Prednisone tapering and extreme sweating

I was diagnosed with PMR a couple of months ago purely because I had a period of sudden full-body severe pain and stiffness and from blood tests that showed extremely high CRP (178) plus loads of other blood markers that were way too high or way too low. It all came out of nowhere but I've been feeling really ill for a long time with no diagnosis despite seeing tons of specialists.

One of the first symptoms that told me something was wrong with me was excessive sweating with little or no physical effort. That was 13 years ago and hasn't stopped since but obviously much worse in the summer months. I'm a male now aged 73 so it also had nothing to do with hormonal issues that some females are familiar with in later life. Could be male menapause of course but I doubt it. So, for me, it has nothing to do with prednisone since I've only just started taking it.

At age 60 and having been in really good health until then I suddenly started sweating buckets if I was simply out in the sun, or doing the slightest amount of physical movement. It got to the point where, whenever we went out for a few hours, we'd have to take a second shirt or t-shirt knowing that I'd have to change due to so much sweating. And when I did sweat like that my shirt would have salt stains bordering the sweat patch so I was obviously losing a lot of salt too.

I started sweating at night, especially down my back. So much so that I have to sleep on a towel so that I don't soak the sheet or the mattress. Sounds pretty gross I know. The t-shirts I sleep in you could almost wring out but, it's always the back of the t-shirt that's soaked. Never the front or the armpits. I'm not overweight, don't have any heart issues, no diabetes, no bad habits but have been feeling deathly ill at times for all these years with some awful symptoms that make me feel really unwell. Now, with this new PMR problem, I feel even worse. So, is it all connected and all been leading up to this?

My sweating often seems to start from the bottom of my skull which makes me wonder if it has something to do with a cranial problem of some sort. Possibly cervical arthritis or nerve damage. But, sometimes my arms will break out in a sweat as do my legs when nowhere else does. I do have a lot of arthritis in a lot of my joints and nerve pain so perhaps, when I begin to get over-stimulated by physical effort, even just a small amount, or hot weather, my body's sympathetic nervous system reacts to the pain and inflammation in some way and causes me to sweat buckets. Where I live, on the Mediterranean, the weather is fairly mild at the moment so sweating isn't an issue. Full body pain and nerve pain is. When the weather starts to get hot, which it will, l know it'll be a huge problem. Last year, because I could see from my shirts that I was losing a lot of salt when I sweat, I started taking electrolyte powders which included sodium. Trying to replace the salt I was losing. Now, because I'm taking prednisone, my doctor tells me to cut back on salt. So I'm not sure how that's going to turn out when the sweating season starts! I don't think doctors look at electrolyte imbalances closely enough at a cellular level. Serum levels don't always tell the whole story and electrolyte imbalances can cause lots of problems. Especially for the elderly. Some of them serious.

@jj8431 im sorry to hear you are going through this, but I've finally found someone with exactly the same side effects as myself . It's awful, and really gets to me, every time I do a little task in the house, or outside it starts, and it takes ages to stop, my hair get absolutely soaked, uncomfortable and embarrassing. Im struggling with this, been taking to my Dr today as I've had it, I have polymyalgia Ruematica so im on prednisone 1ve went from 15mg to 7 daily have few months to go, I can feel pain coming back, which must be due to the decreasing amounts, im putting on so much weight. Am glad I came across this page. And for people to understand me

@macdonald As my dose was lowered I started having hot flashes galore. I am currently down to 3 mg/day,

Same after dropping to 3, 2.5 and now 2mg.

@macdonald Hi I have also been suffering with this severe sweating mainly from my head for years everyone ignored it, said there was nothing that could be done . It was like a river running down my head. The hairdresser even deserted me.
Eventually two years ago was diagnosed with Giant Cell Artritis and PMR. No one has connected the two. I have been on Prednisolone Methotrexate and now started Tocilizumab. Quite a cocktail . I have started reducing Prednisolone. The sweating gradually slowed right down while I’ve been on all these drugs and I now only get it occasionally which is so good. One good side effect.

I also had hot flashes and sweating when I went down to 3 mg, but they seem to have subsided, and I have been able to take 2 mg almost constantly now for a week. Hoping that soon I can take it down to 1 mg without a flare. Hang in there! my sweating stopped.

Hi I was finally diagnosed in August by my primary physician when I asked to have my sed rate checked after complaining for 3 months. Dr started me on 20mg I'm tapering myself now at 1.5mg however my blood pressure keeps dropping to unsafe levels 90/60 I stay hydrated feel light headed has anyone else had these issues when tapering. Can't get into Rheumy until Dec 23rd I feel like I would feel better to totally end predisone and use Otc meds for any pain. Any thoughts also I'm a female age 79. Tx for any thoughts bless you all for being persistent and strong xoxjoan

Hello to all I was finally diagnosed with Pmr by my primary care after complaining for 3 months and trying Pt,, chiropractor and massage started off at 20mg in Aug have tapered myself to 1.5 mg however my blood pressure keeps dropping to unsafe levels 70/50 I do drink 70 Oz of water/day. Wondering if I should just stop the prednisone completely and use Otc meds for pain. Anyone have thoughts. Female age 79 used to be healthy Blessings txjoan