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PMR Dosages and Managing Symptoms
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Jul 27 8:00am | Replies (468)Comment receiving replies
Hi Everyone,
I am new to the group and was diagnosed with PMR by my rheumatologist in May. I also have degenerative disc disease and really thought my new hip pain was a consequence of the progression of issues with my lumbar spine. My CRP and Sed Rate were both crazy high and that convinced both myself and my ortho that something else was happening. I have had minimal shoulder pain but have had significant neck and upper back pain & spasms. My question is that my initial dose of prednisone brought immediate relief at 15 mg but within about 5 days the pain returned. My dose was increased to 20 mg but I have not had the kind of complete relief that I felt originally. Should I expect to be pain free or just better than I was? I am experiencing some side effects from 20 mg so I am reluctant to increase the dose but I would also like to do what I can to facilitate remission. Your comments have been so helpful and I am thankful to have found this resource. Blessings!
Replies to "Hi Everyone, I am new to the group and was diagnosed with PMR by my rheumatologist..."
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Hi @sandiw77, Welcome to Connect. There are different conditions that can mimic PMR with similar symptoms and it can sometimes be difficult to diagnose. From my experience with 2 occurrences of PMR, after taking the first dose of prednisone in the morning, I was pain free within a few hours. I was usually good until the morning then would be a little stiff with a few aches until I started moving around and took the next dose of prednisone. I kept a daily pain log with the amount of prednisone I took that morning. When I started tapering, I wouldn't taper if my pain scale was above a 2 or 3. In those cases I sometimes upped my dosage by 1/2 of the previous taper to try and keep my taper going.
My second time around I started eating better and exercising a little more which I think helped me taper off sooner that the first time with PMR. Here's some information that might be helpful:
-- Can Diet Affect Symptoms of Polymyalgia Rheumatica?:
https://www.healthline.com/health/polymyalgia-rheumatica-diet
Are you about to discuss neck and upper back pain & spasms with your doctor or rheumatologist to see if they may have some thoughts on if it's related to PMR or not?