PMC,

Prior to starting prednisone, I had suffered from very bad joint pain for years...Just prior to having my thymectomy, i noticed that this pain was going away...I started taking prednisone after my surgery...I feel pretty sure that the prednisone has kept the joint pain at bay, although it's possible that something else changed that caused the pain to lessen (I didn't start taking the prednisone until a couple of weeks post-surgery).

However, I developed new pains in my back that the prednisone does not seem to treat. I feel pretty sure that the prednisone has actually caused this pain, but my other joint pain has not returned to the extent it was at before.

I'm currently tapering off of my prednisone, and have notice a bit of resurfacing of my joint pain. I'm tapering slowly, so I can handle it...I think that tapering too quickly can be tough in terms of pain-tolerance...