I'm thinking you shouldn't be tapering while traveling. I traveled extensively when I was taking prednisone. I increased my dose for the sole purpose of traveling. I took an extra supply of prednisone with me so I wouldn't run out.
I haven't needed any prednisone for about 4 years. I'm being treated for PMR but not with prednisone anymore. Now I get a monthly infusion of Actemra (tocilizumab) for PMR. My travel is limited by my monthly infusion so I can only travel for 4 to 6 weeks maximum. My rheumatologist still prescribes prednisone as needed when I travel. So far, since I switched to Actemra, I haven't needed any prednisone when I travel. The timing of my Actemra infusion gets tricky because I do an infusion right before I leave and as soon as I return home.
I am new to this forum. I was diagnosed with PMR on July 29th and started on 25 mg Prednisone. I also have post herpetic neuralgia and occipital neuralgia. CRP is down to normal and today GP reduced Pred to 20mg for 1 week then 15 mg until I see Rheumatologist in November. Starting Fosamax as well.
We’re supposed to leave in 2 weeks for my retirement trip. We have planned a slow trip around southern Spain and other than the overseas flight, the travel days are short train trips. We’re mid sixties and usually active hiking, biking, walking, gym etc. We’re undecided if we should travel or cancel. Out country medical insurance won’t cover anything related to PMR but dr,, pharmacist and RMT all said they would go on the trip. Dr qualified by saying if the trip would cause too much stress then not to go. I have another appointment with her on Friday and we have til 25th to decide.
Appreciate any additional advice to that already provided in earlier comments.
I’ve had PMR for 2 years now, starting with 30 mg of Prednisone. Once I took the medication I have never had a flare. I have also been doing what is called a very slow tapering schedule. Many doctors do not know about a very slow tapering, and they go with that .5 drop over a short period of time. My drop is a .O5 drop. I read about this type of taper in the PMR support group on Facebook. In all my reading of many people’s experiences with PMR, the slow tapering seems to be the most effective. I’m now down to 5.5. My husband and I went to Europe for the month of April. I never experienced any flare or pain. BUT, as you will read on this Mayo website as well as any other PMR support groups you follow, everyone is different, though we do appreciate everyone’s suggestions. Ultimately of course this will be your decision, but I think most agree here that the main thing you do if you have an extreme flare is you go up in your dose by .5 which typically knocks the pain away so I would definitely go, but have the prednisone you
“ might” need with you.
I am new to this forum. I was diagnosed with PMR on July 29th and started on 25 mg Prednisone. I also have post herpetic neuralgia and occipital neuralgia. CRP is down to normal and today GP reduced Pred to 20mg for 1 week then 15 mg until I see Rheumatologist in November. Starting Fosamax as well.
We’re supposed to leave in 2 weeks for my retirement trip. We have planned a slow trip around southern Spain and other than the overseas flight, the travel days are short train trips. We’re mid sixties and usually active hiking, biking, walking, gym etc. We’re undecided if we should travel or cancel. Out country medical insurance won’t cover anything related to PMR but dr,, pharmacist and RMT all said they would go on the trip. Dr qualified by saying if the trip would cause too much stress then not to go. I have another appointment with her on Friday and we have til 25th to decide.
Appreciate any additional advice to that already provided in earlier comments.
I would take the trip, with a good supply of prednisone. I personally, would slow my taper down before a trip. As much as I hate taking prednisone, I would pause my taper, if I was feeling pretty good. Once I got to 10 mg., I had a flare. I'm sure a 2 day road trip during the holidays didn't help matters. I've read that it's not uncommon to have a flare at 10 mg.
Thank you to each of you who have taken the time to share your travel experiences. We have decided to postpone our trip to October and shorten to one month. I was able to get my initial appointment with the Rheumatologist moved up to Sept and if all going well, we’ll leave 10 days after the appointment, This way, I will be able to buy a rider on our out of country medical that covers pre existing conditions that are stable within 7 days. We weren’t comfortable with the possible financial risk if anything happened to me over there. It’s a compromise and hopefully will work out. The air quality and fire risk in Spain should be better then too. Thanks again to each of you.
When I travel I hold the dose steady. I do not return to tapering until I return home to my normal home routine. I’ve been tapering down and up for 3 years, another week or two or three is not going to matter to me anymore. ☺️
I am a 69 year-old male that has been fighting PMR for almost 5 years now. I have mostly been in “ remission“ for about a year and a half. That doesn’t mean it’s gone or that I don’t still feel pain and stiffness in the morning and have bouts of fatigue every day. However, all of those are less than they were. I was off prednisone for about 20 months.
I have found traveling difficult and to cause flareups in PMR. In fact recently, I did too much in the morning didn’t get enough, rest during the day or at night due to trying to do too many activities to satisfy family and friends. As a result, I had a hard flareup and had to go back on 20 mg of prednisone for five days which I’m in the middle of. It has absolutely well the symptoms. The big question now is once I go off in a few days which will return remission or the flare up?
My advice to you about traveling followers:
Try not to sit too long without getting up and moving at least once an hour,
Try to manage your schedule so you don’t have to do too much in the morning,
Try not to get too far off your normal schedule of sleep and rest,
Drink plenty of water,
Bring a portable fan with you in case buses, plains, trains or a hotel rooms are stuffy or have poor air circulation.
