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Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: 4 days ago | Replies (54)
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Replies to "@dadcue Thanks so much for finding the study on CVD with Prednisone use. I hate stats,..."
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@joanmm
I'm happier to be off Prednisone but getting off Warfarin was an added bonus. Heck ... all 3 blood pressure medications and atorvastatin have also been discontinued.
To be fair ... I don't think the risk is from Prednisone alone. I'm pretty sure chronic inflammation contributed to what happened. My disease activity wasn't well controlled at the time of my pulmonary embolisms
I can't explain how everything happened except that all those other medications were started within a few years of starting Prednisone. I went into my appointment planning on having a discussion on starting Eliquis and stopping Warfarin. When my appointment was finished ... Warfarin was stopped and Eliquis was NOT started.
I'm not sure what all went into the decision. My present primary care doctor made the decision but other doctors were consulted. When "warfarin for life" was decided about 15 years ago... a hematologist and pulmonologist were consulted. My original primary care doctor who has retired said he was never going to stop warfarin.
I felt bad for my original primary care doctor because he apologized to me after the PE happened saying he might have missed something. I reminded him about the pulmonary function test he wanted me to do except I was the one that declined that. His response was that the multiple pulmonary embolisms were acute and not chronic. I didn't know anyone could have chronic pulmonary embolisms. He explained that I might wind up with chronic pulmonary hypertension but that didn't happen.
There was some kind of algorithm that analysed my cardiovascular disease risk and it was low. I think but I'm not sure that being off prednisone, atorvastatin and all my blood pressure medications was factored into the equation.
I forgot that I posted about this over a year ago.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/risk-of-cardiovascular-disease-on-prednisone/