1. < Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)

Prednisone, PMR, and Colds

Posted by paulinef @paulinef, Jan 1, 2018

I have PMR and currently taking 8 mg prednisone per day - slowly decreasing. Since our winter here in eastern Ontario started I have had three almost concurrent colds and other than taking daily zinc and vitamin C supplements, I am wondering if there is anything else that would safely boost my suppressed immune system. I tried echinacea/american ginseng supplement for one day and had an unfavourable reaction. Thanks for any input.

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paulinef | @paulinef | Jan 15, 2018
In reply to @reagan1mc "My girlfriend who is a MD suggested I use high dosages of vitimen D, which I..." + (show)
@reagan1mc

My girlfriend who is a MD suggested I use high dosages of vitimen D, which I am now taking 10,000mg every day as immune support....

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Thanks for all the insights on colds etc - I asked my doctor about taking extra vit D but not necessary for me as I get Prolia injection every six months.
Btw I bought the Terry Wahls book!

REPLY
lumberjill | @lumberjill | Jan 12, 2020

<p>Hi,<br />I was recently diagnosed with PRM. After the initial blast of Prednisone, I'm "managing" on a daily dose of 10-12.5mg. I caught a little cold, it would barely have been impactful pre PRM. But, now I'm wiped out by it. Is this common with PRM and/or Prednisone? The cough is driving me crazy. I would never go to the doctor for a common cold before, is PRM a game changer with regarde to something as simple as treating a cold?</p>

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3 replies
Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Jan 12, 2020
In reply to @lumberjill "Hi,I was recently diagnosed with PRM. After the initial blast of Prednisone, I'm "managing" on a..." + (show)
@lumberjill

<p>Hi,<br />I was recently diagnosed with PRM. After the initial blast of Prednisone, I'm "managing" on a daily dose of 10-12.5mg. I caught a little cold, it would barely have been impactful pre PRM. But, now I'm wiped out by it. Is this common with PRM and/or Prednisone? The cough is driving me crazy. I would never go to the doctor for a common cold before, is PRM a game changer with regarde to something as simple as treating a cold?</p>

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Hi @lumberjill, Welcome to Connect. I'm sorry I missed your post earlier. I've had two occurrences of PMR and was started on 20 mg of prednisone both times. I do remember having a cold during both of those occurrences but normally they don't completely wipe me out like describe unless it's a really bad one. I think when the PMR is active it can be a game changer when it comes to other types of sickness like colds. Mainly because your body is already battling inflammation with the PMR. There is another similar discussion where your post may receive more visibility. I'm tagging our Director @colleenyoung to see if we can move your discussion post and combine it with the following discussion where you can meet others discussing the same topic - PMR and Colds.

> Groups > Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) > Prednisone, PMR, and Colds
-- https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/prednisone-and-colds/

How long have you had the cold/cough?

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1 reply
Moderator
Colleen Young, Connect Director | @colleenyoung | Jan 12, 2020
In reply to @lumberjill "Hi,I was recently diagnosed with PRM. After the initial blast of Prednisone, I'm "managing" on a..." + (show)
@lumberjill

<p>Hi,<br />I was recently diagnosed with PRM. After the initial blast of Prednisone, I'm "managing" on a daily dose of 10-12.5mg. I caught a little cold, it would barely have been impactful pre PRM. But, now I'm wiped out by it. Is this common with PRM and/or Prednisone? The cough is driving me crazy. I would never go to the doctor for a common cold before, is PRM a game changer with regarde to something as simple as treating a cold?</p>

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@lumberjill, as John suggested, I moved your message to an existing discussion about PMR and the common cold so that you can more easily connect with others. Simply Click VIEW & REPLY to scroll through past posts.

Have you gone to see your doctor for your cold this time?

