Prednisone update. It has been 2 1/2 years since the Polymyalgia Rheumatica muscle disorder struck. Most of my race times have suffered pretty much during this time. The prednisone medication dosage was 15 mg at the start of the treatment, then settled down to 10 for several months, then I gradually worked the dosage down 1 mg at a time. A couple of times I tried to take the dosage down to 4 or 5 mg but the pain in the neck and shoulders and back would get too severe so I would bump it back up to 8 mg.
Over the past 2 months I could finally feel deep inside my muscles a change for the better and I gradually dropped the dosage down to 5 mg and then down to 4 mg and for the past week down to 3 mg. So far so good. I'll stay on 3 mg until after the St. George Marathon on October 4th. Then drop to 2 mg and see what happens. This is good news. |