My mother is 86 and had been diagnosed with PMR. She started on15mgs prednisone and started tapering after a month. She hates the idea of being on steroids and has continued tapering- now on 9mgs after 4 months of treatment. She is suffering with hip pain and pain in pelvic girdle and is convinced this is caused by steroid myopathy especially as the pain was originally in her arms and shoulders.
She intends to come off steroids ASAP . Is it possible that she may be right or is this typical of reducing too quickly. Thanks
Written by
Dash21
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
hello, you will get more informed replies, but hip girdle and thigh pain is very much part of the PMR picture and could be showing now the Pred dose is lower. It could be steroid myopathy but the pattern is suspicious. What dose was she comfortable on?
She might intend to get off steroids ASAP, but if the underlying illness is still active - which it most certainly is at only 4 months in - she won’t! Or at least, not without a lot of pain.
The idea is to get the built up inflammation under control, with the higher dose of 15mg, and then reduce SLOWLY to find the lowest dose that gives the same relief as initially attained. She has obviously gone below the dose she needs.
It does sound that your mother has reduced the pred to too low a level and the PMR is raising its ugly head. If she ups her dose by 5mg for a week or so and see if it helps she can then reduce back to where she is comfortable. All of us want to stop taking pred but on the other hand it is our saviour and saving us from a lot of pain. Has she checked with her doctor?
She can come off steroids - but if the underlying autoimmune cause of the PMR symptoms is still active the symptoms will return until they are as bad as they were when she went to the doctor originally and possibly worse as it will have progressed. It is unlikely to be steroid myopathy after such a short time - and that manifests by the muscles shrinking and wasting away.
I didn't experience pelvic girdle pain before diagnosis, though had pain elsewhere, shoulders especially, but now recognise it as being a warning sign of being a bit below the right dose for me.
The point of being on steroids is to protect the body from damage the PMR inflammation can due to the body and have a decent quality of life; we have to wait for the disease to “burn out” or go into remission. Keeping active, while in steroids, will help avert muscle loss and deconditioning. If your mom stops or reduces the steroids too soon then her quality of life will be awful from the pain and disability. This forum educates us on how to reduce safely.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
Always in pain!
Pain in heels
Pain while reducing steroids
My First Rheumy Visit
How pain free should I hope for?
