Blood pressure issues while on prednisone?

Your comment prompted me to take mine just now. I am on BP meds pre-PMR as well. I haven’t taken my pressure in a while because it seemed ok. I’ve reduced my prednisone from 3.5 to 3 about 1 &1/2 weeks ago. Awful sleep last night w/a headache in the middle of the night into today. I also have a neck ache so wondering if that’s what causing the headache. Anyway my BP numbers were horrible. I’d better monitor now and if it doesn’t go down I’ll have to contact Dr. not sure if I notify rheumatologist who is an hr away or my local family practitioner! So thanks for your post.

After contracting PMR a few years ago I was on Predisone for 12 months. Off them for a couple of years
I live in Australia
I went to my pharmacy a few months ago with what I thought was an ear infection
She said more likely tooth or gum.
Pain spread to sharp pain starting in lower jaw and upwards
After putting up with the pain it became so bad I went to my hospital ER
DOC ordered bloods and MRI which lead more blood tests and an urgent admission to hospital for ultrasound
Once results came back I was sent for a biopsy of my temporal artery
This resulted in a diagnosis of Giant Cell Arthritis
Back on heavy doses of steroids for next 6 months with monthly checkups at Rhumatology
Told 10-15% of patients who have been diagnosed with PMR go on to have this complaint which if untreated can cause blindness or stroke

@kare1
Elevated Bp must be a common problem. Also gastrointestinal issues. I’m dealing with both. Just decreased to 4 mg from 5 today. When I visited my rheumatologist 2 weeks ago my Bp was 164 and somehow my primary care got word of it.
She had me track my bp for a week and numbers weren’t good. I’ve doubled my meds and still getting high numbers. Prednisone has caused both problems and can’t wait to eliminate it from my life.
My primary care doctor is out of the office too for the holidays. It is hard to consult with someone who doesn’t really know you.
Hope we survive this!

Within a year of being diagnosed with PMR I complained of exercise intolerance. My PCP took it seriously and ordered an exercise tolerance test which was interpreted as normal.

Sometime during my second year on Prednisone I noticed that my pulse was irregular. My PCP ordered an EKG which documented an arrhythmia and left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH). Uncontrolled high blood pressure is the usual cause of LVH. My PCP told me to check my blood pressure frequently even though I didn't have any history of high blood pressure.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/left-ventricular-hypertrophy/symptoms-causes/syc-20374314
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It didn't take me too long to get a blood pressure reading of 210/110 but I thought my little blood pressure machine was inaccurate. Fortunately I worked at a hospital so I asked some nurses to check my blood pressure. They got blood pressure readings in excess of 200/100 and took me to the emergency room. Before long, 3 blood pressure medications were started for uncontrolled blood pressure.

I took those blood pressure medications for 10 years until the I was able to taper off Prednisone. Within a year of coming off Prednisone, low blood pressure readings were being recorded. One by one my blood pressure medications were stopped. Within 2 years of discontinuing Prednisone, I was off all my blood pressure medications.

Anyone on Prednisone should be checking their blood pressure frequently. Elevated blood pressure is sometimes asymptomatic. until heart damage occurs.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/prednisone-and-cardiac-symptoms/

@grandmajean5
Once you’re off prednisone you would think it is all behind you. I guess you just never know what the future holds.
Hope you are ok today!

@dadcue
My calendar is marked to be off prednisone by February 20. That will be almost 6 months of the poison pill.
I hope it doesn’t do too much damage to my body in that short of time. I probably need to get a third blood pressure medicine to help control my Bp until then. And hope I don’t get a stomach ulcer from all the discomfort I’m experiencing in that regard! Have been on two ant acid prescriptions and over the counter meds and still have nausea and discomfort.

@caroljeand

I hope you can get off prednisone as soon as PMR allows you to. It took me 12 years to get off Prednisone which was way too long. My side effects from Prednisone were insidious until it was impossible to blame PMR for all of my medical problems.

I didn't fully understand what Prednisone was doing to me until I was able to taper off Prednisone. It was too easy to attribute my medical complications to PMR or to getting older.

When my mother had PMR in the 1980’s and 1990’s there was no attempt to wean her off of prednisone, I suppose because there was no other treatment. She died at the age of 90 with 15 years of steroids at various dosages to deal with flares. I am hoping my journey through this takes a different path and that new medications will ease the treatment for this condition.