Connect
← Return to I’m just wondering how old most of you are with PMR
Discussion
I’m just wondering how old most of you are with PMR
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: 5 hours ago | Replies (43)Comment receiving replies
I am 70, soon to be 71. I just found out I have PMR a few weeks ago. I have five doctor’s appointments over the next six weeks. I am so glad to have found this group. I am still trying to figure out what to do, what to eat (or not), what exercise is beneficial and when to do it, should I be doing stretches, if so, when and which ones, someone recommended acupuncture. I am just floundering a bit. Haven’t seen the Rheumatologist yet. I am still trying to figure out what time to take my prednisone. Do you take it in the morning, in the evening, 3:00 AM so when you wake up you can move a little?
Replies to "I am 70, soon to be 71. I just found out I have PMR a few..."
Hello @jsteck, I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @dadcue and others. In addition to the helpful information @dadcue provided, I thought I would share a few discussions that may help with your questions on what to eat/avoid and exercise.
-- PMR Diet: Foods to eat and avoid
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/diet-and-pmr/
-- PMR and exercise: What helps you?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pmr-and-exercise/
Another suggestion I had from my rheumatologist was to keep a daily log of my level of pain when I woke up in the morning and my dose of prednisone. The daily log was helpful over the course of my PMR when tapering off of prednisone.
Connect
"I am still trying to figure out what time to take my prednisone. Do you take it in the morning, in the evening, 3:00 AM so when you wake up you can move a little?"
--------------------------------------
The entire dose all in the morning when you wake up is what is recommended. However, pain will probably determine when you actually take prednisone. The pain will likely change over time so then you can adjust the time you take prednisone.
When I was first diagnosed with PMR, the pain would routinely wake me up at 3 a.m. and I couldn't go back to sleep. Since I needed to be ready for work at 7 a.m. I took prednisone at 3 a.m. That way, the pain was under control and I was ready for work at 7 a.m.
Eventually, I discovered that a split dose worked better. If my total dose was 25 mg for the entire day, instead of taking it all in the morning, I would split it up. I took 20 mg in the morning and 5 mg in the evening. The advantage of doing the split dose was I didn't have the 3 a.m. pain that woke me up. I took the first part of my dose whenever I woke up usually at 6 a.m. on work days but 8 a.m when I didn't need to go to work. I usually took the evening portion of my prednisone dose at about 7 p.m.
After a number of years, I was able to sleep an entire night uninterrupted by pain. It didn't seem like I needed a split dose anymore. Then it was recommended that I take my entire dose in the morning when I woke up. I was on a lower dose of prednisone by that time --- closer to 7 mg.