Prednisone and joint pain
Prednisone is used to treat the symptoms of many types of inflammatory arthritis including rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, Reiter’s disease, systemic lupus erythematosus, and polymyalgia rheumatica. It is extremely effective for temporarily controlling symptoms. It acts by blocking the effects of cyclooxygenase, an enzyme that is responsible for the production of prostaglandins. Prednisone dosing is variable depending on the severity of the problem. While it is extremely effective it does have potential side-effects. If you take a corticosteroid like prednisone for more than a few weeks, you cannot not stop taking it suddenly. Disease symptoms (like shortness of breath with asthma or joint pain with arthritis) can get worse. In fact, too rapid a reduction of prednisone often leads to more joint pain. Carefully follow your doctor’s instructions for decreasing the dose.
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