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Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR): Meet others & Share Your Story
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Sep 10 12:05pm | Replies (1906)Comment receiving replies
Thank you for the support group. I have had pmr for six or seven years, having reduced my prednisone to 3 mg a day. In recent months muscle and joint aches have increased and I am up to 5 mg a day. My biggest problem is pain in my lower right hand, especially from wrist to fingers, which is worst in the morning, remains constant throughout the day and decreases significantly by bedtime. With sleep and stiffness, the pain returns and disturbs sleep. Any advice about over the counter drugs or creams to treat the pain would be greatly appreciated. Thank you. Theodore.
Replies to "Thank you for the support group. I have had pmr for six or seven years, having..."
My rheumatologist said that I could use Tylenol or an NSAID (Ibuprofen, etc,), just not on a regular basis. If I need some extra pain relief during the day I take Ibuprofen along with a meal or snack since you need to take it with food, If I wake up at night in pain I take Tylenol so I don't need to eat anything. It seems to me that Ibuprofen is more effective but the pain improvement is small. Since your pain is in just one hand it might not be caused by PMR since the disease generally causes pain on both sides. In that case the over the counter drugs may be more effective than if it was caused by PMR. I would check with your doctor in any case.
Theodore-I have posted this comment previously-try splitting your prednisone dosage. Half in the morning and the other early evening. Ever since splitting the dosage I no longer endure the 4/5 hour wait in the morning to be able to use my hands.
Frank
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My doctor suggested Tylenol for pain and stiffness as it doesn’t interact with prednisone