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Newly diagnosed and confused about the goal
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: May 4 1:39pm | Replies (51)Comment receiving replies
My understanding is that the purpose of prednisone is to eliminate pain while the body recovers from the PMR and the PMR "burns itself out." However when questioned, my PCP said prednisone also may have a therapeutic quality too so it's apparently a mixed bag, partly pain relief, partly healing. Whether my understanding is accurate or not, if you are in pain at 15mg a day, it sounds as if you are not getting enough. My PCP started me on 40. I am now on 5 thanks to Kevzara which is expensive but may be a biologic that you will want to consider....hang in there...everyone of us is different, everyone of us responds in a different way to different levels of medication and this is a remarkably helpful and supportive group in trying to help us all understand our own healing.
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@cwbf
I'm not so sure PMR always burns itself out or resolves on its own. My case was called "refractory" so I doubt it will ever burn itself out completely. All I know is that I don't have relapses like I used to when I tried to taper off prednisone. I don't take prednisone anymore. I'm still being treated with Actemra instead of prednisone.
I agree that Prednisone controlled my pain reasonably well for 12 years. It would be hard for me to identify any therapeutic healing value that I derived from prednisone. I thought my body deteriorated when I took prednisone as evidenced by thin skin, muscle wasting and overwhelming fatigue not to mention the irreversible effect of early cataract formation. I also developed metabolic syndrome that has been difficult for me to reverse with diet and exercise. I still see an endocrinologist 5 years after stopping Prednisone.
In the "short term"prednisone seemed "restorative" but I wouldn't say prednisone healed anything. It restored my inflammation levels to near normal but that was probably all it did. With "long-term", relatively high dose prednisone use for PMR the lasting, and often the "non-healing" nature of prednisone made my side effects feel worse than PMR.
Ironically, it is inflammation that isn't in excess that actually heals the body. Prednisone delays healing and recovery from infections and injuries. That is the paradox --- acute, controlled inflammation is essential for healing, while chronic or excessive inflammation causes damage. Prednisone can, in certain scenarios, impair the body’s natural repair mechanisms, particularly with long term use.