1. < Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)
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Has anyone developed tremors as a result of polymyalgia/prednizone?

Posted by terryartist @terryartist, May 23 8:13am

I was diagnosed with PMR on Jan. 19th and started on 15mg prednisone. Previously I had a mild and infrequent undiagnosed tremor in my hands. This tremor has at times now become a full on shake. I am dropping things and often unable to handle fine motor tasks. Paired with this I have a sense of loss of sensation in fingertips and toes. I have also had severe cramps in hands and feet which has lessened over the past month while on tapering. I am now down to 9mg. Prednisone. Rheumatologist has suggested it may be prednizone; nerve conduction on hands reveals no neurological issues. This doctor suggested I may want to have a MRI on my neck… which is complicated as I have a pacemaker and there are few hospitals that do this in my area .. hence long waits.
Hoping it is related to prednisone and shakes will just go away when taper is done?? Thoughts?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Support Group.

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terryartist | @terryartist | May 29 2:31pm
In reply to @ronludington "@terryartist one more thing, I've found if I'm nervous or upset or in a hurry, it..." + (show)
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@terryartist one more thing, I've found if I'm nervous or upset or in a hurry, it makes it worse. Or especially if I've worked outside with a string trimmer...... 2nd day at 1mg, so far so good.

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@ronludington
🙂 I can identify with nervous or upset but not outside working with a string trimmer,

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grownupcf | @grownupcf | May 30 8:03am
In reply to @kayept "Diagnosed with PMR October 2026, I was started on 20 mg of prednisone that I decreased..." + (show)
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Diagnosed with PMR October 2026, I was started on 20 mg of prednisone that I decreased to 10mg in 10 days because I wanted the lowest dosage possible without any symptom flares. All was well until my GCA diagnosis February 16th and the pred was increased to 40mg. That's when the am tremors started. They would diminish by noon. Now that my Rheumy has tapered the pred to 7.5mg and the addition of weekly self injections of Tyenne, the tremors have fully resolved. As we know, pred is a miracle drug with many, often major, side effects. I am thankful for it, but very grateful to be tapering off. If all goes well, I'll be off the pred by October! For decades, I perform a 40 minute am weight workout and pm yoga that had to be severely modified when PMR pain began. The pred allowed me to return to my original routines. Magnesium is in my multi vitamin. For decades I have drank 48oz of water daily and in my morning smoothie I include fruit, walnuts, cinnamon, turmeric, chia, collagen peptides, ground flax, protein powder, HTB tea and bee pollen. I think this has helped manage my symptoms, too.
I am sad for the severity of your symptoms and pray you find a remedy that helps you meet your goals. There are diet and recipe books for PMR that may offer helpful recommendations.
God speed to you and others on this forum!

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@kayept would love to hear about the smoothie recipes and other diet/recipe resources you found helpful.
I just started Kevzara. Over the last month and after the first shot, I tapered the pred to 13. After 4 days of increasing anxiety and pain I went back to 14 and all was improved. Next Kevzara shot is Monday. Will try again.
Also have occasional tremors and finger numbness and slight tremors that resolve a few hours after I take the prednisone.

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pegpete | @pegpete | May 30 8:48am
In reply to @terryartist "Thank you Ron. It is at least reassuring that they will probably decrease with my dosage...." + (show)
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Thank you Ron. It is at least reassuring that they will probably decrease with my dosage. What a crazy ride we are on!

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@terryartist I have tremors, which makes me think I started developing PMR about five years before the horrible pain hit me. I do start shaking worse if I’m under stress. No stress, no shaking and it took years before fulll blown PMR hit me. I am in the process of being weaned off prednisone and taking Naltrexone. I have far less side effects and am down to 2.5 mg prednisone. I’m going to try cutting my 2.5 in half today. Wish me luck!””

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kayept | @kayept | May 30 9:32am
In reply to @grownupcf "@kayept would love to hear about the smoothie recipes and other diet/recipe resources you found helpful...." + (show)
Profile picture for grownupcf @grownupcf

@kayept would love to hear about the smoothie recipes and other diet/recipe resources you found helpful.
I just started Kevzara. Over the last month and after the first shot, I tapered the pred to 13. After 4 days of increasing anxiety and pain I went back to 14 and all was improved. Next Kevzara shot is Monday. Will try again.
Also have occasional tremors and finger numbness and slight tremors that resolve a few hours after I take the prednisone.

