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Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Feb 3 11:37am | Replies (56)
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Could you share some of your other solutions? I tried ACTEMRA and was allergic so I had to stop that and return to Prednisone. Would love to have another alternative.
Replies to "Could you share some of your other solutions? I tried ACTEMRA and was allergic so I..."
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Some of my problems had nothing to do with PMR but I treated everything with prednisone anyway. One example that illustrates this was an episode of excruciating lower back pain that caused buttock pain which radiated down my leg. I took 60 mg of Prednisone and the pain stopped. I have no regrets about taking that much Prednisone because the pain stopped. The pain was caused by severe lumbar spinal stenosis.
"Severe lumbar spinal stenosis causing radicular leg pain" means a significant narrowing of the spinal canal in the lower back, which is compressing the nerve roots and causing radiating pain down the leg, often described as a sharp, shooting sensation, due to the irritation of the nerves; this is commonly referred to as sciatica and is a classic symptom of lumbar spinal stenosis.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/spinal-stenosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20352961#:~:text=Spinal%20stenosis%20in%20the%20lower,people%20also%20have%20back%20pain.
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"Piriformis syndrome" can be a symptom of PMR and can cause the same symptoms that spinal stenosis causes. I have been on PMR forums where the self proclaimed PMR experts said I should take prednisone because piriformis syndrome is a symptom of PMR. When prednisone relieves the pain it is easy to believe that the pain must have been caused by PMR. None of this was true.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31102324/
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My rheumatolgist explained my MRI results to me and showed me precisely what was really causing the pain. She said I shouldn't have taken so much prednisone because there were other options. Surgery was one of the options but I didn't like that option. We talked about other options but I kept telling her that prednisone relieved the pain. She finally told me that she was happy the pain was relieved but I still had severe spinal stenosis.
I continued to take prednisone for spinal stenosis but surgery is probably my best option according to several spine surgeons. I kept telling them I don't have that much pain anymore mostly because I have lost a lot of feeling in my legs. My legs continue to get weaker. One surgeon said it isn't about the pain anymore ... I could end up being paralyzed. The same surgeon said he didn't believe me that I didn't have any pain. I told him I had pain but prednisone always relieved the pain.