This is based on my personal experience with GLP-1, metformin, and Jardiance; take from it what you find helpful.

In 2021, I was significantly obese and prescribed GLP-1, metformin, and Jardiance. Over the next few years, I lost a substantial amount of weight and greatly improved my health through a combination of diet and exercise. Dropping back to 2008, I was diagnosed with Polymyalgia Rheumatica: first prednisone, then weekly injections of methotrexate.

With the weight loss in 2021 and the use of medications, the process of improving my PMR was gradual, and I was able to manage taking methotrexate at longer intervals. Eventually, my PMR symptoms lessened, and methotrexate was discontinued.

In 2025, I temporarily stopped taking Jardiance due to a misplaced bottle while packing for a half-marathon trip. I was otherwise stable and assumed that missing Jardiance wouldn't cause any issues. Within days, my PMR symptoms gradually returned and worsened. After 6 weeks, the pain became intense at times, and I eventually found the misplaced bottle of Jardiance. When I resumed Jardiance, the symptoms dramatically decreased and soon vanished. I considered getting the sedimentation rate (ESR) and C-reactive protein (CRP) blood tests; it would have been great for the data.

To experiment, I discontinued Jardiance to see what would happen. As before, the PMR symptoms became noticeable. I restarted Jardiance, and within a few days, all the inflammation disappeared.

I asked whether Jardiance could be affecting the body's inflammation, in addition to GLP-1 and metformin.

I proposed the story to various Chat AIs, and there's no definite answer, just a lot of maybes regarding the drug combinations.

My care team received the same story.

Ferris Watson