Current before reaching steady state is known as transient current.

In steady state current

and voltage becomes constant, but in transient state they change and tends to constant steady
value.

Take example of ‘Charging a capacitor’. Key is pressed at t=0. Current is shown using dot(.)
plot. In t= infinity (after enough large time) current becomes zero and remain zero, which is
steady state. Before its current starts from Vb/R, decreases and tends to zero, which is
transient state. So, we can consider current from t=0 to t=4RC as transient current.