Has anyone used an anti inflammatory diet to get off prednisone ?

@michwest, It did help me the second time around with PMR and I was able to taper off of prednisone in one and half years vs the three and half years the first time with PMR. I think there have been many comments on the topic if you haven't done a search. Here is a list of the comments searching with "PMR +inflammatory diet" - https://connect.mayoclinic.org/search/?search=PMR+%2Binflammatory+diet.

I didn't do a really strict diet like your specialist is recommending but I think it is worth the effort. Reducing sugar and the amount of carbs helped me the most along with trying to focus on eliminating inflammatory foods that I was eating. You might find the following discussion helpful.
-- Low-carb healthy fat living. Intermittent fasting. What’s your why?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/low-carb-healthy-fat-living-intermittent-fasting-whats-your-why/

Thank you John. Yes I had read your story which is encouraging. My problem is I was eating a very clean diet the entire time I’ve had pmr and before I got it. I don’t eat meat or dairy and very little sugar, little gluten and some alcohol.
Now I have started this very restricted diet I have no traces of gluten or sugar as well now and no nightshades. I’m doing everything I can to not have to go back up on prednisone and trying to be very strict. It’s not easy but I’ll know in a month if it was worth it. Thanks for sharing.

I really believe after 2 years that your body is having trouble restarting cortisol. You are suffering more from adrenal insufficiency. It has now caused your inflammation markers to go up. Reaching 2mg is a good milestone but your having trouble going any farther. At 2mg your body is producing some cortisol. You need about 5-7 to maintain function. I think diet and exercise and less stress are all important. But it sounds like you already do pretty well. You could have the Dr test your cortisol. It can be a little more accurate at 2mg. There are those from long term steroid use that can never restart and need corticosteroids the rest of their life. On the facebook page a thread was started on those taking terzepatide. They were having better luck than the diet. It makes sense an insulin blocker and losing weight could help with inflammation. But they were all still stuck at low dose prednisone. You may need to see an endocrinologist.

Hi

Would love to know how it goes . Does alcohol affect pmr

I started treatment after labor day last year and I have tapered to 1mg of methylprednisolone on the anti-inflammatory diet. I eat more cheese than recommended for the general public but it is from grass fed cows made by Kerrygold and called Dubliner. I also take vitamin K2(mk7), vitamin D1000mg. This is my best effort to preserve my bone health.
I have stopped eating fruit, pasta, potatoes, sweet potatoes, rice and bread and I take small portions when I cook root vegetables for my husband. I am not a meat eater but I eat eggs and chicken and fish. Mushrooms are great for hunger pangs and celery seems to do the trick to as well.
I have taken Curcumin500 with Bioporine but I stopped it and switched to sour cherry concentrate when I got to 2 mg of methylprednisolone.

If you completely eliminate dairy, how do you get enough calcium? I have osteoporosis. I would have a really hard time getting enough from non-dairy sources, and high doses of calcium supplements can contribute to plaque in the arteries.

Was on the strict anti-inflammatory diet when my CRP was over 100 but it was too restrictive and supplementing with artificial nutrients was also causing problems (Almond milk as a sub for dairy tasted good but was too high in oxylates) I also had concerns about taking calcium supplements. After several months I worked out that gluten was by far the biggest problem, followed by nightshades and red meat. I am able to eat eggs, chicken and pork. Eating processed and gluten containing foods will cause an increase in pain every time without fail. It took 11 months to get Prednisone down to 3.5 mg and a normal CRP reading and I did need 6 months of Hydroxychloroquine to get here. I don't think I could have done it without Hydroxy.

Thank you @tuckerp - I hadn’t considered adrenal insufficiency as I thought at 2 mg I would have kick started my adrenal system. I will look into that as well. The diet won’t hurt me for a month although I had already started to lose weight again which I do not need to. Appreciate your comments.

I am only 56 and do have osteoporosis unfortunately so have aclasta infusions annually. I eat soy products with calcium and take supplements and try to get it in other vegetables.

Hi @mtr2601 that is really interesting that you have tried the restricted diet. Yes it is very difficult and I have only started. I used to have oat milk but now unsweetened soy milk. No almonds. Not sure how long I can last on it but if it takes my CRP down I will continue. I also take LDN, curcumin and Celebrex which all help. Great your CRP is down to normal!