Two weeks in, frightened by meds, PMR and COVID Booster Shot

I think that in my case the onset of PMR was due to various stressors and a stomach virus. I was a carb and sugar fanatic my entire life and I paid the price with stomach and gastro issues. My body turned against me in May 2022 and suddenly I couldn’t move without excruciating pain. My GP ran a blood test and I had elevated ESR so he put me on 9 days of Prednisone starting at 40mg down to 10mg on 9th day. It was an awful withdrawal for me and I swore never to do Prednisone again. I questioned my doctor whether it could be PMR and he said I was too young for that. I had just turned 65. A month later he ordered more blood tests and a chest X-ray. Well the markers were astronomical. My GP said I needed a rheumatologist who was strictly by the book and could not answer any of my concerns….said I should get an endocrinologist. It is frustrating for sure. I started Prednisone in late August at 15 mg and now I am down to 10mg. I have drastically changed my diet. Little to no sugar and under 50 carbs a day. I was sedentary and now I swim 3 times a week. I sweat at night and I have insomnia but that’s the worst of it. It is trial and error and keep on trying new things. I have aches but nowhere near as bad as the initial onset. That was brutal. Good luck to try to remove as much external stressors as possible.

Agree with Raven 1955. Good advice.

I believe strongly that my PMR is caused by the vaccines. ( 2 Pfizer and one Moderna Booster). I am not alone as a lot of people have been getting this since the vaccines.
I would NEVER take another COVID vaccine!

Don’t! Too much evidence is pointing to the vaccines being the protagonist for PMR!

My very first Covid vaccine caused my PMR. I got my first in June 2021 on my sons birthday. It took about 24 hrs and I felt like my neck was out. Pain throughout my hips back neck and headache. I am still battling, started with 15 mg prednisone, relapsed back to 20 mg and now down to 10 mg. It’s a long haul for most folks that I have read about on here. I too worry about side effects but what do you do? I am trying to ramp down by 1 mg every two to three weeks. Every time I drop 1 mg my body aches and pains flair for a day or two. Not severe, you just have to keep going and my body has been correcting. I Am told from 10 down will be the real hard times. Never give up. If you start hurting bad, go back up for A few days or a week and keep working at it. I split my 10 mg dose. I take 5 in the morning and 5 at supper time and that helps a lot.
I cannot do another vaccine as it scares the hell out of me. Good luck. Talk to lots of good folks on here. Lots of knowledgeable people.

Low Dose Naltrexone- I've been posting about it for some time now and have been on it since mid 2019. I believe it to be really helpful to multi autoimmune folks like myself. It is a subtle pain reliever and an anti-inflamatory. There are lots of articles about it, I suggest reading up on it and you will know more than most doctors. Personaly, it has been a miracle drug for me.

ditto! i'm an active 76 year old who loves to exercise. PMR changed my lifestyle ... it all started after the vaccine and boosters 2 moderna 1 pfizer. class action suite, I wish!!
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Thanks, I will check out the information

I just met with my Rheumatologist last week after my 4th failed prednisone regimen, here we go again. Anyway, he said there is now enough data to suggest the vaccines/boosters most likely advance PMR, meaning, I was destined to get it at some point but they accelerated the process.

So sorry you have to deal with PMP. Your story is much like mine. I was healthy and got the Covid vaccine and shortly started having pain in my shoulders and later hips. Diagnosed with RA, but no pain in fingers, joints, etc. Now I am on prednisone with a diagnosis of PMR.
My rheumatologist advised me NOT to get any boosters nor other vaccines. So, I wear a mask when in crowds all the time. I truly believe the vaccine started my problems.