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@grownupcf
Good morning, I am happy to share my diet that I have followed for decades.
I am somewhat a vegetarian since 1979. I have eaten no beef or pork, chicken 8-10 times per year. I do enjoy any seafood or freshwater fishes 6-8 times per month. I stay away from caffeine, refined sugar, no soft drinks other than an occasional carbonated water. I drink 48 oz of tap water daily. Absolutely no fast foods or pre-made convenience foods that are high in sodium. I prepare my meals from fresh and raw foods, grains and legumes. I use as many fresh herbs as possible. I consume a good bit of cheese and yogurt as additional protein sources.
My daily smoothie consists of frozen strawberries, blueberries and pineapple, a spoon of unflavored Greek yogurt, walnuts, turmeric, cinnamon, chia seeds, bee pollen granules (immune booster), Orgain protein powder and Orgain probiotic powder, powdered Collagen peptides by Sports Research, ground Flax seeds, and a tea that I allow to soak in the fridge overnight using raw groats of Himalayan Tartery Buckwheat. The HTB tea and a little almond milk are the only liquids in the smoothie other than ice. Supplement wise I take B12, D3 (1,000 IU), womens multi, liposomal Vit.C, calcium, dietary hyaluronic acid, and saw palmetto.
The 40, 30 then 20 mg of pred I was started on Feb.23rd b/c of GCA diagnosis caused me to have morning "shakes" in my hands. Like you, mine resolve several hours after taking the pred. Also caused 1-2 hours of sleeplessness several nights per week. Prior to GCA, I had been taking 10 mg since my PMR diagnosis Oct. 2025. However, after starting Tyenne self injections April 14th, I am now down to 7.5 mg and will taper to 5 mg day after tomorrow. The above symptoms are slowly resolving.
I hope this helps you in your journey that is, at best, confusing to us all!

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miluna | @miluna | May 31 12:21pm

Yes I’ve had tremors on prednisone and vocal cords collapsing and it caused me to stutter too! It’s a nightmare!

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miluna | @miluna | May 31 12:24pm
In reply to @terryartist "Thank you… it’s interesting to me how the once amazing drug of prednisone has turned into..." + (show)
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Thank you… it’s interesting to me how the once amazing drug of prednisone has turned into the enemy. I am taking magnesium . Water and do tai chi… hopefully that will be enough to get me through this spell. It was encouraging to hear your words… and validating to hear that others on prednisone had similar symptoms. I do not want to go down the rabbit hole of looking for different causes and waiting to see different specialists…. If possible I do not want PMR to become my life.. just need to find the routes around the discomfort and pain.

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@terryartist My exact words the prednisone has turned into my enemy!

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rebeccaheard | @rebeccaheard | Jun 1 9:19am

Oh my gosh, I thought I was losing it. My hands have been shaky in the mornings, and over this past weekend, I had numbness in my fingertips.

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terryartist | @terryartist | Jun 1 5:52pm
In reply to @rebeccaheard "Oh my gosh, I thought I was losing it. My hands have been shaky in the..." + (show)
Profile picture for rebeccaheard @rebeccaheard

Oh my gosh, I thought I was losing it. My hands have been shaky in the mornings, and over this past weekend, I had numbness in my fingertips.

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@rebeccaheard It is so helpful to hear that other people are experiencing the same. When I asked my rheumaatoligist is the tremour could b a result of the prednisone he said that prednisone had many side effects., I had been hoping for something more definitive. After hearing from so many people of their experiences I am now presuming that this is caused by prednisome; which hopefully means the tremours will stop when the prednisone stops! Good luck to you.

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rebeccaheard | @rebeccaheard | Jun 1 7:29pm
In reply to @terryartist "@rebeccaheard It is so helpful to hear that other people are experiencing the same. When I..." + (show)
Profile picture for terryartist @terryartist

@rebeccaheard It is so helpful to hear that other people are experiencing the same. When I asked my rheumaatoligist is the tremour could b a result of the prednisone he said that prednisone had many side effects., I had been hoping for something more definitive. After hearing from so many people of their experiences I am now presuming that this is caused by prednisome; which hopefully means the tremours will stop when the prednisone stops! Good luck to you.

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@terryartist
Yes! Good luck to you. This disease totally sucks.

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terryartist | @terryartist | Jun 3 11:36pm
In reply to @pegpete "@terryartist I have tremors, which makes me think I started developing PMR about five years before..." + (show)
Profile picture for pegpete @pegpete

@terryartist I have tremors, which makes me think I started developing PMR about five years before the horrible pain hit me. I do start shaking worse if I’m under stress. No stress, no shaking and it took years before fulll blown PMR hit me. I am in the process of being weaned off prednisone and taking Naltrexone. I have far less side effects and am down to 2.5 mg prednisone. I’m going to try cutting my 2.5 in half today. Wish me luck!””

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@pegpete ....I wish you all the luck in the world!! I am closely watching people's journey's as they taper off of prednisone. Presently I am at 9 mg. and from what I have read it is going still going to be a journey removing myself fully. I so appreciate this site. I am glad that Naltrexone is working for you; however will you eventually need to be weened off of it as well?

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