I was ab look e to reduce to 4 1/2 mg of prednisone. I told the doctor that I wanted to come off the methotrexate to see how things would go. He said I would know in 6 to 8 weeks. The pain has come back pretty bad so I guess I will have to go back on it. I hate taking it because of the way it makes me feel. My carpel tunnel in my one hand is so bad I can’t use it. I had to cortisone shots in the hand, one for the trigger finger the other in the wrist. Helped for about three weeks before the pain came back worst. I can’t get in to see a surgeon until Feb14th!!
My other had is starting to bother me with pain and numbness. The concerning part is that my toes are numb at night as well. Is numbness part of PMR. I am going up to 10MG of prednisone today I take half a dose in the morning and half at night in order to try and sleep. Doctor approved.
Thank you and have a good day. Very cold here!
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Plains
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That is interesting to see how much the methotrexate has helped you. I am so sorry to hear about the carpal tunnel. I had it before being diagnosed with PMR and it went away once I started on steroids. If you were in UK you would be lucky to see a surgeon about it before Feb 14th 2023!
Have you got any other health issues as well , or do you take any other medications that might also be effecting how much pain you are feeling , or causing the numbness?
Sometimes , it is PMR or Pred alone , other times, its all of our various conditions working against us at once and we might need other medical help too.
Do you take any other pain medication to help with the non PMR related pain from your Carpal Tunnel or have they given you any Self Care options to help to reduce the pain until you get to see the surgeon?
Hi, I also have CREST, which is a limited form of scleroderma. I have never really had too many issues with it, it usually just affects the skin. I called the doctor today and he did instruct me to up the prednisone and gave me Lorzepan to help me sleep. He also wants me to go back on the methotrexate. He also thinks I have a form or arthritis which can cause carpal tunnel issues. He had no explanation for the feet numbness and suggested I see my GP. Here’s looking for a good night sleep! Thank you
I have carpal tunnel & was told it’s often seen in patients taking pred. Have you looked in FAQ or searched on ‘carpal tunnel’? I think you will find lots of info! I was given hand/wrist splints to wear every night & they’ve helped.
Very interesting. I too have developed right hand CTS and three trigger fingers on left hand in spite of wrist brace and finger splints worn at night. Shots have helped, but only temporarily. Both my hand surgeon and rheumatologist are adamant that neither are related to PMR, so I am scheduled for finger surgery this Friday. I tapered from 40 mg prednisone in late 2018, to 0 in July of this year. The prednisone level did not seem to affect either hand for better or worse. If hand surgery fixes it, I suppose it won’t matter what caused it. Seems that anecdotal evidence exists that CTS can be related to PMR, with trigger finger more questionable. (I haven’t experienced any problems in my feet).
Thank you for your feedback. I had an EMG done on my right hand and it was confirmed moderate CTS. The left had wrist and numbness, I think is part of the PM. I will have the surgery for the right hand. I upped my prednisone from 6 to 10MG yesterday and feel much better. I also got a good nights sleep! I will go down from ten maybe in a few days. I cleaned the house and cooked this morning since I felt so much better.
Hi Plains, I've had CTS since developing PMR although it wasn't a great deal of trouble in the beginning. It started to get worse as I tapered and got down to 5mg. After a chat with the doc we decided I would go back up to 10mg, see if that worked, is so then slowly taper down again. If not then we would chat about the alternatives, injections and/or surgery. Taking the extra Pred has made a big difference and although it is still there, even though I'm just starting a taper from 6mg to 5mg it is not at a point where I need to worry about doing anything about it. I do wear wrist braces every night. As Pixix says there have been a fair number of posts about CTS and FAQ's is probably a good place to peruse.
Hi Plains, I was diagnosed with PMR 7 years, actually confusing the symptoms with RA. I was prescribed Hydroxychloroquine which did not help. Prednisone was the only drug which helped me, but tapering down from 10 mg has been nearly impossible so far. I avoided taking MTX because of side effects and fear of Myeloma.I take 1 Tylenol a day because of arthritis in my right shoulder and hand.
It is difficult to find a Rheumatologist who is willing to listen and understand because we all have different symptoms. Good luck! I live in the USA also.
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