Anyone else heard of Hyaluronic Acid.

I have had PMR for 8 months and in June was started on 15 mgs Prednisone. My doctor reduce me down to 12 in August and i was perfectly fine, so in September he dropped me down to 10 and again fine. October down to 9, November down to 8, December down to 7. He told me to reduce to 6 mgs. January 1st but immediately I started having shoulder pain and buttock pain the next morning. I was talking to my dental hygienist two days ago and she said that she was diagnosed with PMR 4 yrs ago and that she found that she could get down to 5 mgs but symptoms would come back. She discovered via her health-food store’s vitamin section that if she combined her 5 mgs of prednisone with a pill called hyaluronic acid she was able to keep taking 5 mgs without the PMR symptoms coming back. I bought some from GMC and I noticed a difference 24 hours after taking the first two doses. Shoulder pain is much milder and buttock pain is hardly noticeable and I can bend to pick stuff off the floor without wincing. I am going to give this a month and see what happens but just wanted to ask if anyone else had any knowledge of this supplement?.

[Ruadh]

Yes, Hyaluronic acid is often used in orthopaedics instead of cortisone, as is an anti-inflammatory. Usually given by injection in to a painful joint, none of the unwanted side effects of cortisone - which can seriously damage a joint.

Does not work for everyone, but can be most effective. Glad it is working for you, but do advise your primary physician that you are using Hyaluronic acid as a supplement. He should be delighted that it is helping you.

[Grammy80 in reply to Ruadh]

Yikes....the only use for hyalauronic acid I have ever heard of is 'to enhance your complexion' , it is in Oil of Olay etc or you can buy it 'straight' . Do let me know on this one.

[Blearyeyed]

As Ruadh states HAcid is usually given as an option in the treatment of osteoarthritis via injection along with cortisone into the joint , most commonly the only place that it has shown any real benefit is at the knee joint.

There have been small low quality studies on using oral HAcid in OA but these found no significant change or benefit in the pain or symptoms of patients overall that would outweigh the risks of choosing HAcid over a more proven treatment.

There have been studies on injections with RA , with little to no benefit for reducing pain or extending the effectiveness of oral or injectable steroid treatments.

The only mention I've seen in relation to PMR was that it could be of benefit in mild cases when standard analgesics had become the primary pain relief used during the recovery period after Prednisone Therapy had finished.

This was just a sentence on a general physiotherapy write up on post PMR therapy with no evidence given.

In which case , it is unlikely that HAcid by oral doses instead of injected directly into affected joints , in the amounts safely recommended in OTT counter supplements , would make any difference or have real significant effect on reducing Active PMR inflammation and associated Pain.

Hyaluronic Acid as an oral supplement , however , is safe to use with Prednisone ( if you have other health issues or medications you would need to check if it was safe for use with those too) .

HAcid can help with things like Skin Moisture , Bone Health Supplementation and some stomach acid conditions , as well as helping some people with Dry Eyes and Hair Issues . It can have a mild analgesic effect for mild / moderate Osteoarthritis for some people , so it could , in theory, help some PMR sufferers cope with some of the side effects of Steroid Therapy even though it wouldn't necessarily have any effect on pain or joint stiffness.

There is a very small chance that it could reduce the withdrawal effects or side effects during tapering but this would have very varied results dependent on the individual , there is also no medically advised figures on the doseage used in trials or recommendations for how large a dose to take orally to be of the most benefit.

Basically , you could try it for 6 weeks , noting if you have any significant benefit from it , even if that benefit turns out to be a positive placebo effect . If it works for you on some level or a particular on a side effect , you can then make the decision to keep it up , as long as you were not hoping that it could seriously speed up your taper of steroids or replace what steroids do for your pain and inflammation.

After 6 weeks I find with supplements I try it's good to taper off it for a week , then go without for a week, and see wether you really feel any different , then you can be sure if it's worth keeping it up. Just ensure you don't taper off your supplement in the same week or week prior your Pred Taper as too much chemical change at once in a body can cause its own side effects. I did this with Turmeric for my IBS and stomach issues and that's how I found out what a significant difference that supplement made for me.

The only thing it could harm , from what I can ascertain , would be your bank balance , but trialling supplements and natural add on treatments , much like trying types of physio , diets or exercise , is never a waste of money if it's something that you really want to do as part of your search for better Self Care , as long as you can afford it , and it doesn't affect your Full Medical treatment. You should ask your GPs opinion about it though just to be sure it's ok for you.

If it doesn't do much after a good trial of a supplement though you might as well taper off it as otherwise you are just creating quite expensive wee and you could use the money to try something else instead.

Let us know in 8 weeks time what your results are as I'm sure everyone will be interested in knowing your results before they consider trying it for themselves , I know I would!

Thanks for the interesting post , Good luck

[Hidden in reply to Blearyeyed]

This is all really good advice. Thank you so much for the research n it. I had n idea, but i think a six week trial on it is very sensible and reasonable. I will jeep you informed on the results

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I've heard of it - but not in this sort of context! It is valuable in the management of osteoearthritis pain - so I do wonder if that is what is happening here. Quite a few patients find OA pain resurfaces at lower doses of pred.

The only contraindications I can find are if you have any history of cancer - apparently cancer cells rather like it and it makes the cells grow - and allergies

[Hidden in reply to PMRpro]

My factor for RA is negative and I have no cancer history, nor in my family so I am going to give this a whirl and see what evolves. Will keep everyone updated.

[OutdoorsyGal]

There was hyaluronic acid in the compounded suppositories and cream prescribed for my post-menopausal tissue changes “down there”.

HA functions to attract moisture, making it good for plumping up your complexion. Perhaps that is what is helping to lubricate joints when it’s injected into them. Not sure how it gets from your mouth to your joints, though.

How much are you taking? Cost?

Keep us posted.

[Hidden in reply to OutdoorsyGal]

I am taking two 140 mgs twice a day. Cost me $24 for 60 caps. But I have seen it cheaper on Amazon.

[Alebeau]

That sounds so good to me. I will look into this for sure.

I was not so good at reducing as when I got to 9 it was unbearable. The good news for me is I am now splitting the dose and take half in the morning and half at night - what a difference!

I am at 11 mg and will continue reducing using the DSNS method and hope to pass the 9 marker this time

Thanks for sharing

[nuigini]

Did some research and this sounds like something worth trying out for my PMR and my husband's serious dry eye issues. Thanks!