← Return to Has anyone fought Polymyalgia without prednisone successfully?

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@leetaanderson

Adding my own experience. Diagnosed with PMR in January after an abrupt onset over Christmas. Because of the side effects, I wanted to stay away from prednisone if at all possible. I initially used ibuprofen, but it was not covering the pain. Switched to twice a day Aleve, and I’ve been able to manage the pain this way, along with exercise. Swimming is especially therapeutic, and while the first few laps are uncomfortable, by the end of my swim I’m feeling much better and remain better all day. I also walk and ride my bike. My endurance has been impacted, so I cannot sustain exercise like I used to, but try to move my body in some way every day to minimize potential strength and flexibility loss. I’m trying to cut down on sugars; the rest of my diet is good, no processed foods, etc. Happy to have stayed away from prednisone, but if I have any symptoms of GCA, I will be calling my doc ASAP for a script.

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Replies to "Adding my own experience. Diagnosed with PMR in January after an abrupt onset over Christmas. Because..."

Hi @leetaanderson, Welcome to Connect. Sorry to hear you joined the PMR club but happy to see you are able to manage the symptoms without prednisone. It definitely is a good idea to be aware of any GCA symptoms in case it rears it's ugly head. That's one that you really need to watch for when you have PMR. It sounds like you have the eating part down that helps with PMR. You might find the following discussions helpful or interesting to connect with others:

--- Diet & PMR.: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/diet-pmr/
--- PMR Diet: Foods to eat and avoid: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/diet-and-pmr/

Do you keep a daily log to track your pain levels in the morning when you get up?