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Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR): Meet others & Share Your Story
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Nov 18 7:12pm | Replies (1907)Comment receiving replies
In 2010 I started prednisone 10mg after PMR was diagnosed by exclusion of other arthritic type causes that might be possible given my PMR symptoms but with a normal sed rate. I went through an excruciating episode of not being able to lift my hands over my head to take off clothing, not being able to lift bedclothes to turn in bed, extreme fatigue, difficulty rising from a chair, and pain, especially in my left deltoid. By the time I got in to see my rheumatologist all symptoms had receded except the deltoid pain. I was tapered off prednisone but then represcribed for a flareup a couple of times that was mostly deltoid pain. My doctor made the glib comment that “low dose prednisone was the new aspirin” which I wrongly took to mean it was harmless. I stayed on 5mg for several years. Upon moving to a new state in 2021 the rheumatologist here began reducing my prednisone immediately till I got to 2 mg/day where I have stayed. He says he will not be able to get me off it. I began getting calcium deposits in both hands at about 3 mg prednisone and pain and weakness in both wrists which is severe at times, particularly at night. He prescribed colchicine 3mg, currently at 6mg BID. It at first helped a little but doesn’t seem to be helping now. Does anyone have a similar experience or done anything for this wrist pain that worked? Thanks for any input.
Replies to "In 2010 I started prednisone 10mg after PMR was diagnosed by exclusion of other arthritic type..."
Colchicine is often used for the treatment of gout.
https://www.webmd.com/drugs/2/drug-8640-20/colchicine-oral/colchicine-oral/details#:~:text=Colchicine%20works%20by%20decreasing%20swelling,disease%20(familial%20Mediterranean%20fever).
I was treated with colchicine but I had a high uric acid level along with multiple kidney stones composed of 80% uric acid. I also had a long history of PMR and a longer history of a type of inflammatory arthritis diagnosed 20 years before PMR was diagnosed.
My symptoms of "gout" were inconclusive mostly because I had "pain all over" after PMR was diagnosed. My rheumatologist thought my my high uric acid levels were "contributing" to my overall symptoms of "pain everywhere."
The other suggestion was that long term prednisone use was causing metabolic disorders and hormone imbalances so that "everything was out of whack."
There are many opinions on whether or not "low dose" prednisone is safe to use on a long term basis. Whether or not taking prednisone forever is necessitated for the treatment of you original symptoms is debatable. You could have ongoing symptoms of PMR or something else entirely.
What does happen with long term prednisone use is adrenal insufficiency which can become permanent. When your body lacks the ability to produce adequate supplies of cortisol, all kinds of symptoms start to develop. In the best case scenario, you will regain adrenal function and eventually get off prednisone. The adrenals have a "reserve capacity" to function even if they may not function at 100%.
This problem is also an age related phenomenon. It is sometimes referred to as senescence.
https://www.cellsignal.com/science-resources/overview-of-cellular-senescence#:~:text=Aging%20is%20a%20progressive%20decline,well%20as%20during%20wound%20healing.
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When I was first diagnosed with PMR, I also had pain caused from gout in my right ankle and was given colchicine and it got rid of the pain caused by the uric acid and inflammation from gout.