Moderate Use of Alcohol

I am 'reading' my relapse after 10 years without a flare as an invitation to tend to my health. I was drinking my wine or beer with dinner/TV and/or occasionally a shot or two of whiskey to relax at day's end. After the shock of debilitation from the flare and the return to prednisone I of course went online to read and understand what I could. (Grateful to finally land on this Mayo site.) One thing I read online was that ANY alcohol with prednisone was a very bad thing! I also read up on the anti-inflammatory diet with little to no refined flour or sugar. The holiday season was just beginning, so okay . . . I skipped the festivities entirely and enjoyed a peaceful, inwardly-focused rest. I realized I am a decade older and it's probably time to change my pace. I'd like to be here in good health a decade from now. I am learning to take rest breaks while working, and am keeping steady with my pool exercise. I admit I'm cowed by the frigid weather and am looking forward to spring walks again. I am back to eating whole, natural foods as I did earlier in my life. I added back a craft-style non-alcoholic beer--not every day, but often enough not to feel deprived (it's really quite good). Now @ 10 mg of prednisone I decided to experiment a bit with alcohol and other sugars that I enjoy. I tried wine again but ran into the difficulty of keeping it to one glass--(you drink the first one and the wine drinks the second one...etc.)--so I might have to save that for social occasions. Restraint is a learned habit that I have not yet mastered. I even indulged this week in a shot of whiskey with my favorite TV show--and with difficulty managed to keep it to one with a water chaser. Old habits are hard to break and I am going to keep a tight rein on this because I want to have a healthy retirement and be able to enjoy my hobbies and an active lifestyle. I'm calling the whole PMR flare episode a gift to learn about aging healthfully. Spiritually, it is an opportunity to learn self-restraint and acceptance. One added "bonus" (LOL): I also figured out what household appliances I needed to have around should this 'correction' (flare) ever happen again: a walker, a raised toilet seat, how to rearrange the bathroom so I can reach essentials without having to raise my arms, etc. All in all, it's been a fruitful learning experience.

Hello @rnm my heart goes out to you. Last June I too was diagnosed with PMR after months of being in pain. Up to that point I had been a very active person, eating healthy, and enjoying daily moderate wine with supper. I too have acid reflux now so I keep it to just one small glass with supper but not daily.
I remember well the feeling of being overwhelmed with the diagnosis and feeling very lost at sea. This forum has been so helpful!
If I have one bit of advice for you is: don't rush the process of weaning off prednisone!! I did .. and I paid for it .. and in the end it only lengthens the whole process. My GP wanted me to go down 2.5 MG from a start of 20mg every two weeks . When I got to 7.5 I had a huge flare up and only going back up to 30 mg reduced the pain. So now I am at 13mg and tapering 1mg at a time every 3 to 4 weeks depending on my symptoms.
I wish you all the best,

hi @rnm, I've had PMR and GCA, and I'm being treated for a relapse for the last year. I was a regular wine drinker before the onset of PMR/GCA about five years ago. Through the course of these disorders, I lost my taste for wine. It just didn't taste good anymore. I've abstained from drinking the last few years, especially because I was on high dosages of Prednisone.
Now I'm down to 3 mg.
I recently asked my rheumatologist about drinking alcohol and he said "in moderation" was okay.
I just found a red blend that tastes good, but only drink a couple of ounces.

I was finally diagnosed with PMR after going through months of pain and I am a moderate wine drinker. I enjoy wine every night. I stopped when I first started taking prednisone when I did a Z-Pak but now I’m finding that it doesn’t bother me it doesn’t bother my stomach. I don’t have headaches so I don’t know that there’s a problem since the two of them don’t really have a reaction to one another. I’m now on 20 mg of prednisone.

I'm on an anti-inflammatory diet (low carb, high protein, no red meat, "no" sugar or salt). I enjoy red wine but since alcohol has sugars, I keep it to small amounts. I have 2-3 ounces with or after dinner and have no ill effects. (5oz. is considered a glass of wine. )

A few glasses of wine each week don't seem to make as much of a difference as a meal of pasta. I have a one drink maximum which seems to have little affect on PMR.

My rheumatologist said I could drink moderately. I had quit drinking completely with the PMR, but resumed a few beers on the weekends to no ill affect. I also find fake beer to be an acceptable substitute for every day. As they say, listen to your body.

Thanks for posting all this! I too have a tentative PMR diagnosis (although my Doc is still not entirely sure about it), and I'm on a very low dose of prednisone. I have noticed that my sleep is less consistent. And I will stop drinking for a while (my only real vice is red wine). I'm a regular exerciser, so that helps with regulating the drug.

Does anyone know if Statins can cause PMR symptoms?

@mjdcl57 Statins can cause sore legs muscles, so yes in my opinion could be confused with some PMR symptoms. My PMR began shortly after starting a statin for the first time. I was convinced it was the problem so I stopped the statin. The pain didn’t go away, got worse and was bilateral. That’s when I was referred to a rheumatologist and was properly diagnosed with PMR in January of 2026. I am down to 10 mg from 20 and now beginning a 1 mg taper every month. I went back on the statin as PMR can raise cholesterol.

I have read all the posts about "moderate" intake of alcohol in this section. I have gone back and forth as to how to craft this entry. First, "moderate" means different things to everyone and is rather meaningless to a group chat. And, 2. Moderate is no longer considered a word one should use with alcohol consumption. The recent studies (last 6 years) suggests that all alcohol is toxic to the body (literally every cell in the body) and that no amount of alcohol is beneficial to the body physiologically, but rather the opposite, it is detrimental. When I came down with PMR in March 2025, I was quite afraid this was the end of me. Many of you can relate to that. I was almost paralyzed with pain and stiffness. That brings me to the 3rd point. The disease scared me to death and woke me up. I needed to examine an already well examined life. I needed to keep learning and would do anything to change the trajectory that my body was on. Still not sure what was the "cause" of PMR (nobody really does know),stopping all added sugar and alcohol was a no brainer. Science is clear on their negative effects. My added sugar intake was low (below 20 grams a day which is about 1/2 of what the medical world suggests) already. Alcohol, for me, was about 2-3 drinks of beer per month. I even brewed at one time. I love my German beer. It was not tough to stop, however, because I never had a habit of (neither psychological no physical) of drink. It does not make me feel good at 3AM when I wake. It causes a diuretic effect which is mostly annoying to get up to pee at night more than normal. Disturbed sleep sucks too. Head ache etc. Alcohol and sugar were "low hanging fruit" types of changes that I could incorporate into my life. PMR is a serious disease and needed to have my full attention. Fourth. We all have choices to make when we get sick. Life does not stop when PMR comes. We certainly feel like it has stopped but to empower oneself with choices even in dark times is what we can and have to do. Good luck with your choices and journey. Each journey is unique.