Moderate Use of Alcohol

@lasvegasjh
Oh, so glad to hear that. I was just responding to another that I was having a hard time giving up my one glass of wine with dinner.
Just living with PMR, newly diagnosed and only having my PCP to work with. Who knows if I will get excepted as a patient of a Rheumatologist. So few in my area and they are swamped with referrals.
I am at 10mg of Prednisone and the plan is decreasing 1mg per month.

@betsyhase
I totally get it. My symptoms disappeared with the prednisone, so I don't have that excuse.

@betsyhase u

I don’t want to give up my wine. I really enjoy it. I feel a lot better after it. I am afraid of going off prednisone though, but I am giving it a go. Presently at 2 mg. Next month 1mg.
I did lose a lot of hair, and am now wearing a wig, which I like! My hair is growing back.
When I first started prednisone a year ago, it was at 50 mg a day!! I felt better within 2 hrs and felt like it was a miracle drug. I felt really good until around 20 mg a day.
I am hoping for the best and just try to keep moving.

@lasvegasjh
It is interesting how different the treatment is. I read hear about different medications to treat PMR but many MD's just use Prednisone. It seems that there are other choices that might not be so hard on our bodies. I don't feel great on 10mg Prednisone but certainly better than none. I am so new to this that I am not sure if I want more drugs to make life more bearable.
I guess it is a balancing act of enough medication, but not too much.

At 66 yo, I have been on 10 mg pred daily since Oct.9, 2025 for my PMR. All symptoms resolved until GCA symptoms began Jan.14, 2026 and definitive diagnosis on Feb.9, 2026. My pred was increased to 40 mg daily Feb.23. 95% of my GCA symptoms resolved except jaw claudication when chewing something firm. I have been a vegetarian of sorts since 1979. No red meat or pork, chicken monthly, fish 1-2 times weekly, little refined sugar, no processed or fast foods. I have a 5 day per week weight routine and yoga practice 3-4 night weekly. I explain all this to say that I enjoy 2+ glasses of wine most days. I have had no negative response since being on the pred except increased blood pressure and insomnia 2 nights per week. I have found that THC (liquid or smoke) does help with the insomnia. I am being transitioned to Actemra infusions, of which I have had only one. Awaiting my insurance company to hopefully approve the Tyenne/Rinvoq for me to do weekly injections soon to keep me from driving 1 hour each way for the infusions- if the OOP isn't too great.
I am honest with my docs so they know to keep an eye on my liver function. I do believe each person's response to any physician or self prescribed 'therapy' is quite variable. I sure don't want to give up my wine!
God speed to all of us dealing with these vicious Rheumatic diseases!

@kayept Being from California, as well as having grown up in wine country, I am a wine enthusiast but have only had 1 glass of red wine at the end of each day for years and years. (I'm about to turn 83). It is my only vice and it really helps the stiffness and end of day tension relief. I was upfront with my rheumy that this is what I do, and plan to do. He just said thanks for letting him know and nothing more. BTW we just came back from a trip to France and I can honestly say after sampling a number of French wines, that California wines sure beat them out. Just had to get that in, haha. I am currently on 5.5mg of prednisone, started out in December 2024 on 25 mg. Slow tapering seems to be working, and fingers crossed.

I asked my rheumy about alcohol when he prescribed prednisone for my PMR. I like to drink a couple of beers a night, but had stopped drinking altogether when my PMR symptoms started. He said it was quite alright, so I went back to drinking beer, but only a few on the weekends. It was easier to give up/cut back than I thought it would be.

@54pontiac
I like your rheumatologist. I had to cut back on my moderate beer consumption because of interaction with my heart meds, but I still enjoyed a beer with dinner when dining out or at family gatherings. Since going on prednisone two months ago I've been told that I should avoid alcohol, and I have. I'm only 3 weeks into my diagnosis and maybe that's a factor in his thinking.

I am an 83 year old male who began on 40 mg of prednisone in May, 2025 and am now at 10 mg while on Kevzara. I asked my internist and my rheumatologist about drinking alcohol while on prednisone and Kevzara. Both said the same thing--it was ok. As a practical matter I seldom drink alcohol because it interferes with my sleep and I feel better in general without it. Still, there are occasions......and then after two glasses of wine I remember why I prefer not to drink. Once again, this seems to be a matter of individual variation, as is so much with PMR.

I am on 10mg of Prednisone and am on a tapering off schedule. So far so good. I have a glass of wine or two with dinner three or four times a week. PMR has not been fun as all of you can surely attest to, and unless having a glass or two of wine ends up being disasterous I will keep enjoying it. A person has to have some pleasure in life.