reading some of the questions I noticed that someone said that omeprazole can cause leg pain is this the case Wendy

[kingharold11]

[polkadotcom]

Leg pain is one of the more common side effects listed on the information sheet for Omeprazole. Have you been getting some problems, Wendy?

[kingharold11 in reply to polkadotcom]

in the last few weeks yes but I have been taking them since may 2011 without problems I also took AA for a few weeks this last month having not taken any for 18 months because they made me dizzy. When I last saw my rheumitologist in june she insisted I take AA. However I am seeing my GP on Monday to try something else. Wendy

[polkadotcom in reply to kingharold11]

It would be as well to establish whether or not you need AA or any of the others before taking it I would have thought. Have you had a DEXA scan? This would show if any medication is needed for your bones. If you don't need it (i.e. the scan shows normal bone density) then why subject yourself to taking something which makes you feel unwell and which you don't really need?

[kingharold11 in reply to polkadotcom]

I had a dexa scan last tuesday 23 July but I haven't got the results yet I am not taking anything until I have

[Hidden in reply to kingharold11]

Hi kingharold11.My Doc prescribed Risedronate Sodium-similar to AA from onset.Recently thinking I had side effects Doc changed them it to AA I then had real effects! So changed back to RS.I noticed AA are 'uncoated',RS coated which could make difference.I have had my request for a Dexa declined-guidelines don't cover over 65's(77) I have come to the conclusion that it is very difficult to work out what side affects are what when everything else is going on in the body,eg multiple drug intake ,mood and environment,However I am sure that when one is in a Pred reduction programme you really Know the side effects!especially at the beginning,all those things you want to do,and

have to plan them to avoid 'blowout'and getting the reduction rate right -been there 3 times but thanks to PMRGCAuk and you fellow sufferers I am now better equiped to deal with the 'effects on my body'But have learnt mine and yours are very real to you and should be advised to the Doc.Good wishes John

[kingharold11 in reply to Hidden]

Hi John I find it strange you were refused a dexa scan on grounds of age I am 66 nearly 67. I agree that its difficult to pin down side effects to a specific drug. I like you have been trying to get off steroids . I was off them for a month in March because consultant wanted to do a synacthan test on my adrenal glands which proved they were all right. However I had a flare up of pmr so had to go back on steroids. I will give it a month then try to reduce them again I am on 6mg at the moment. Best wishes Wendy

[BromleyPen]

I had to stop taking AA for a year because I am having some dental work done. The rheumatologist agreed that stopping while the work was done was fine and I have felt good without them. I take calcium tablets and other vitamins and mineral supplements so when I saw my GP last week I asked him if I really needed to go back on AA. It wasn't much of a discussion. He told me that all the scientific evidence was that AA was essential bone protection if you were on steroids. He wasn't interested in discussing side effects. I am seeing the rheumatologist in August so will ask him the same question as I really don't want to take anything non-essential. I am slowly, slowly reducing the steroids - now down to 6.5 mg/day.

[kingharold11 in reply to BromleyPen]

most doctors aren't interested in side effects its usually a case of take it and shut up moaning whether it makes you feel ill or not

[polkadotcom in reply to kingharold11]

You must have had some really bad doctors, Wendy. I've not come across a GP or consultant yet who wouldn't take notice of reported side effects, particularly with patients on steroids. Perhaps I've just been lucky!

[kingharold11 in reply to polkadotcom]

I have, 6 months before I was diagnosed with PMR I went to a GP, not the one I am with now, because I was having bad night sweats and stiff neck and shoulders, I also had a tickly cough because at the time I was on Ramipril.He sent me for a chest xray did blood tests and concluded I had cancer of the Lymph glands. I was frightened out of my wits and demanded to see a specialist. The consultant I saw told me that the GP was an idiot and I didn't have anything serious wrong. It was still a further 6 months and countless scans etc before a doctor in his sixties diagnosed what was wrong with me. He obviously had experience of our wonderful disease.

