Had pmr over 5 years dose of pred now 8.5mg after painful arms in oct and crp of 38 had me go back to 15mg yet again always yoying despite dead slow reductions of 1/2mg every 6 weeks.
CRP usually raised in the 20s over the past few years no matter how I feel ESR usually normal apart from 5 years ago on diagnosis.
Rheumi now wants me to add 7.5 of methotrexate each week plus folic acid.
Just don't know what to do I'm scared.
Hi, I hope you won't mind me copying and pasting (below) a reply I sent to another post earlier regarding my own experience of methotrexate. I know many people have nasty reactions but I have evidently been lucky.
I can only give my own experience of MTX. I started on 60 mg pred per day on 31st July 2017. On two occasions I had bad flares of GCA symptoms when trying to reduce to 25 mg. The second time, just after Christmas 2017, I was prescribed MTX . The initial dose was 10 mg per week, plus one tablet per week of folic acid. This was increased a couple of months later to 15 mg per week plus folic acid on 5 days per week. I go for a monthly blood test to make sure my liver is okay. I've now been taking MTX for just over 13 months without any terrible side effects, and I feel it probably has helped me to reduce pred as I haven't had a sign of a flare since.
Thank you for your kind reply.
Do you have raised CRP’s even if feeling ok? There are some medications that cause raised CRP, could that be a possibility?
I'm on 50mg of sertraline anti depressant a day,
Garlic and cod liver oil tablets and that's all.
I've always had add ons like costochondritis for over a year, neck and shoulder pain that went away after a stressful 6 months.
And now arm pain biceps which I think may be an add on from decorating and then pulling a suitcase for quite a long way.
Rheumatologist didn't really listen to me just talked over me he was running 40minutes late so I felt very rushed.
Looks like Sertraline, an SSRI, isn’t of one of them.
I have raised a ESR and CRP doesn’t matter how I feel. Doctors just say that is how I am and ignore it.
7.5 mg is a baby dose so don't worry- my rheumy wants me to start 15mg Methotrexate- they do monthly checks on your bloods to keep an eye on you and you need a chest X-ray pre starting- it might help you reduce your steroids more quickly
CRP moving up
CRp
CRP
Feel good but CRP still elevated - rheum says increase pred
CRP & ESR
