questions ?

[chatshy]

Can you still take flare ups while on prednisilone? What do i do if i take the cold or other illness? New questions pop into my head every day .Also would having pernicious anemia have an effect on PMR. Thanks in advance

[polkadotcom]

Yes, you can get flares while on Pred - overdoing things and any kind of stress can often lead to a flare. It's impossible to eradicate stress altogether but it's wise to watch out for any kind of problem which might react on you.

If you catch a cold then do what everyone else does - if you get really bad just go to bed or rest until the worst is over. If you decide to take OTC meds check carefully to see if they contain paracetamol - if you are taking that anyway it is easy to take too much without realising.

I found I caught far fewer colds while on steroids and I know some here feel the same. Equally though, you will find some posting to say they have never been cold-free for years - it's just how you react to them as an individual.

As to the pernicious anaemia, I can't say and I think that is a question for your doctors. Being ordinarily anaemic can be a symptom of PMR, so check with them.

[Hidden]

I found that I got got far less colds than usual on the higher doses of Pred but once below 5mg of Pred I got a succession of them plus a urinary tract infection but then I have always been prone to colds and UTIs. My GP gave me antibiotics for the UTI and I just had loads of rest, paracetemol and hot drinks for the colds. I checked out any additional drugs with my pharmacist. My GP advised that I should not reduce the Pred whilst suffering from any type of infection.

I agree entirely with keeping stress to a minimum and try not to overdo things.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

PA and PMR are both autoimmune disorders - if you have one autoimmune problem you are more likely to develop another than someone who doesn't already have one. PA needs treating, so does PMR.

I too had fewer colds and infections at higher doses of pred - down to 3mg now and starting to get colds! As the others say, if you are ill then rest - don't try to soldier on. It'll just make it last longer and you will feel awful. Not worth it!