REPLY
lumberjill | @lumberjill | Jan 13, 2020
In reply to @johnbishop "Hi @lumberjill, Welcome to Connect. I'm sorry I missed your post earlier. I've had two occurrences..." + (show)
@johnbishop

Hi @lumberjill, Welcome to Connect. I'm sorry I missed your post earlier. I've had two occurrences of PMR and was started on 20 mg of prednisone both times. I do remember having a cold during both of those occurrences but normally they don't completely wipe me out like describe unless it's a really bad one. I think when the PMR is active it can be a game changer when it comes to other types of sickness like colds. Mainly because your body is already battling inflammation with the PMR. There is another similar discussion where your post may receive more visibility. I'm tagging our Director @colleenyoung to see if we can move your discussion post and combine it with the following discussion where you can meet others discussing the same topic - PMR and Colds.

> Groups > Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) > Prednisone, PMR, and Colds
-- https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/prednisone-and-colds/

How long have you had the cold/cough?

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John,
Thanks for the response and for the help in moving my post to the discussion group - I guess I need the assistance of a tech savvy 5 year old to navigate the platform - I've read and found the other participant's experience helpful, so thanks to all.
I'm supposed to have surgery next month to remove a loose screw/hardware problem from a previous cervical fusion and I want to be as strong as possible. The cold is better, so I'm hoping to keep the "fix" surgery open.

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ltta | @ltta | Jan 20, 2020
In reply to @lumberjill "Hi,I was recently diagnosed with PRM. After the initial blast of Prednisone, I'm "managing" on a..." + (show)
@lumberjill

<p>Hi,<br />I was recently diagnosed with PRM. After the initial blast of Prednisone, I'm "managing" on a daily dose of 10-12.5mg. I caught a little cold, it would barely have been impactful pre PRM. But, now I'm wiped out by it. Is this common with PRM and/or Prednisone? The cough is driving me crazy. I would never go to the doctor for a common cold before, is PRM a game changer with regarde to something as simple as treating a cold?</p>

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My PMR pain is totally compounded by any cold/flu/virus/or other inflammatory condition. I don't feel have enough natural Cortisol manufactured by my adrenal glands to handle the PMR let alone something else that needs inflammation controlled. So, yes I think PMR is a game changer. (I've had PMR on and off for almost 18 years!)

REPLY
visionatsea | @visionatsea | Apr 1, 2020

Have PMR and wondering if there is a relation between prednisone dose and extent of immune system being compromised? In other words, for example, if one is taking 7mg of prednisone his immune system would be 50% compromised and if taking 3mg immune system would be 25% compromised.

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2 replies
Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Apr 1, 2020
In reply to @visionatsea "Have PMR and wondering if there is a relation between prednisone dose and extent of immune..." + (show)
@visionatsea

Have PMR and wondering if there is a relation between prednisone dose and extent of immune system being compromised? In other words, for example, if one is taking 7mg of prednisone his immune system would be 50% compromised and if taking 3mg immune system would be 25% compromised.

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Hello @visionatsea, Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I also have PMR but it is currently in remission. I have no medical training or background but I don't think you can directly quantify a specific dosage of prednisone to a percentage of risk of compromising your immune system. There is another discussion that may be helpful and more related to your question and you can meet other members asking and discussion similar questions.

> Groups > Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) > Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR), prednisone and Coronavirus COVID-19
-- https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/coronavirus-and-pmr/

I haven't seen any PMR specific information for COVID-19. Mayo Clinic has a webpage dedicated to COVID-19 that has a topic for how to reduce your risks -- https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/reduce-your-covid-19-risk-wash-hands-clean-cell-phones-and-workstations/

Did you see the new Group added to Connect for COVID-19? It has a lot of discussions that you might find helpful during this stressful time -- https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/covid-19/

Have you read anything about taking prednisone and the risks associated with COVID-19?

REPLY
charlie333 | @charlie333 | May 29, 2020
In reply to @visionatsea "Have PMR and wondering if there is a relation between prednisone dose and extent of immune..." + (show)
@visionatsea

Have PMR and wondering if there is a relation between prednisone dose and extent of immune system being compromised? In other words, for example, if one is taking 7mg of prednisone his immune system would be 50% compromised and if taking 3mg immune system would be 25% compromised.

Jump to this post

That's a great question and I have the same concern - unable to find an answer. Please let me know if you have any new information on this.

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