Anti-inflammatory diet and supplements for PMR

I am a Dr in Pharmacy. DON'T worry about splitting pills
I have run tableting machines and active Rx is mixed throughout the tablet. Tablet may have a coating on it if med reacts to air but usually don't worry about it ! That's why they are packed the way they are. Tx Rick

‘Packed the way they are’? Mine come loose in a pill bottle. Why even have the indentation? Confused.

I have found anti- inflammatory foods helpful.
Red meat an absolute no- no for me early on. I’m at 3 mg prednisone now after 10 months so I can tolerate small amount.
Plus you might try the following:
. limit sugar intakes
. eat whole wheat bread and pasta.
. limit alcohol
. drink green tea
Hope this helps.

Thank you so much for your advice. I am in the early stages of tapering the prednisone and I’m taking every anti-inflammatory supplement and eating all of the anti-inflammatory foods my digestive system will tolerate. I’m really happy to see the results you have achieved after only ten months. That is very encouraging! Thank you!

Hello. I have had a lot to say on this subject in previous threads. I happen to be a registered dietitian and had a very mild case of PMR for about a year (now in remission for a couple of years). You can find my comments by searching for "janiceem"
Wishing you wellness.

I have been diagnosed with PMR since November. I started on 40 mg by my GP until I could see a rheumatologist. She decreased me to 20 mg. I have been on 20 mg since Thanksgiving tried to reduce to 15 mg that did not work then tried 17.5 mg that didn’t work. I am still on 20 mg and having a hard time lowering the dose I have been sticking to the anti-inflammatory diet. The worst time is when I wake up in the morning, then seem to be better during the day, but just can’t seem to reduce the dosage. I know this isn’t too much help. Does anyone know how long it takes to start reducing the dosage?

Have you tried reducing it by 1mg at a time? Do you have 1mg tablets? Bigger reductions are easiest in the first few weeks of starting on prednisone, but can cause steroid withdrawal pains after that. When you say the reduction didn't work, do you mean you had some increased ache/pain in the morning? That's fairly common for a week or so after a reduction and usually passes. But that's only if the reductions aren't too big.

It may just take longer than you expect to burn out the PMR. Patience may be the missing ingredient. Stay as active as you can, range of motion, walking etc.

Hi I'm 69 been pretty healthy all my life. Work out regularly and eat healthy. do like an occasional beer or 2 max. PMR hit me right after i strained my pectoral muscle to my right shoulder. The next day my shoulder hurt and I had inflammation in my Joints . I could hardly put my socks on for next few days. My doctor advised me to see the orthopedic which I did. I found out I had tears in My Rotator cuff and needed surgery. I scheduled Rotator cuff
surgery in few months. Problem was I was still a mess with inflammation. My doctor said I might have Polynyalgia Rheumatica. I looked it up and all the symptoms aligned with what I had going. I went to see Rheumatologist and She said you might have PMR but I think it's just a really bad shoulder. I left waited a week and my Doc said go get another blood test. I did and my levels skyrocketed proving I did indeed have PMR. I've since had to cancel Rotator Cuff surgery and have been on Prednisone for 4 or 5 months now. It helped with Inflammation right away but Ive learned that i have some good days and some not so good days. The bad shoulder doesn't help. I'm also seeing an Acupuncturist which has helped. I've never experienced anything like this in my life. How I got it? No idea. I guess it was in my gut just waiting for an injury to present itself.. I believe there might be some truth in the Covid Vaccines most of us took during the pandemic. Not sure it was good for us.

I'm in a similar position -- taper starting soon. Good luck to us!

While I was waiting for my diagnosis, a few months ago, turmeric was recommended to me by an RN friend with RA. I added the low-end recommended amount to my daily diet for three months. Nada.

Two months ago, a few weeks before I started on Prednisone, I started an anti-inflamatory, Mediterranean-style diet for weight loss (key to my overall health). This limits carbs dramatically, which I like, because for 20 years I've been well aware that carbing out (rice, potatoes, chips, bread) makes me stiff and achy and bloated.

I'm eating a ton of fruit, something that wasn't "allowed" on the Atkins-style lowe-carb plans of yesteryear. The body is responding well.