I have such problems with medication sensitivity that my doctor finally just gave me a prescription of prednisone and when I get where I can’t stand the pain, I take the five day dosage, 5,4,3,2,1 And it works great for a while. I’m hoping it works for you, as well. I agree with you, Stoney, re long-term use.
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Hey @Tootles. Thank you for your reply.
Thank you. So far so good. Although I had a rough night with my husband being sick (he treated me to supper out at a restaurant and we believe he got food poisoning from something he ate that thankfully I did not.), I woke up earlier than usual, not much stiffness, but my shoulder and neck are a bit painful this morning. I’m think it’s because of how I slept, not really well, trying to listen out for my husband if he needed anything. My ankles seem to be less swollen this morning which there hasn’t been a change in them until today.
Maybe that’s an option for me as well since I have so many allergies and sensitivities. I’ll ask my doctor about it my next appointment. Thank you for the suggestion.
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Dear Angie,
Starting a new medication can be extremely nerve-racking, especially if you’ve had issues in the past. I am so glad to hear that the prednisone is doing its job! My prayers will be with you and your husband. Hope he is feeling better today!
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@Tootles
Thank you hunny. Yes it can be. Yes so far no adverse effects. Thank God! Thank you for your prayers. I’m going to wake him up in a few to to check on him. Hopefully and prayfully he feels better.
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Yes they use prednisone for allergies. Medrol,Prednisone, is the same. You may feel more energized, nervous, irritable but that is just normal side effects. I just finished a two week course . Oh and take it with food so your tummy is not upset. Taking earlier in day helps it not interfere with sleep. I need it about 3 times a year. I also started weighing myself daily to remind me to watch what I eat so weight gain is none to minimal. It can make you hungry.
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@Bern thank you for your input.
Oh yeah I have had more energy no doubt. I think I’ve overdone it again 
my left shoulder up to my neck are hurting horribly today. I’ve got an ice pack on it now. And I’ve taken 800 mg motrin. But doesn’t seem to be helping. Oh dear Lord!
I’ve been watching what I eat. And eating small healthy meals and snacks.
Since ice pack isn’t helping, try warm moist heat. I keep both on hand. I also use topical stuff like Icy Hot and Biofreeze.
Alternating heat and cold on the painful area often works well. So apply heat for 5 minutes and then cold for 5 minutes and repeat for say 20 to 30 minutes at a time. The physios call it the non drug anti-inflammatory. A proper description of it is better decribed as ‘RICE’ although that has ‘elevation’ issues in there too. But I’ve found when I apply both heat and ice consequtively it helps more.
@Bern hey hun. I’m can’t tolerate any kind of heat. The ice pack and Motrin finally helped tho.
@poo_therapy thank you hunny. Sorry to say but I can’t tolerate any kind of heat. It burns and makes my skin numb. Been like that for a while but has gotten worse. Even a shower has to be almost cold or it feels like a sand storm hitting my skin, and I’ll get lightheaded and weak legged. Heat therapy doesn’t bother me that bad but close.
Update on the prednisone pack.
Last dose taken. Yay! But sadly I haven’t seen or felt any real improvement that had lasted Actually I have had more pain, muscle tightness, cramps and spasms than I was having. My ankles are still swollen as are my knees. My hips still hurt too.
Maybe some of it is a side effect?? Or maybe I need a higher dose???
A I understand. I can’t tolerate warm showers. The Biofreeze is cold. Glad you are feeling better.
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@Bern
I’m glad I’m not the only one. (Not glad of the reason we can’t handle it tho.) I was beginning to think I was weird lol I’ll check on the biofreeze. I have to be careful what I use because of all the allergies and sensitivities I have. Thank you for your help.
It’s not usual to get increased swelling as a side effect of pred. So I’m thinking your course was too low in dose and simply didn’t do its stuff for you. When in August is your rheumy appointment?
@Poo_therapy.
I was afraid of that. But now that I think about it, I couldn’t really even tell I had taken anything when it was just one of the 4mg pills, but it felt like too much when you had to take two of them.
My rheumatologist appointment is Aug 23rd. Still over a month away.
I found this about prednisone. 
It appears the muscle pain can be a side effect as well as swelling.
This website maybe more reliable but it says the same things.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/prednisone-oral-route/side-effects/drg-20075269
I find whenever I’m on pred I can wear my rings on the usual fingers. Off it I either can’t wear them at all or just on the wrong fingers. On it I find my watch strap is looser and off it, it’s tighter. On it I don’t get a really annoying sock ridge on my ankles, off it I do. And when other meds are working it’s more like being on pred as well.
I’ve just finished a month long dose of pred having been put back in the gap due to waiting for the delivery of my first biologic and the fact my previous med just stopped working, the last two weeks of it bumping along on a really low dose. I’ve never found it gives me those side effects but actually really just helps. But I know that unless I do a week of 20mg before reducing it never works as well. However an 8 day reducing course can work just enough or rather help me if say I was on vacation, which happened both this year and last year as we tend to do kind of active vacations.
Everyone is different though. I do find however if I read sites detailing side effects of anything, I tend to think I’ve got most of them but when I look back months later, I can see that really I didn’t. Muscle pain, swelling, cramps and spasms etc are symptoms of PsA though too, so then I get to thinking why they list the symptoms of my disease as side effects anyway! And then I give up trying to work it out.
I will say this though, it’s just so good when something just gets on and does its job. When sulfasalazine started working for me it was my partner who first noticed I had just stopped struggling so much rather than me. So here’s hoping that for you once you get to see your rheumy in August things will start to improve for you too.
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@Poo_therapy hey. Thank you for your information.
I know it’s supposed to have helped but I really didn’t see any improvement except the couple of days that I had to take two pills at a time, and It didn’t last long, otherwise nothing.
Yeah, I thought it was strange they’d give me something that has side effects that I’m hoping I’ll get rid of or at the lessen.
Praying for the rheumatologist to give me something that will help at least with my energy level and lessen the pain. I have a hard time even cooking and forget cleaning like I need or want to! Just so frustrating! And my husband is very active and I know he tries to understand but I know he just doesn’t get how much the heat and humidity take out of me. I’m feeling like a horrible wife. 
Steroids are the standard ‘rescue remedy’ for interim relief while we’re waiting around. In general, it does look like side effects are usually far outweighed by the good effects on pain and stiffness. It’s a real shame this hasn’t happened for you, but your doctor wasn’t to know.
Sometimes a good result on steroids helps to confirm a diagnosis of inflammatory arthritis because they go straight for the inflammation. So it could be that at least some of your pain comes from damage to joints as opposed to active inflammation.
It’s little consolation I know, but try to keep an objective record of what does and does not ease up while you’re on the steroids because it could help your rheumy to understand what is going on.
I was given a pred pack when I first was diagnosed and I didn’t feel like it did anything for me either. Then at my last appt in May, I got a steriod shot and the same thing, so maybe it just doesn’t work for everyone.
@Sybil thank you for your input. I believe the dosage just wasn’t high enough. I have a low tolerance so it’s rather surprising that would be the case but since taking 2 -4mg pills seemed to help more than just the one 4mg pill, that seems to be the case.
I have a good bit of swelling in some areas. Wouldn’t that signify inflammation? If the pain is from already damaged joints and connective tissue, there’s no helping me with the pain then???
Thank you. I will write it down.