Polymalgia

[dannyk13]

Anyone else suffering with polymialgia? I have been trying to gradually come of prednisolone and got down to 2.5 mg a day but the muscles in my right upper arm have become very painful.I will have to increase the dose but a not sure to what ( My doctor more or less trusts me to regulate the condition myself.Aby suggestions appreciated.

[Barmaid]

My dad was diagnosed with this then he went to see a consultant who said it wasn't this it was something else and took him off the prednisolene. His symptoms immediately reappeared. Now he is on a stepped dose of it where he is gradually decreasing the dose. However, the last decrease resulted in the pain recurring so he has slightly increased again. He does 5mg (I think) one day and 2.5mg the next.

good luck, I know how painful this can be. ON the bright side, my nan had this and after a couple of years on the steroids it cleared up.

[dannyk13]

Thanks Barmaid

[ttfn]

danny, whilst the drug is effective at reducing the pain it cannot clear the root cause. As the dosage reduces to quite low it seems as though there is likely to be a seesaw reaction. I understand a lot of GPs will permit their patients to self-prescribe. Good luck and keep taking the tablets.

[Sqad]

No, I do not suffer from PR.

If you are getting pains, then i would certainly at least double the dose to 5mgms a day and monitor your response.
If the pain subsides, then stay on that dose, but if the pain is still present with the same intensity, then double the dose to 10mgms a day and monitor.

[dannyk13]

Thanks TTFN.It is said that this condition usually clears itself after two years.As I am at the eighteen months stage I live in hope.

[Barmaid]

Sqad, much as I would never expect you to disagree with my legal advice, I am going to disagree with you. Dad has found that only a slight increase so that he does 5mg one day and 2.5mg the next manages the symptoms. It takes a while to come down from the dosages so I would be concerned about immediately doubling them.

If I am wrong, I would be more than prepared to report to your swimming pool for suitable chastisement.

[Sqad]

Barmaid....OK

[albaqwerty]

OK to which paragraph sqad? :-D

[Sqad]

alba...LOL....BOTH.

[albaqwerty]

phew, that's a relief!!
I've no idea what polymialgia is but it sounds incredibly painful :-(

[ttfn]

I really wish you are one of the success stories, danny :)

[masma]

I'm on 15 mg at the moment, if I take it down to 10 mg I start suffering especially tiredness and painfull toes.