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← Return to Precursor symptoms to PMR?
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Hi @gloriad same for me, before I saw my primary I tried Advil, then Tylenol Arthritis, then Advil and Tylenol Arthritis at the same time, then Arthrotec, with no relief at all. I finally was able to get an appointment with my primary (took a couple of weeks). I'm almost 60. See rheum for first time tomorrow. Currently on 20 mg pred daily but the side effects are unpleasant, and I still have quite a lot of pain and stiffness, so of course my thoughts are 1) It's not PMR! 2) It's PMR and something else too! 3) It's PMR but prednisone dose too low! 4) It's PMR but prednisone just doesn't work for me! Definitely down the rabbit hole on this one.
Replies to "Hi @gloriad same for me, before I saw my primary I tried Advil, then Tylenol Arthritis,..."
If you have intermittent flares of iritis, that generally isn't associated with PMR --- iritis is associated more with inflammatory arthritis and other autoimmune disorders but not usually PMR. This link lists various known causes of iritis.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/iritis/symptoms-causes/syc-20354961
I had recurring flares of iritis and that didn't prevent me from being diagnosed with PMR in addition to inflammatory arthritis.
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With that being said #1 is more likely than #2 but having PMR with something else in addition to PMR is possible. Having one autoimmune disorder increases the risk of having others.
Furthermore, you can't rule out the possibility of #3 and #4. However PMR almost always responds to a Prednisone dose of 15 mg to usually no more than say 40 mg more of less.
Diagnosing PMR is mostly someone's guess because there isn't any exact criteria for diagnosing PMR.
After being diagnosed with PMR and getting on Prednisone --- there isn't any tapering method that works for everyone but first you need an accurate diagnosis.
Most research into PMR has a disclaimer that more research is needed. Everything about PMR is as clear as mud and very confusing.
I was diagnosed with PMR 15 years ago. I didn't finally get off Prednisone until 3 years ago. I have managed to learn a few things along the way but mostly ... I don't know much of anything. I'm just happy to be done with Prednisone but I probably still have PMR.
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Good luck with the rheum tomorrow. I have not been 100% sure that I have PMR but the doctor was not interested in looking at anything else so that is what I am treated for. I agree the side effects can be miserable. Good luck and keep us posted.