The 5mg Threshold

Diagnosed in October 2025 and started at 15mg Predinsone.

Rheumy took me down by 2.5mg per month, and all was good until I reached 5mg. PMR symptoms returned immediately, but different that what I experienced pre-diagnosis. Instead of extreme pain in my shoulder joints and extreme stiffness throughout my posterior chain and in my neck and shoulders, I got morning stiffness in my fingers and wrists, and sometimes in my big toes -- like arthritis where I never had it before.

Rheumy jacked me back up to 10mg, which quieted all my symptoms. After a month, down to 7.5mg -- all good. Another month, 5mg and, after 2 full weeks this time -- no symptoms.

I do not want to celebrate prematurely, but I am hoping my PMR has burnt itself out. Last time I got to 5mg, symptoms immediately returned. This time at 5mg, no symptoms at all, and I am at almost exactly 1 year out from initial symptoms and 10 months out from diagnosis/Prednisone.

In addition -- and I know this is extremely subjective -- I just "feel" better. Like, normal. Like, before PMR. Less fatigued, less depressed, just -- normal.

I hope I'm one of the lucky ones for whom PMR burns out after only a year.

Next inflammation labs are in two weeks and, if normal again, I'm anxious to see if my Rheumy drops me another 2.5mg or switches to the more gradual .1mg reduction to minimize withdrawal symptoms as my adrenals "wake up" and begin producing Cortisol again.