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← Return to PMR and Methotrexate
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Hello @pualinef, my first round with PMR it took my 3 years to finally get off of prednisone. The PMR came back about a year or so ago and I went back on a 20 mg dosage of prednisone which I started tapering off after a month or so. I have been off of prednisone for about 15 days now but I still have some joint pain and stiffness. I'm learning to live with it unless it gets worse. I have no experience with Methotrexate but did find a study that I think may provide some help to answer your question.
NIH - Methotrexate in polymyalgia rheumatica: preliminary results of an open, randomized study.
-- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8730115
John
Replies to "Hello @pualinef, my first round with PMR it took my 3 years to finally get off..."
An update on methotrexate: been on it for about a month along with 4 mg prednisone until first I came down with a respiratory bug caught off my husband. It took ages to shake off but I had no reason to think I should come off the metro until I cut my calf quite badly on a sharp object. This evolved into a nasty infection and I had to go on heavy duty antibiotics - I wasn’t warned that Metho hinders healing so continued taking it until I finally thought to call the rheumatologist who said to come off it until the cut had healed and no longer on Cephalexin.. So the warning to people on metho is to be very careful not to catch anything or cut yourself and if so, do not continue to stay on it. Neither the pharmacist or the two Doctors had warned me to come off it when it was prescribed unfortunately. ....
I’m sorry nobody advised you on this. I recently had lung cancer surgery and then I got an abscess on my liver so I have a PICC line for antibiotics. My Rheumatologist told me to quit taking Simponi and he also won’t let me have any cortisone or prednisone because of the antibiotics. I believe Methotrexate is in the same family as Simponi, or similar. @marylou705
I am sorry but have never used methotrexate
Hi John,
I was also put on Methotrexate for possible RA and PMR. My understanding is Methotrexate is not recommended for PMR. Because of side effects, I was started on Kevzara which also had severe side effects…headaches and malaise. With second Covid in May, had serious PMR flare. I am done with any more speciality injections or Covid vaccines. Since then, I am very concerned GCA might be affecting my eyes as my TMJ locks and is extremely uncomfortable. I increased prednisone to 10 mg and am waiting for rheumatologist appointment next month.
Any ideas anyone?
Karo
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Hi John - thank you very much for the link to the article which is very interesting and quite encouraging. It leads me to think it might be worth trying if I continue to need to stay on prednisone.