Feeling really ill

[geordiegirl1947]

Hi everyone,thankyou I advance for all ur very helpful information, I have been on steroids for 9mths mths now I take 60mgs, I still feel very tired and still in a lot of pain also I was told I have diabetes , I have been put on meds which make me run to the bathroom all day this is my second lot and they both do the same,has anyone else experienced this,it is making my life very miserable,do u have to take meds to control diabetes any help would be great I am 71yrs old still working so not a good time to have to run to the loo all day I cant keep taken time off,

[Hidden]

Re diabetes meds- a lot of meds need bedding in time but if the tummy effects are severe then it's not worth waiting. Which meds have you tried? For how long each? When do you take them?

Re 60mgs- where is the pain you are having? You shouldn't really be having pain at that dose. Have you ever been pain free? You seem to have had little relief for months. Are they sure it's GCA/PMR? I would be asking for more support and urgent referral to Rheumy if you haven't had one already.

[geordiegirl1947 in reply to Hidden]

Thankyou for that advice that was nice n quick I appreciate ur help the diabetes,the tablets I am taken are sukkarto unfortunately the last ones the dr has taken back so I dont know name,I have been on these ones 7wks now,I take them on a morning, also the pain I'm experiencing is in my arms n shoulders and my legs feel very heavy,I shake s great deal as well. My next appointment with rheumy is 20th August.as far as I'm aware its gca/per,I will be ringing my gp tomorrow for appointment thankyou,

[Hidden in reply to geordiegirl1947]

They are prolonged release Metformin which should be taken with EVENING meal, which I think they a)presume is your a biggest meal b) it will allow a the Metformin to work through the day when you are eating c) you can sleep through side effects hopefully. You take the lowest dose of 500mg a day and gradually increase to required dose over a couple of weeks. I presume you have a blood glucose monitor? If so you need to keep a close eye on you levels. They tell you Metformin can't cause hypoglycemic episodes but it may. I had quite a few if I didn't eat enough. Always carry glucose tablets just in case. The one thing I know is that high and low blood sugar impacts on my pain, particularly head and shoulders. Try taking the sukkarto with your evening meal for a week or two. It would definitely effect your tummy without enough food across the release period.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

You mean the diabetes meds I assume? What are they?

I can only echo all that Poopadoop has said - there are many meds and NO meds are worth taking if they make your life that miserable.

And do you have GCA? Do you have a definite diagnosis from a specialist rheumatologist and what are your symptoms?

If it is GCA, I do question why you are on 60mg of pred after such a long time - especially if you say you still have a lot of pain. Your doctor should be investigating you for reasons for the lack of response to such a high dose

[piglette]

60mg of steroids for nine months seems a very high amount for quite a long time if you have only been diagnosed with PMR/GCA. I assume the first set of tablets for your diabetes was Metformin as they are normally the first medication prescribed for diabetes and they were then changed for sukkarto, however sukkarto also contain Metformin so I may be wrong.

I think I would try and find out why you are in such pain in spite of such a high dose of steroids as that does not seem right.

[Hidden in reply to piglette]

It's basically slow release Metformin.

[piglette in reply to Hidden]

I was just wondering why they gave it as it seemed geordiegirl had trouble with Metformin. Perhaps it works differently re side effects or they were just testing to see if it made any difference.

[Hidden in reply to piglette]

I think you are right. You don't get the dose at once of course. I think the side effects can be pretty much the same. I take prolonged release tramadol and the side effects are not so pronounced. Maybe it's a similar thing.

[piglette in reply to Hidden]

That is a good point, it might reduce the effects. I suppose it is trial and error.

[Hidden in reply to piglette]

Obviously error at the moment for gg21947 as she is getting the side effects. 😵

[Hidden]

I just wondered if you were on other meds?