Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...

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hawkeye53 07/14/2013

Just wondering for those on prednisone how helpful is it with pain control? The reason i'm asking is i'm newly dx with ra although have had symptoms for over 5 yrs now. have been dx all this time as fibro as nothing has shown up in blood work although now dx as seronegative with erosions on mri. Started methotrexate 2 weeks ago and know it will take a few weeks yet to see if helpful. Already on meds for fibro and so when rheumy asked if wanted to also add prednisone I'm assuming until methotrexate kicks in I was hesitant to add additional med. She said she'll start plaquinal when I see her in a couple of weeks to the methotrextae. Pain control currently not great and could hardly walk 2 nights ago with foot pain and swelling. We have 3 kids that are on summer break from school with the youngest 8 yrs old autistic so although kids not toddlers he comes with his own unique challenges and I need to be able to care for him. Didn't know how much the prednisone did help with pain for those who take it until other meds kick in? Just thinking about calling Rheumy to ask if this may be an option for me?

nerot 07/14/2013

I don't like to take Prednisone but as a short term relief from pain and stiffness it works quite well for me. If you use it as directed it should help a lot.

trishcorsi 07/14/2013

Lets put it this way two days ago both hands were in braces-those didn't help all that much-my husband went and picked up Medrol (methyprednisolone) which I can tolerate much, much better than Prednisone. Today I am able to move my fingers and wrists, my elbow is tolerable and my foot, though not yet gone is tolerable. That's after two days on steroids. I watch grandchildren albeit not on the hourly basis that you have but it sure helps to be able to move! I wish you well, I have been on mtx since Feb, so "flares" can still occur, you just have to figure a way around them. Good luck in your choices. Trish

WarriorGal 07/15/2013

as i understand it medrol is prednisone. ? Anyhow, pred is not a pain killer per se, however it is powerful in relieiving the cause of the pain - the inflamation, but is only recommended for short-terms use. medrol is handy cause it starts with a good dose and automatically reduces it. talk to your doc. good luck.

nancyfoco 07/15/2013

Right now I am tapering down on prednisone. I started out at 40 mg/day, now I'm at 20 mg, then it will be 10mg. Prednisone helped quite a bit with reducing a lot, but not all, of my swelling. While on the pred. I was told not to take any NSAIDs. Since I don't have anything else at the moment, that meant I couldn't take anything for the remaining pain.

Angelpuss 07/15/2013

Prednisone is the drug we love and hate at the same time Lol. Short-term it can make such a difference to swelling and the pain caused by the swelling. If you can avoid it, not a drug for long-term use.
Hugs

deleted_user 07/16/2013

I haven't read through the other answers yet - but wanted to tell you that my first month on Prednisone was HEAVENLY - I thought I was cured! I went from disabling pain to almost NO pain (or minimal pain).

Alas, it did not last. After roughly a month the blissful pain relief began to recede, and the pain came back.

But I'd give anything for that month back!

My rheumy also kind of used it to confirm RA. I didn't know this until he told me later that because the Prednisone worked so fast, and so well on my pains, that was a very definitive sign of RA inflammation being present.

I also had the positive RF and some other wonky blood work. But my inflammation markers don't seem to correlate with my pain at all. Very weird.

Best of luck!

deleted_user 07/17/2013

If you have RA then prednisone will work on the inflammation that causes the pain. But beware of the many side effects, you can 'google' that (too many to list). Many rheumy's use the drug as a diagnosis tool plus short term relief until the slower acting drugs kick in. Some folks like myself require quite an array of meds (drug cocktail) to maintain pain relief and absence of joint damage. It can take a while for you & your doc to find that drug combination that works for you---so hang in there. I'm currently on: Enbrel, Arava, Plaquinil, & Norco I was Dx 13 years ago, and had to be on prednisone back then & am hoping I never have to go back on it any time soon. Please be very careful about weaning down the dosage & follow docs directions. If you decrease the dosage too quickly (a decrease of even a 1/2 mg can make a big difference) then you will definitely feel the effects of that---so decrease slowly---advice from someone with experience--ouch! Take care, hope this helps.
Cheryl

sammyo1 07/17/2013

It does help me, but the dose matters. I seem to require at least 15mg.
My RA weans down from 15 to 10 to 5 mg over 3 wk period.
Soon as I decrease the relief is not as good.
Yes it's a med we love & hate. I've heard it referred to prednisone "good guy, bad guy"
Fits it perfectly.
I wish you the best of luck
Sammy

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