How to address PMR pain while decreasing prednisone

MSM - comes in 1000mg doses, taken at meals two to three times a day. The pharmacist said to take the dose recommended on the bottle.

MSM. As for dose, I take 3 grams in the morning with juice and then have breakfast. They have studied up to 4 grams a day without side effects. I have read that there is no known toxic dose but if you really try I'm sure you can upset your stomach. For as much good as it does, it really seems side effect free.

I am very new to this condition and have just started with prednisone (5 days in). It appears to be working although i am not completely pain free yet. Along with prednisone my Rheumatologist prescribed 1000mg of calcium and 2000 mg of vit D to strengthen bones. I am female, 5’2’’, 110 with osteopenia. Are others taking calcium and vit D? What else are people doing to keep bone loss at a minimum.

Hi @lizward46, My PMR is in remission but I also have osteopenia and am worried about keeping bone loss at a minimum. I also take vitamin D and calcium. There is another discussion you might find helpful on the topic:

--- Your tips for healthy living with osteoporosis: What helps?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/your-tips-for-healthy-living-with-osteporosis-what-helps/

When my primary care physician put me on 13mg of Pred, he put me on Fosomax, once a week, to counter the bone loss dangers of Pred.
On my own initiative, I asked the doc to set me up for a DEXA scan so, if it were necessary to continue the Pred for some time, I could check in the future, with another DEXA scan, and see how much damage, if any, taking Pred had done to my bone health. Results were: AP Spine(L1, L2, L3) 1.025 -0.4 0.8 Normal
Femoral Neck (Left) 0.902 -0.2 1.5 Normal
Total Hip (Left) 1.001 -0.2 1.0 Normal

I’m also taking calcium and Vit D but have been on Prolia for several years. So far, so good 😊.

I was full of hope when I started taking MSM, but after about a week, I began experiencing excruciating headaches. Once I read the contraindications, I discovered that people who had migraines (in my case regular migraines in childhood but few in adulthood), there could be a problem with headaches.

I already have osteoporosis and take calcium with Vitamin D. But the "research" I did showed it is imperative to take Vitamin K with the Calcium and Vitamin D for the following reason:

"But vitamin D alone doesn’t dictate where the calcium you ingest ends up. Vitamin K integrates calcium into bones and teeth, preventing it from being deposited in soft tissues, such as the kidneys or arteries—important, since calcium deposits in the kidneys are linked with kidney diseases, and the buildup of calcium in blood vessels increases the risk of coronary artery disease, heart attacks, and stroke."

This are two websites but there are lots more out there saying the exact same thing if you want to research on your own: https://www.betternutrition.com/supplements/vitamins/why-you-need-to-take-vitamins-d-k-together/

Thank you for that information. I am having a bone density scan in 3 weeks and am very interested in what the findings will be. Hopefully the osteopenia has not progressed since my mast scan.

That's very interesting. I was born with migraines and have no problem with taking MSM. Shows how individual we are.