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What's a good anti inflamation drug (not prednisone) for PMR?
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Nov 11, 2023 | Replies (24)Comment receiving replies
I can't believe I found this group, thank you all for your openness and compassion to others. I have been reading posts for the last 2 hours and finally feel like I may be normal and I may actually get through this some day!
I am (was) a very active 62 year old male with several marathons under my belt. My PMR started in Oct 2021 (happy anniversary š The pain is severe in my hips, shoulders, and wrists/hands/fingers (does any one else have it in the hands?).
I started prednisone at 20mg in January 2022 after many misdiagnosis. The pain was diminished quickly until I hit 10mg so my rheumatologist started me over in March 2022 at 20mg, and once again at 10mg the pain returned. In June 2022, I stared again at 60mg (fast taper to 20mg) and when I hit 10 mg, all was good from a pain perspective and my ESR and CRP levels finally hit normal. Then I went to 9mg in September....the pain started minor at first in hands and shoulders, three weeks later at 8mg in October I can barely move and I am extremely exhausted.
I saw my rheumatologist when it first started to come back and he sent me for an MRI of the shoulders, which showed some wear (did I mention my age). Since then I only was able to message him, he seems to not believe me that the PMR is back because of the blood levels and actually said that pain in the hands is not a condition of PMR? He asked me to try Celebrex and come in for steroid shots in the shoulder stating he believes this is simply joint pain, the Celebrex is not doing a thing. I went to my family doctor and asked him for blood tests - ESR=12 / CRP=14, its back!
Sorry to be so long winded, but this group seems very educated about the subject and sympathetic. So questions: has anyone had help from Celebrex and does/did anyone else experience PMR pain in the wrists/hands/fingers?
Replies to "I can't believe I found this group, thank you all for your openness and compassion to..."
One of the many great aspects of this group is the shared lived experience. I too started to feel "normal" hearing others experiences such as pain in the wrists, hands and fingers. My rheumatologist also said this cannot be PMR and must be "something else", though she could not say what. I came across several comments from other group members with same experience. This was great reassurance to me that I wasn't abnormal. This pain has not been around in my hands for several weeks but 20 months into this complicated condition, I am ready for anything . Thank.you group. Sharing your experiences, educational materials and suggestions has been.my most important resource in coping with this condition.
Yes, a big thank you to the group, who are some of the most compassionate and brave people I know. In my situation, it's my legs that seem to still have PMR when my arms seem back to normal. Makes me wonder if the different parts of the body can't respond at different rates to steroids. Wouldn't that be something?! I think I feel a PubMed search coming on....
And no, celebrex didn't help.
Hi @davebaker, Welcome to Connect. You will notice that we moved your post to an existing discussion on the same topic so that you can connect with other members.
-- What's a good anti inflamation drug (not prednisone) for PMR?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/recommended-anti-inflamation-drug-not-prednisone-for-pmp/
I see that you already have had 3 replies from @flymetothemoon, @mary4 and @suetex so you are definitely not alone with your symptoms. I've had 2 occurrences of PMR and the second time around was much easier due to doing a little research and making a few changes in my life. Not sure if anyone has discussed the topic with you but thought you might find this article helpful.
-- What to eat if you have polymyalgia rheumatica:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321683
Have you tried making any changes to see if they may help with the inflammation?
My PMR (Sept 2019) began in my hands and wrists, then shoulders and neck. My physician started me on 10mg, and that made a huge difference except for my hands. She told me āfeel free to double the dose,ā and at 20mg my hands were fine. Stayed there 3 months; first taper to 15 and thumb/wrist pain cane back - but tolerable. I tapered with no problem to zero in Feb. 2021. After 1 month pain free, my 2nd COVID vaccine brought everything back, and I was on 20 mg again by April 2021. Iāve been tapering very slowly since (now on 7.5 mg), but with any dose lower than 20 mg, I have non-functional, painful thumbs (actually the joint below the thumb, bilateral). I really want to get off prednisone, so Iām tolerating that amount of pain. Iām thankful that itās the only pain I still gave.
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I had and have similar issues. Started at 20 mg 2 years ago. Few weeks ago finally off Prednisone but now back on 5mg. So many opinions and information out there. I also started taking Celebrex in place of Prednisone (make sure you take something with that and steroids to protect stomach) but it did very little. My wrists and fingers kill me. My Rheumatologist thought it may be arthritis and said PMR rarely effects hands. I still don't know for sure. Been seeing her for 2 years but time for a second opinion next week, which I am going to. I'm around your age and help with 5 grandkids so a lot of lifting and walking. My husband is a physician and thinks I should try Methotrexate. My doctor was hesitant due to its effects on liver and more blood tests needed. I've been to two hand specialists. One said he believed this was from PMR and the second gave me injections in the tendons and wrists. Painful. I also have type 2 diabetes. Steroids raise those numbers and bad for bones, but pain is unbearable. I will post what the new Rheumatologist says next week. She has excellent credentials here in a major hospital in NYC. I need a different perspective.