Is this related to pmr??

[Portraitartist]

Diagnosed late sept 2020. On plaquinil due to previous side effects with steroids, for unrelated prob. At this point my pain is mostly at a manageable level. But I haven't felt well in myself at any point yet. Over last few weeks I have had intermittent headaches, sometimes with just feeling of pressure and no pain. Also nighttime tingling in legs and left side of chest, but not every night. Intermittent feelings of lightheadedness, and reflux. My mood is good but these symptoms come with feeling of anxiety. I had thought I would reconsider steroids when I visit my rheumy next week. In general I find walking helps with symptom relief, but today I went for my walk and I felt quite unwell. Heart rate 150, lightheaded, anxious.

Is it possible this is separate anxiety, or is it part of pmr. Am I feeling effects of general inflammation? I ve read on your site about steroid induced symptoms such as these. I m wondering is there a possibility that my body is telling me i need steroids to deal with my stress response. Is adrenal insufficiency part of pmr. I ve had a cardiac check up lately which so far has been ok. Just waiting result on one final test. ...or am i going off my head.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I'm afraid that while I appreciate people do have problems with steroids, plaquenil has absolutely NO record of efficacy with PMR so it seems a bit pointless. Some of the effects you describe COULD be due to the plaquenil. There are people who allege that poor adrenal function is the cause of PMR - but there are others who try to say pred causes it too! They have done studies and while there may be a subgroup with adrenal problems, it isn;t consistently found across all patients.

You say you have had cardiac tests that have been normal - but have you had a several day ECG monitor that has been recording when you have had episodes of palpitations? I would be rather concerned about your tachycardia of 150 - and I can promise you that UNLESS they are recording when it happens, they can very easily be lulled into a state of false security! Been there, done that, have the t-shirt ... I have atrial fibrillation that was almost certainly caused by the autoimmune part of PMR having damaged the electrical system that governs heart rate. It is fairly well managed with drugs but they missed a subsequent development of bradycardia after an a/f episode - which resulted in long pauses and dizzy spells. In the end I collapsed - luckily I just hit my head and got a black eye unlike a friend who fell down the stairs and broke his neck!