After waking to PMR and a C-reactive protein spike, I was treated with Prednisone for 7 months and had reduced to 7.5 mg. However I developed Macular Degeneration and was told to get off of Pred as soon as possible, at my Opthamologist’s suggestion, my Rheumatologist switched me over to Hydroxychloroquine (HCL) over a months time. It worked and I eventually returned to normal function after a year and a half. So. . .prednisone is not the only treatment for PMR even though some will tell you otherwise.

Another thing I might suggest: Four years prior to getting PMR, I experienced the same exact pains, only one at a time. Diagnosed with rotator cuff damage in my right shoulder. Then left shoulder. Then hips. . . .one at a time. Couldn’t get up off of the ground. Then carpal tunnel damage. Loss of feeling in three fingers in each hand. Doctors recommended surgery for every one of these ailments. Fortunately, I never went through with any of those surgery’s. As it turned out, they were caused by my taking Simvastatin (for high cholesterol). After reading about others experiences with statins, I quit cold turkey. And 30 days later, every single symptom had disappeared. So. . . . .if I were to suggest anything, it would be to recognize the dangers of statins. I truly believe my taking statins for five years in ever increasing doses was the reason I ended up with PMR.