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what to expect when starting prednisone for PMR
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: 19 hours ago | Replies (58)Comment receiving replies
I am also a new patient of PMR ( I wanted to say victim) I was diagnosed in March and start prednisone at 30 for 3 weeks, then 20 for 3 weeks. tapered more so now at 5mg and still ok. The prednisone was immediate relief from pain that was so bad it was alarming. No pain relievers would help. I was first bad at night and early morning and then lasted longer into the day. In the morning I couldn't lift my coffee to drink--a crisis for me. I had to wait till late afternoon to wash my hair because I couldn't lift my hands above my head. Many daily activities were impacted. Prednisone interrupted my sleep and my mood. At times I would be so angry and then in tears minutes later. Very emotional. I too added Fosomax but now have dental issues and Fosomax limits my options for taking care of my teeth. The various conditions interacting and confusing, frustrating, and hard to accept. I have also gained weight and have a moon face. I have gotten back to exercise but am reluctant to push it. I am afraid of that pain returning. I want to get off prednisone and am trying to stay optimistic that I can do that.
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@csimmonds I am replying to my own post. This one is from almost a year ago so it is an update. I stayed on prednisone and tapered as rheumatologist recommended. By May I was at zero but being pain free didn't last long. I was changing doctors so waited to go back on prednisone. Fortunately I was able to see my new rheumatologist the end of June. He was very helpful in understanding where I was and what the future may hold--PMR is so unpredictable. He had me start taking 5mg of prednisone. It wasn't the immediate relief like when I started the first time but that was when I was taking 30mg. The 5mg gave a lot of relief but it took a few days for me to feel normal. I am now tapering every 2 weeks down to 2mg. I will stay on that until my next doctors appointment. So far so good. I do water exercises everyday but am still reluctant to push myself too much. I am confident my rheumatologist will be a good guide as I deal with PMR short term and long term. When I read the experience of others there seems to be no standard for the dosage of prednisone when first diagnosed. I was glad to start high initially but was relieved that when PMR returned I could start with just 5mg of prednisone. Is that the same with most people?