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DiscussionPMR: Are there treatment alternatives to Prednisone?
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Jan 11 7:08am | Replies (175)Comment receiving replies
Replies to "I am new to this chat room I was diagnosed w PMR one year ago underwent..."
Hi, jds; I am on Kevzara since October and will have my 6th shot on Tuesday. I was diagnosed in January 23. I am down to 2.5 of prednisone daily. I have had no reaction or side effects from the Kevzara and hope to be off prednisone entirely in the next couple of weeks. Sanofi and Regeneron developed Kevzara and you should see if you are eligible for help paying for Kevzara. I am retired military and so I have a reasonable co pay for a 2 month dosage. My experience has been very positive but us PMRers are all different.
Good luck and Happy New Year
jds2123 Are you planning on tapering down off the prednisone soon? This is something that I hope would be a goal since prednisone has such a long list of side effects. I was diagnosed with PMR as a direct result of an adverse reaction to a drug so I am now overly cautious about wanting to go on any drug - including prednisone.
I am just now titrating down - and it is a very slow process but to date I have not had to reverse direction. I use Tylenol to help with pain as needed. At one time I was taking 3000mg of Tylenol, now it is about half that. Prednisone is playing with my immune system, fluid retention, weight gain, calcium, thyroid, sleep and many, many more side effects - I personally want off it ASAP. My PCP identifies prednisone as a high-risk drug - sometimes necessary but still high risk. I would agree.
I wish you success on your journey - it will need patience - which I often times fall short on. I always want to fast forward to the ending.
You might want to Google LDN for PMR. Low dose of a drug with few side effects that some people are having good results with. You would have to go to a naturopathic/alternative medicine doctor. Traditional MDs can’t prescribe it because it’s an off-label use. Lots of studies going on with it.
Hi @jds2123, Welcome to Connect. While I'm sorry to hear you have joined the PMR club, I'm hoping you can learn from what others have shared so that your journey with PMR will be much easier. I've had PMR flare up twice before but it's been in remission now for almost six years and I'm hoping it stays there. I've only had prednisone to treat PMR so I won't be much help. You are not alone seeking alternative treatments so I'm hoping others like @chris1466, @nyxygirl, @mikeshell, @tillysam and others can share what has helped them.
Keeping a daily log helped me through my PMR flare ups. Do you keep a daily log with your the amount of pain you have when you wake up and the dosage you are taking for the day?