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How to address PMR pain while decreasing prednisone

Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Nov 6, 2023 | Replies (747)
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@johnbishop

Thanks Alan @alanbruce. I'm happy it's not the PMR. I have had similar experiences because I sleep on my side. Normally it will be my left arm and I will wake up with it feeling completely numb. So I just shake it off for a few minutes and roll over to the other side. My MRI was also not good as I have osteopenia. The doctor put me on 1200 mg of calcium daily but it plugs me up pretty bad so I went off for awhile and now found some calcium chews that don't seem to have the same effect as the tablets. I try to eat more calcium rich food and drink more milk but it's a struggle for me. I also had a bone scan which is when the doc put me on a calcium supplement.

Hoping you can finally get off of the prednisone. Don't be discouraged. We are all different. It took me a little over 3 years to taper off the first time PMR showed up. I was going between 1/2 mg and 1 mg for the last 6 months before I was able to stop taking it with just a little discomfort for pain.

John

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Replies to "Thanks Alan @alanbruce. I'm happy it's not the PMR. I have had similar experiences because I..."
noahs | @noahs | May 7, 2019

Hi John. Remember me ... I’m the one with autoimmune attacking my lungs. Also bronchiectasis and interstitial pneumonitis ... that’s why i keenly follow this bronchiectasis thread. I’m tapering my steroids now. Have been on 15 mg since June 2018. Last March
my rheumatologist
tried tapering me and we reached 10 mg But I had a bad flare up and was back to 15
Mg of prednisone . I was very sick
For six weeks and almost got
Hospitalized. Last May 2 I started tapering again and I followed one of the comments here to just do tapering 1 mg
At a time. So I’m doing that plus
My doctors advise to make TThSatSun as my tapering days and MWF I’m still
On 15mg. Plus he increased my cellcept to 3 tabs a day. In addition I was placed by my pulmonologist on prophylactic antibiotic . Meaning I take Zythromax 250 mg MWF. Hoping to stem off lung infection. It’s May 7... my low grade fever from autoimmune comes again but resolves itself. I need more rescue asthma inhalers .
But all in all, I hope things will work out well and I can go down 1 mg again after two weeks. I am “assured” when I read the stories of others having difficulty in tapering steroids but manage to get through it. My doctors emphasized that really I should start tapering the steroids fearing the side effect they can do to my liver and kidneys. So I am also psyching myself that I will succeed in. This tapering business without too much negative health issues. The goal is to get me to zero or max 5mg
Prednisone a day. Just wanted to share this.

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