Hi Eleanor

A short dose such as you describe is unlikely to cause you any side effects since most of them are associated with long term steroid usage.

Also 30 mg is a moderate dose. I have had doses up to 80mg in the past and they did cause some side effects.

Even then, balancing the side effects against the good effects, the medication was worth taking. However we all differ and you need to comfortable with it.

Hope that helps

Me too but my rheumy consultant said something strange about them when I mentioned that I had been put on a 60mg course by A&E. 'It's not a dose rheumatology would use.' So I asked what rheumatology would use and was told 7.5 mg as a max! That's interesting because I have had several attempts at getting below 20 mg and have never succeeded yet. I have tried going down in 5 and 2.5mg steps. I am now trying 1 mg steps. I am down to 18 and the top of my pelvis is a slow burning fire, if you know what I mean.

Oh and yes - the heart palpitations are disturbing aren't they, especially noticeable at night and when lying on your side? I also had terrible nightmares, although that could partly be due to the amitryptiline.