Prednisone and Pain

The only thing that helped me was prednisone--40mg a day of it (an unusually high dose). I've been on 40mg for 5 months and have been unable to taper at all despite several tries. My dr said I have a particularly severe case of PMR and that it will be a long road and extremely slow taper. Yes, the side effects are terrible, but the pain is worse. All of which is to ask how much prednisone you were prescribed? Some people need more than others. If your rheumatologists are certain it's PMR, have they discussed increasing the dose of prednisone? It might be worth looking into. Good luck.

My plan is to go from 6 down to 5 1/2 for 5 days or so then go to 5 for a month. That worked last month when I went from 7 to 6 1/2 fir 5 days and then to 6 for a month. I had one flare up and it is not worth another. I want my Adrenal glands to kick in.

Good suggestion. My rheumatologist seemed to think that 1/2 a milligram wouldn't make much difference, but when I saw what dropping just one milligram did to my inflammatory markers, I'm not so sure. He did say that lots of his patients had trouble dropping below 5 mg and in fact had one patient who could not give up that last 1 mg for a year. I've stopped worrying about the effects of a low dose of prednisone when I consider the misery of the alternative.

Pred helps my pain level. I was on 2.5 and had to go to 5mgs to get total relief. Can I ask what side effects you experienced?

I have found that Prednisone takes away pmr pain however my osteo and more common strains will persist. Keeping a pain log helps me keep track of these different types of pain especially during a taper

When I exercise I experience PEM. Has this been a problem for you? If so, how do you deal with it?

I was not familiar with PEM (Post-exertional malaise) and had to look it up! I do relatively light workouts. I am a 79 year-old woman who was quite active before PMR (7 months in). I went to a PT for help with how to get my strength back. I am doing stretching exercises, some isometric exercises for my core, and weight-bearing using only 2 lb weights. The PT suggested I not increase the weight as I get stronger, but increase the reps. The routine I have takes about 30 to 45 minutes and targets every muscle group. I also walk every day for at least 20 to 30 minutes. So far I have had no negative effects from exercise. I have found that when I am feeling stiff or have discomfort, if I go for a walk, it takes away all of the stiffness and pain. I do not have the endurance that I had before PMR and I do pace myself. Perhaps you are overdoing the exercise. I highly recommend seeing a PT who can assess your current status and short-term goals.

Won’t increase dosage of prednisone. It took my normally LOW blood pressure to the sky, and the pressure in my eyes were raised to over 30- warning of glaucoma. I was shaking and could not get a spoon to my mouth. I was jittery, anxious, angry, and exhausted.
My pain was also present. Now I take a prescription anti inflammatory and a Tylenol 8 hr arthritis pain killer. Bad for my liver, but prednisone is poison.

I truly understand what you are experiencing. I have been on Prednisone starting at 80 mg and down to 14 mg with some ups and downs in milligrams along the way for over 2 years. My blood pressure ( which I have never had a problem) skyrocketed. I ended up at the ER. My doctor said that was not concerned because the blood pressure lowered after some time. He said if it didn’t go down then I had a problem. Over the last couple of weeks, I notice that I get so anxious and jittery. My rheumatologist said that it is definitely from the Prednisone. So, I am slowing down the tapering. I have no idea if I will ever get off of the Prednisone but I will try. Best to you.

I have found that vigorous exercise (an hour's worth of cardio, strength training, swimming and stretching) (not all at the same time, ha,ha) always lessens, and sometimes eliminates my pain for several hours. Move as much as you can, as often as you can, every day. I feel fortunate that I am able to move and exercise and wish the best to everyone dealing with this difficult disease. I have learned so much from everyone's posts, questions and answers.