Keep moving, but not too much,
Try to maintain a healthy diet of plenty of protein, especially in the morning and not too much in the way of carbohydrates.
I did travel to Europe for 2 weeks while tapering this spring. I was a little concerned, mostly that I would otherwise get sick since flu and other respiratory illnesses were circulating at the time. 1 week was for work and the other for fun so I came across many different people in the 3 countries I visited. Here are some things I did that made me feel better and more prepared. 1) I made sure I was up to date on vaccines. 2) I had bloodwork done and visited my doc a week before traveling to make sure I had a clean bill of health. 3) I had my doc prophylactically prescribe tamiflu and paxlovid just in case I got flu and covid. 4) I timed my tapering so that I was stable on my current dose for 2-3 weeks before leaving and didn’t change my dose while gone. 5) I brought enough prednisone for 3 extra weeks in case something happened. 6) I told my wife the dosage I was taking in case of emergency. 7) I timed my first day dosages in Europe so that I didn’t go more than 24 hrs since taking prednisone the day before. 8) I kept my prednisone on me, not in a checked bag. 9) I took a daytime flight to Europe so I wouldn't be exhausted and lower my immune system. 10) I chose flight seats in the aisle and turned air on as high as it would go to minimize airborne particles from people coughing. I wish you the best of luck. My time out of the country was liberating and reassuring to know I wasn’t tied down by PMR but that I took reasonable precautions to feel good.
Make sure to bring extra Prednisone along, and pack it with carry-on luggage. I learned the hard way when I had a relapse in Canada a few years back and had to drive to Vermont to get my Prednisone at Walgreens. And yes, expect more fatigue - take afternoon naps whenever possible. But go.
I'm on my way from Los Angeles to Paris and wonder how to time my 3Mg of Prednisone dose. I have been consistently taking it at breakfast (around 7am). In Paris this would mean 4pm.
Do others continue to keep to their home time zone while traveling? Thank you.
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I'm thinking you shouldn't be tapering while traveling. I traveled extensively when I was taking prednisone. I increased my dose for the sole purpose of traveling. I took an extra supply of prednisone with me so I wouldn't run out.
I haven't needed any prednisone for about 4 years. I'm being treated for PMR but not with prednisone anymore. Now I get a monthly infusion of Actemra (tocilizumab) for PMR. My travel is limited by my monthly infusion so I can only travel for 4 to 6 weeks maximum. My rheumatologist still prescribes prednisone as needed when I travel. So far, since I switched to Actemra, I haven't needed any prednisone when I travel. The timing of my Actemra infusion gets tricky because I do an infusion right before I leave and as soon as I return home.
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2 ReactionsI’ve had PMR for 2 years now, starting with 30 mg of Prednisone. Once I took the medication I have never had a flare. I have also been doing what is called a very slow tapering schedule. Many doctors do not know about a very slow tapering, and they go with that .5 drop over a short period of time. My drop is a .O5 drop. I read about this type of taper in the PMR support group on Facebook. In all my reading of many people’s experiences with PMR, the slow tapering seems to be the most effective. I’m now down to 5.5. My husband and I went to Europe for the month of April. I never experienced any flare or pain. BUT, as you will read on this Mayo website as well as any other PMR support groups you follow, everyone is different, though we do appreciate everyone’s suggestions. Ultimately of course this will be your decision, but I think most agree here that the main thing you do if you have an extreme flare is you go up in your dose by .5 which typically knocks the pain away so I would definitely go, but have the prednisone you
“ might” need with you.
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Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionI would take the trip, with a good supply of prednisone. I personally, would slow my taper down before a trip. As much as I hate taking prednisone, I would pause my taper, if I was feeling pretty good. Once I got to 10 mg., I had a flare. I'm sure a 2 day road trip during the holidays didn't help matters. I've read that it's not uncommon to have a flare at 10 mg.
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Like -
Helpful -
Hug
1 ReactionThank you to each of you who have taken the time to share your travel experiences. We have decided to postpone our trip to October and shorten to one month. I was able to get my initial appointment with the Rheumatologist moved up to Sept and if all going well, we’ll leave 10 days after the appointment, This way, I will be able to buy a rider on our out of country medical that covers pre existing conditions that are stable within 7 days. We weren’t comfortable with the possible financial risk if anything happened to me over there. It’s a compromise and hopefully will work out. The air quality and fire risk in Spain should be better then too. Thanks again to each of you.
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Helpful -
Hug
3 ReactionsWhen I travel I hold the dose steady. I do not return to tapering until I return home to my normal home routine. I’ve been tapering down and up for 3 years, another week or two or three is not going to matter to me anymore. ☺️
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3 ReactionsGood advise. ☺️
Thank you for this helpful information.
Donn
Make sure to bring extra Prednisone along, and pack it with carry-on luggage. I learned the hard way when I had a relapse in Canada a few years back and had to drive to Vermont to get my Prednisone at Walgreens. And yes, expect more fatigue - take afternoon naps whenever possible. But go.
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1 ReactionYou're right about the fatigue! All I want to do is nap.
I'm on my way from Los Angeles to Paris and wonder how to time my 3Mg of Prednisone dose. I have been consistently taking it at breakfast (around 7am). In Paris this would mean 4pm.
Do others continue to keep to their home time zone while traveling? Thank you.