Changing from prednisone to NSAID’s

Posted by longlife @longlife, Jul 20 2:38am

I have had pmr for nearly 6months and came off prednisone (15mg) down to 0 about a month ago. I have pain every day in varying degrees and can’t lift my arms up further than my shoulder. It seems to affect my knee joints which makes it hard to walk some days. I eat well (I am a pescatarian) and follow a Mediterranean diet which is very anti-inflammatory. I want to know if there is anything I can use i.e muscle balm for pair relief, so I can be more mobile. I am 60 yrs & work 5 days per week and it would be great to have some advice as to any other natural treatments for this condition?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Support Group.

@glinda47

Glad you found something that works!
Knowing you have a pill that won't affect you negatively like the other two is often enough to help you relax. The reading or movie often helps me too. I also watch ASMR videos for the last decade actually. They used to help more...I need a break!
LOVE that you and your husband still enjoy an intimate relationship...also saw your note below about backrubs and massages. Oh so wonderful to have that closeness.

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I do know how lucky my hubby and I are! Last night I was having one of those “ moderate to severe” pain nights 🥲 —in my neck and shoulders and I had to take a whole pain pill ( I usually take only half) plus one Tylenol ES
Rapid release capsule, 500mg. Then had my husband rub some Aspercreme on my neck, shoulders and upper back. Finally got some relief in about an hour—this is pretty much my go to routine with severe pain that works for me.
I’m lucky to have a caring hubby— and I do the same for him as well!❤️😍💕

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You sound like a lovely person and you and hub a beautiful, loving couple.
My hope is that you are rid of pmr completely very soon.
Did you ever take pred? I don't recall.

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@jlo2252

I do know how lucky my hubby and I are! Last night I was having one of those “ moderate to severe” pain nights 🥲 —in my neck and shoulders and I had to take a whole pain pill ( I usually take only half) plus one Tylenol ES
Rapid release capsule, 500mg. Then had my husband rub some Aspercreme on my neck, shoulders and upper back. Finally got some relief in about an hour—this is pretty much my go to routine with severe pain that works for me.
I’m lucky to have a caring hubby— and I do the same for him as well!❤️😍💕

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Your tapering off prednisone seems too fast to me and you might have to resume taking it until the PMR symptoms are gone or tolerable. Also, if your knees or other joints are hurting you may have osteoarthritis too and need Celebrex a better NSAID. Talk to your rheumatologist.

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@glinda47

You sound like a lovely person and you and hub a beautiful, loving couple.
My hope is that you are rid of pmr completely very soon.
Did you ever take pred? I don't recall.

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Thank you for your kind words! My hubby and I do have are “off” days but we do have a good sense of humor and a 9 year old grandson to keep us in line 😂😂 he periodically stays with us for a few days and charges us up around here😂😂.
Yes, I’m currently tapered down to 7.5 mg prednisone, which is obviously not controlling my symptoms very well! I’m waiting for my upcoming appointment with my pulmonary doctor to give clearance for me to be on Actemra. Then my rheumatologist will start me on this and I’m hoping this will work as well for me as it did for Dadcue here…..
Wishing you the best on your health journey as well!

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@christopherc

Your tapering off prednisone seems too fast to me and you might have to resume taking it until the PMR symptoms are gone or tolerable. Also, if your knees or other joints are hurting you may have osteoarthritis too and need Celebrex a better NSAID. Talk to your rheumatologist.

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To Christopherc:
Don’t know if your comment was meant for me or not, my taper to 7.5 mg prednisone was slow and I have been on that dose for a couple of months now, just waiting for pulmonary doc to ok the Actemra my rheumatologist wants me to take. He would like to avoid more prednisone if possible because of my osteoporosis. I also have a complex history of inflammatory arthritis, osteoarthritis in addition to my PMR! I’m also sensitive to NSAIDS so I generally stay away from those. On one occasion that I was put on Meloxicam I had to be on a gastric protective drug, carafate concurrently- this worked well at the time for an acute flare of my inflammatory arthritis.

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@jlo2252

Thank you for your kind words! My hubby and I do have are “off” days but we do have a good sense of humor and a 9 year old grandson to keep us in line 😂😂 he periodically stays with us for a few days and charges us up around here😂😂.
Yes, I’m currently tapered down to 7.5 mg prednisone, which is obviously not controlling my symptoms very well! I’m waiting for my upcoming appointment with my pulmonary doctor to give clearance for me to be on Actemra. Then my rheumatologist will start me on this and I’m hoping this will work as well for me as it did for Dadcue here…..
Wishing you the best on your health journey as well!

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There are risks to taking Actemra but I hope it works well for you too.

Just remember, it wasn't that easy for me to taper off prednisone even with Actemra. However, it was easier getting off prednisone with Actemra compared to without. The nice thing about Actemra was that it could be stopped for any unwanted ramifications.

The way I see it ... the biggest advantage of Actemra is that it doesn't suppress my adrenal function like prednisone did. Overall, I feel better being on Actemra but I wish I didn't need Actemra. It was a choice given to me between Actemra or more prednisone. So far, I don't regret my decision.

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@jlo2252

To Christopherc:
Don’t know if your comment was meant for me or not, my taper to 7.5 mg prednisone was slow and I have been on that dose for a couple of months now, just waiting for pulmonary doc to ok the Actemra my rheumatologist wants me to take. He would like to avoid more prednisone if possible because of my osteoporosis. I also have a complex history of inflammatory arthritis, osteoarthritis in addition to my PMR! I’m also sensitive to NSAIDS so I generally stay away from those. On one occasion that I was put on Meloxicam I had to be on a gastric protective drug, carafate concurrently- this worked well at the time for an acute flare of my inflammatory arthritis.

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No, my comment about tapering off Prednisone too fast was not meant for you. It was meant for the person, longlife at the top of this Post that said they went from 15 mg to zero in six months.

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