Temporal arteritis is treated with steroid medicine, usually prednisolone.
Treatment will be started before temporal arteritis is confirmed because of the risk of vision loss if it's not dealt with quickly.
There are 2 stages of treatment:
- An initial high dose of steroids for a few weeks to help bring your symptoms under control.
- A lower steroid dose (after your symptoms have improved) given over a longer period of time, possibly several years.
A small number of people may need to take steroids for the rest of their life.
You'll have regular follow-ups to see how you're doing and check for any side effects you may have.
Steroids
Do not suddenly stop taking steroids unless your doctor tells you to. Stopping a prescribed course of medicine could make you very ill.