1. < Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)
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After "recovering" from PMR, still decreased strength/stamina

Posted by garibaldo88 @garibaldo88, May 6, 2025

I had a relatively brief bout of PMR, all pain gone and inflammation markers back to normal after only a few months of prednisone and sulfasalazine. (Yes, I DO know how fortunate I am!)
This recovery was almost 2 yrs ago, but I have not been able to regain my pre-PMR level of fitness despite exercising just and hard and frequently as before. I'm a very fit 65 yr old male, and I wouldn't really care about not being being able to regain my pre-PMR strength and stamina, but I row competitively so the drop-off is quite noticeable when I'm racing (and LOSING!) against other serious athletes.
Anybody else have a similar experience, or advice on how to train in my post-PMR world?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) Support Group.

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raven1955 | @raven1955 | 9 hours ago
In reply to @dadcue "@raven1955 I was on Prednisone for more than 12 years until I finally tapered off in..." + (show)
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@raven1955
I was on Prednisone for more than 12 years until I finally tapered off in a year after Actemra (tocilizumab) was tried. Before I tapered off prednisone I had a reckoning of sorts when I read my extensive list of medical problems that I had acquired during the period of time I took Prednisone on a daily basis. I told someone that I felt more normal when I took Prednisone. The person reminded me that normal people don't need to take Prednisone every day.

It wasn't until I tapered off Prednisone when I realized that I truly was walking on a tightrope. I would fall off and have a flare which turned out to be symptoms that were consistent with prednisone withdrawal and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency.

It is incredible how many medical problems have dramatically improved since I tapered off Prednisone. It took a few years to partially recover from long term Prednisone use. My doctors say that I'm still a "work in progress" five years after my last dose of Prednisone. I remember being told my side effects would go away when Prednisone was stopped. My strength and stamina took time to recover.

I'm still being seen by an endocrinolgist for metabolic side effects and hormone imbalances. I thought the symptoms of those medical problems were my new normal except for being told that they aren't normal.

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@dadcue
Yeah, PMR and prednisone sure run the gamut! One person gets over it in a year and another never gets over it. One person has minimal issues with prednisone and another has to deal with every side effect plus some new ones! Of course we don’t hear much from those who recover quickly. Seems like no two cases are the same except there’s still the tightrope and how long that rope is.

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Mike | @dadcue | 9 hours ago
In reply to @dadcue "@raven1955 I was on Prednisone for more than 12 years until I finally tapered off in..." + (show)
Profile picture for Mike @dadcue

@raven1955
I was on Prednisone for more than 12 years until I finally tapered off in a year after Actemra (tocilizumab) was tried. Before I tapered off prednisone I had a reckoning of sorts when I read my extensive list of medical problems that I had acquired during the period of time I took Prednisone on a daily basis. I told someone that I felt more normal when I took Prednisone. The person reminded me that normal people don't need to take Prednisone every day.

It wasn't until I tapered off Prednisone when I realized that I truly was walking on a tightrope. I would fall off and have a flare which turned out to be symptoms that were consistent with prednisone withdrawal and symptoms of adrenal insufficiency.

It is incredible how many medical problems have dramatically improved since I tapered off Prednisone. It took a few years to partially recover from long term Prednisone use. My doctors say that I'm still a "work in progress" five years after my last dose of Prednisone. I remember being told my side effects would go away when Prednisone was stopped. My strength and stamina took time to recover.

I'm still being seen by an endocrinolgist for metabolic side effects and hormone imbalances. I thought the symptoms of those medical problems were my new normal except for being told that they aren't normal.

Jump to this post

I just wish to add what artificial intelligence says about this topic.

"Why it Takes So Long:

The phrase "it will go away when you stop" often undersells the structural and metabolic remodeling the body has to go through to return to a pre-steroid state. You are not just stopping a medicine; your body is undergoing a major recalibration."

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