[Celtic PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi Penny

The same question applies to you as Polkadot enquired of Wendy above: Have you had a DEXA scan that has revealed thinning of your bones? It is a good idea to get a DEXA scan carried out soon after starting steroids in order to get a baseline figure. If any bone thinning occurs as a result of the steroids it is generally within the first few months of treatment at the higher doses in which case some bone protection will be necessary. Providing your DEXA scan is normal, and as you say you are now on just 6.5mg of Pred, then your bones are at much lower risk, if any, of the steroid thinning side effect.

Although I started on 40mg of Prednisolone, I was never prescribed AA. I arranged a private DEXA at the outset in 2007 (was refused by both rheumy and GP due to long waiting list!) and my bones were found to be fine. Two years later (2009) a repeat DEXA showed a tiny deterioration in the spinal reading (just within the Osteopenia range - the stage before Osteoporosis with hips still normal!). A third DEXA (2011) showed everything to be stable.

Have you had a Vitamin D blood test? I requested the test recently, was found to be deficient with a reading of 36 (normal 75 to 150/200) and was prescribed a 3-month course of pure Vitamin D3, which has taken my levels up to 89. The Vitamin D supplement enables more calcium from food to be absorbed into our bodies, thus helping our bones.

Good luck with the continuing reductions......and with the dental work!

[BromleyPen in reply to Celtic]

Thank you Celtic. I am on point of leaving for a week's course in Oxford but will reply to you as soon as I return. Haven't had Dexa scan but might do what you did. Good idea.

Penny

[Greensleeves]

I began taking Omeprazole on Tuesday due to severe indigestion (i'm on 8 mg 9mg Pred ). Since then have had throbbing deep pain in hips, maybe it's the Omeprazole Wendy. Also my GP prescribed AA but after reading the side effects I am not taking it. My GP won't even refer me to a Rhemy , I'm considering changing my GP , I can't imagine finding one any less helpful. Hope you get some answers and feel better soon.

[kingharold11 in reply to Greensleeves]

my advice is change your GP, the one I have now is not a lot better than the first one but at least he listens

[Greensleeves in reply to kingharold11]

Glad your new GP listens to you , better than the old one. Take care. x

[trish29 in reply to Greensleeves]

Hello Greensleeves!! My advice is Don't give up on your GP!! Keep asking to see a Rheumatologist ,be determined and point out the things you're not happy with..I had been waiting since February this year as my last Rheumy made me feel that I wasn't doing enough to get down on steroids and the PMR which I have had for 9 years doesn't always show up in my blood tests so she sent me back to my GP. I was so upset and disheartened ..I have lost a lot of time as well this year on steroid reducing. WELL!! 2 weeks ago I saw my new Rheumatologist and I am so pleased that He treated me like a human being and Yes he confirmed that I still have PMR and he is getting me on a new steroid reducing plan..He talked to me face to face and wanted to know my everyday pain .I was also impressed when I got to the Rheumatology DPT at the Hospital as on the wall was the largest poster on PMR/GCA THAT I HAD EVER SEEN in all the time I've had PMR.. Nobody ever usually wants to know about this awful condition.. I am also on Omeprazole and I suffer with awful leg pain and my lower back and wonder if it could be caused by this medication.. My ex Rheumy took me off of AA as I had been on it a couple of years or more and said I needed to stop it for a while.. So please don't give up it's all so disheartening and this condition makes you feel so low. All the best trish29

[Greensleeves in reply to trish29]

Thanks so much for your advice Trish, that new Rheumy sounds excellent., fantastic they had the big poster up about PMR ! My bloods are always normal too so I think that's one of the reasons my GP is unsympathetic. I am seeing him again in September and will insist I see a Rheumatologist. I can't stand the sweating , the aching and generally feeling like an old woman when I'm 52 and not ready for the knackers yard yet !. Maybe the Omeprazole is causing your leg and back pain, sounds likely. Take care Trish , speak again soon. x