PMR and Flu Vaccine

It took me several weeks to become pain free when I started the prednisone. The rheumatologist also told me to wait and he was right. However, everyone is different. I would give it a while longer. Good luck!

I just got flu vaccine..no complications so far.

I’m not sure if vaccines cause PMR but I know last September 24 I got flu and Covid vaccine some weeks later I woke up with pain like I never experienced before. I was eventually diagnosed with PMR. It’s been a rough road. My Rheumatologist said I can get the shots but I’ve opted to hold back and be cautious. For me I feel there was a connection between shots and my diagnosis. Stay well.

I got the flu shot yesterday and so far so good. Was diagnosed with PMR three months ago. Am on prednisone (15 mg) and methotrexate (7 1/2 mg).

@bulper It's well documented in the research that flu vaccine (likely the adjuvants used) can trigger PMR in some people. And similar research has been emerging in relation to covid vaccines.

"Trigger" is the essential word as it is likely that a set of predisposing factors, etc are also involved: e.g. genetics (Northern European background), age and recent bacterial or viral infection. But a fundamental understanding of exactly what causes PMR is still unknown. In my case the flu vaccine was certainly a major trigger, with a very aggressive inflammatory response and CRP rising to 178 within 48 hours and muscular pain (shoulder and hip girdles) that was like being sliced with razor blades. A barrage of tests ruled everything else out before PMR was diagnosed, and I have now had it for 2 years. I am certainly not anti-vaccine but I wish that I had been alerted to the fact that I was in a high risk category for PMR at the time the vaccine was administered.

@gmdb Interesting! (And I'm sorry for your pain.) I had the flu vaccine, the COVID vaccine a week or two later, then came down with a chest cold/cough that was pretty intense for a month, immediately followed by PMR. I'm N.Euro descended, and "of a certain age" (i.e. >60). That seems like the mix to trigger it, if pre-disposed, as you say.

It’s just about time for the flu shots to be rolled out again. I get one every year. Since being on prednisone and now being immune compromised , I’ve got the flu right now. I haven’t had the flu since I can’t even remember when. I’m definitely getting another one.

@kereno Yes, sounds like you a very good example. In my case it was a persistent low level sinus infection, age, genetics and flu vaccine. But not everybody with these factors will get, so other things come in to play that they don't understand. I did read somewhere that older people in Norway have the highest rate of PMR at 40%, so while underlying genetics seem to be important not everybody with those genes gets PMR.

@vjm0223 If you've "got the flu right now" then hopefully you will recover quickly. Won't that give you immunity to flu in the current season, so you don't need to think about getting vaccinated this year?

@gmdb I’m not trusting that I’m going to be immune for the rest of the year. Look how many people got covid again after the vaccines I. The same year.