@richardab Can you remind of us of your time course ? Origianlly ,i assume, you had PAIN and Stiffness in the morning ? You questions made me think of these paragraphs from this very recent paper : - for me - I would say I am no longer miserable ! ( After increasing from 15 , to 20 to 30mg in May and now tapering from 30 mg to 25mg over 15 days)
(2023 – C Dejaco first author: Treat-to-target recommendations in giant cell arteritis and polymyalgia rheumatica) the numbers are footnotes.
IN OVERARCHING PRINCIPLES section : Management of GCA and PMR should be based on shared decision making between the informed patient and the physician.
The vast majority of patients with GCA and PMR accept initial treatment given the sudden onset of symptoms and their significant impact on quality of life and daily activities. Once remission is achieved, ‘coming off glucocorticoids’ and ‘living with glucocorticoids’ become important aspects of the ongoing care for patients.55 The maintenance of the target must, therefore, be discussed in light of emerging adverse consequences of treatment, particularly in the long term. Similarly, the possible advantages and disadvantages of different drugs and routes of administration need to be discussed with patients on an individual basis.
Patient awareness should also be directed to understand the distinctions between disease-related and disease-unrelated symptoms. For example, shoulder pain in PMR might be due to a relapse or unrelated to PMR, such as osteoarthritis, adhesive capsulitis or rotator cuff disease. Fatigue can be either a symptom of GCA and PMR, caused by other conditions or due to treatment.48