Listen to the doctor!!!

[Debswales]

Having been diagnosed with PMR 5 months ago i started on 20mg pred and the pain difference was immense, started reducing slowly was down to 8mg, but the weight gain was making me so depressed i decided my self to lower the doze to 5mg, which was a terrible mistake, cos now a couple of weeks later im back to pain first thing in the mornings, my last blood test results showed my ESR and CRP had increased quite a bit, so now ive gone back up to 7mg and will have to do as the doctors says and reduce slowly, my own fault , but i thought i was doing so well, so just goes to show the meds are still needed for the pain relief, back to getting up extra early in the mornings to get ready for work!!!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Hi Debswales,

Don't beat yourself up too much, you aren't the first to do this, and you won't be the last.

The weight gain is very depressing, but it usually goes as you get lower, so long as you keep to a healthy eating regime.

Your levels are quite crucial at the moment as your adrenal glands should be kicking back in, so you need to be really careful about reducing. Which I'm sure you will be from now on😇. Good luck with going back to work that can be added stress.

[Debswales in reply to DorsetLady]

ahh thank you for your reply, trying to run before i can walk arent i? just you feel depressed with this illness and then on then on top it all you get weight gain !!!! but slow steps now

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Debswales]

A lot of us found some help with the weight gain by cutting carbs drastically - and that led to the typically pred fat deposit places melting away, slowly but surely. Pred changes how we process carbs - causes blood sugar spikes, insulin produced in response encourages your body to lay down spare glucose as fat deposits in particular places. Cut the carbs - and those fat deposits should go.

As DL says, most people have been there but it is more often an enthusiastic doctor encouraging them to reduce too far. You rarely chose to go to low more than once! You may need a few days at a bit more to get the inflammation cleared out - but you can then reduce back to the dose that was OK fairly fast. If you are working you may need a bit more pred than if you weren't - you are asking your body to do more.

[Fernan in reply to PMRpro]

Most qualified nutritionists would recommend a balanced and varied diet, including carbohydrates such as whole grains.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Fernan]

I'm sure most nutritionists would - it doesn't however match the most recent studies in terms of weight loss and in any case is directed at healthy people. This is a particular case with patients taking corticosteroids who have gained or are at risk of gaining weight due to deposition of fat stores and also of developing steroid-induced diabetes. It has been shown in several studies now that low carb diets help a lot in prevention of developing Type 2 diabetes and the American Diabetic Association also recommends low carb for the management of Type 2 diabetes.

[Fernan in reply to PMRpro]

nhs.uk/Livewell/loseweight/...

There's a useful section in this article from a trusted source about carbs and diabetes that might be of interest

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Fernan]

It is 2 years old - as I said, the most recent advice is changing. If I ate the carbs they recommend I would gain a lot of weight - I have tried it.

[HeronNS in reply to Fernan]

They would also tell us to eat protein at the same time as consuming carbohydrates.

[Fernan]

I'm convinced that my morning bowl of porridge, especially if followed by a couple of home laid poached eggs, is a healthy start to the day!