnosed with PMR or is the prednisone for another condition? Also, if the starting dose is not getting rid of the pain, I think you might want to contact your doctor and make sure they know that it's not working for you.