Connect
← Return to Does prednisone do more than treat the symptoms of PMR
Discussion
Does prednisone do more than treat the symptoms of PMR
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Feb 25, 2023 | Replies (4)Comment receiving replies
Hi @christopherc, I do think the prednisone plays a large part of causing PMR to go into remission by treating the root causes, inflammation for one. This article is from the US Pharmacist's website has a chart under the treatment section that lists why prednisone is the drug of choice for treatment along with some great information on why there is a controversy on the dose and duration of treatment.
--- Polymyalgia Rheumatica: A Severe, Self-Limiting Disease:
https://www.uspharmacist.com/article/polymyalgia-rheumatica-a-severe-self-limiting-disease.
You might also find the following discussion helpful:
--- PMR - How will I know I am in remission?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/pmr-8/.
I was started on 20 mg prednisone dosage for both of my occurrences of PMR. The first time was the worse for me because I didn't know what to expect. It took me 3 and half years to taper off. The second time around six years later was much better and only took me 1 and half years to taper off. I'm happy to hear you have found a new rheumatologist that will work with you on the treatment.
Replies to "Hi @christopherc, I do think the prednisone plays a large part of causing PMR to go..."
Connect
Sorry, I meant to reply to @christopherc
I have a bit of experience treating other autoimmune disorders with prednisone. Those autoimmune disorders were "steroid responsive" because I was able to take 60 mg and get back to 0 mg in a month or two. High dose prednisone followed by a fast taper worked well for inducing remission of those conditions.
PMR was something new to me when it was diagnosed. I took 40 mg to control my symptoms but my rheumatologist didn't want me to taper off quickly. I wasn't able to taper off quickly so it that didn't matter.
After 12 years, I was still taking taking 10 mg and still couldn't taper off. I experienced the overwhelming fatigue and had many medical complications during the 12 years I took prednisone. There was nothing benign about taking prednisone for a long time.
I would say that prednisone does a lot more than just treat the symptoms of PMR. Most of the things prednisone does aren't good which is why doctors want you to taper off as quickly as you can.
Prednisone has a profound effect on your immune system and not just the autoimmune part of it. I also makes it so your adrenals don't function well and it disrupts the HPA axis.
The following is worth reading:
https://connectedrheumatology.com/do-you-need-prednisone/