Shar
3/10/01 Hello, I was recently diagnosed with Polymyalgia in early January of this year. My doctor started me on 20 mg of Prednisone for 8 days, and reduced the dose to 15 mg for about 3 weeks. I am presently on 10 mg of Prednisone with a reduction to 7.5 mg planned for next week. I am doing quite well on this program, but I am concerned about the possible side effects of this medicine. I have been assured that low doses are quite safe, as long as I exercise and get extra calcium. I am also on estrogen replacement, since I have passed menopause. I am 55 years old and have been in good health until now. My docotor plans on reducing my Prednisone dose with the help of a steroid sparing drug, Methotrexate, if necessary, in order to get my dose down to a safe level, which he says is 5 mg daily for a couple years. The disease usually lasts up to 3 years. Good luck to all of you out there, who have this disorder.