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I did the fairly traditional PMR taper off Prednisone from 15mg in Dec 2023 until stopping in February 2025 (so 14 months from age 70 thru 71). I really wanted off Prednisone. For the next three months, thru April 2025, it was a tough battle against pain in my major joints and fatigue, but I did notice 'baby step' improvements, which I used to push through the discomfort. In April, I started to begin to notice more and more improvements (putting on socks/pants or reaching to a high shelf with minimal pain). Although not completely out of the woods yet, I'm back to 95% of where I was pre-PMR. As mentioned, many times in these posts, this is a personal journey for each of us. I'm not a medical professional, but my belief is that over these past 5 months I have not been battling PMR, but rather battling the impact that Prednisone had on my body, specifically my joints. I understand that Prednisone reduces inflammation, thus eliminating the pain. However, I think it may also cause you to stop using the muscles (and bursae) you normally use, and your body starts to use 'work arounds' to avoid the pain and inflammation. Once I stopped using Prednisone, I needed to painfully retrain my body to be able to do things the way I did before PMR (and Prednisone) which seems to be working. Just my thoughts and experience which I wanted to share with the group.
Replies to "I did the fairly traditional PMR taper off Prednisone from 15mg in Dec 2023 until stopping..."
Your points are well taken. I think you are right. As for muscles being affected by Prednisone just Google prednisone induced myopathy or corticosteroid induced myopathy.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK557731/
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Heck ... just Google "Prednisone induced ... " and leave the rest blank and it will give you a general idea about various things that Prednisone can cause. The sad part is most of those Prednisone induced conditions have been known for decades.
The lady in the following case report gets it too.
https://www.statnews.com/2023/10/16/long-term-prednisone-steroids-ibd-side-effects-chronic-illness-alternatives/
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I think we all do battle with PMR in the beginning. Prednisone certainly relieves the pain and is a good "short term" fix for PMR. Unfortunately, Prednisone is never a good "long-term" solution for any problem. Prednisone is a good short term gift that keeps on giving in the longer term but not in a good way.
Has anyone had PMR pain in ankles? My left ankle swells each night and becomes extremely painful, and it’s not something I ever had before. I was on prednisone for six months in 2023 when PMR first hit me. I relapsed in 2024 and 2025, and was back on prednisone in January. I really believe that prednisone is the reason for my many ailments, ankle pain, GERD, arrhythmia and insomnia, along with many other minor things.
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I’m glad there are others who also believe their post PMR pains are from steroid damage. What a tragedy though. I like your theory about unused muscles and joints so maybe there is hope things can improve
I can share now that I have gone to acupuncture 3 times now to get help with these new pains. After this past Friday’s treatment I can safely say it is helping (the cupping especially) and is no coincidence.