PMR and Charlie Horses

Posted by cj762 @cj762, 6 days ago

Diagnosed with PMR about a month ago. Prednisone is 25 mg a day. Greatly helped with pain, morning routine, and intensity of pain. I go tomorrow for another blood test to see if my inflammation markers have changed any. This week I have been getting Charlie horses in my upper thighs, calves, and hand. Thank goodness not all at once. This is Charlie horse pain not like the PMR muscle pain. Is it a side effect of the prednisone or is it indeed related to PMR condition? Up until this week I have not had any Charlie horses. I am taking magnesium and yes I drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day. I should not be dehydrated. Anyone else experience this symptom on their journey with this odd condition?

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tonimcbride | @tonimcbride | 6 days ago

I started getting cramps in my feet, calves, and hamstrings. Turned out I was very vitamin D deficient. After several weeks of high dose supplements, my muscles returned to normal.

tyl411 | @tyl411 | 6 days ago

I had pretty bad cramps when I was at 15mg of the Prednisone, and even on down to 10 mg. The kind where I jump out of bed in the middle of the night. Just awful. The Rheumatologist took Pred down to 7.5 one day and 10 the next repeatedly, and the cramps abated.

Mike | @dadcue | 6 days ago

I remember how severe leg cramps would rudely wake me up out of a sound sleep in the middle of the night. I had to get out of bed, stretch and walk around. I usually stayed awake and sat in a chair for the rest of the night. The severe cramps with the pain and stiffness from PMR made me wonder why my body struggled so much while I was trying to sleep. I decided it could mostly be explained by a circadian rhythm and chronic Prednisone use.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/14170-leg-cramps
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Prednisone causes electrolyte imbalances so that might have explained some of the muscle cramps I had. Maybe you should ask your doctor to check your electrolyte levels.
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/24019-electrolyte-imbalance
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I'm always amazed by how many things can become unregulated and out of balance when we take Prednisone. It is truly remarkable how a single medication can disrupt so many different systems in the body. I'm so happy to have been off Prednisone for the last 5 years. My leg cramps and so many other things have improved.