Just wondering if anyone has a view on these herbal treatments:
- St John’s Wort tincture - meant to be good for muscles
- Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) Root Extract - meant to be good for adrenal glands.
Believe me, I am not parting with my Prednisolone until PMR goes back from whence it came, but as I taper (nearly at 5.5mg) just wondering if anything might help my body deal with things and someone suggested considering that these might be complementary.
thanks.
"Ashwagandha, because it seems to make the immune system more active, could also interfere with drugs that suppress the immune system. Examples of these drugs include cyclosporine, mycophenolate, tacrolimus, prednisone, and corticosteroids. Ashwagandha might make people drowsy or sleepy."
msdmanuals.com/home/special....
There is only one thing that persuades the adrenal glands - or at least the HPA axis (hypothalamus, pituitary, adrenal axis) which controls it all - to start working again is lack of corticosteroid being present, that is the only thing that isn't been produced, everything else has been working as normal,
"st. john's wort oral will decrease the level or effect of prednisone oral by altering drug metabolism. Serious - Use AlternativeAvoid or Use Alternate Drug"
rxlist.com/drug-interaction...
That could mean the dose you are on now is no longer enough to manage the symptoms - or at any stage you might need more than if you weren't taking the St John's wort.
It can also be used to make a topical oil - but that can lead to sun sensitivity and skin problems due to that so it isn't recommended,
oh crikey - I am so glad I asked!
thank you,
will steer clear.
(to be fair the person who suggested it said I should check with doctor, but thought I'd check with you first.)
Whenever you want to buy something OTC and are on or taking any other tablets, the go
to person is the pharmacist..........they know more about compatibility with both OTC, Homeopathic and prescription meds.
I always check, even when the GP has issued me with a new prescription.
that sounds like good advice, thank you.
It isn't difficult to look up drug interactions online too. Some of the tools are USA based and only have substances approved in the US but I think there are a couple of UK based ones that I can't access from outside the UK (like I can't read anything from NICE)
As PMRpro comments see this post from FAQs -
healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...
thanks I was not aware of that. have checked my other meds against it now.
oh dear. doesn't go well with my asthma medicine
Unfortunately there seems to be lots of things it doesn’t sit well with!
yes true, not least life in general.
Nothing to do with pred or PMR, but my sister started to hobble around, had dreadful backache, could not go to exercise classes any more …... It turned out it was the St John’s Wort.
goodness. But it is a well known remedy, must be good for something. Not us nor your sister though.
My sister said she only found out because someone else had had the same problem. This is what Dr Google says are some side effects. “St. John's wort may cause increased sensitivity to sunlight, especially when taken in large doses. Other side effects can include insomnia, anxiety, dry mouth, dizziness, gastrointestinal symptoms, fatigue, headache, or sexual dysfunction.”
It also might increase the risk of the accumulation of high levels of serotonin in your body!!
I have a friend who is "into" alternative remedies for pretty much everything.She has suggested various things for me, I usually smile, and thank her and Google. Then ignore.
The only thing I have started at her suggestion is vitamin B6 for post Covid fatigue, (or should that be extra fatigue on top of PMR fatigue?!)
I have been taking it for about 10 days, and it seems to help a bit.
Or could that be time and placebo?
Good luck!
I have lots of friends who have suggested all sorts of things. I also have friends who havevtaken some of these things and have had bad reactions.
One friend tried St John's Wort for depression but didn't realise you shouldn't take it with prescribed antidepressants. This resulted him in having a permanent red face and neck.
I have tried some herbal remedies in the past. I found a couple that helped me through the menopause. Nothing that has helped with PMR though.
I take Omega 3, Vit D3, Vit K2 and Magnesium supplements and a multivitamin and mineral daily supplement. My Vit D levels are generally low and my Magnesium is on the low side of normal. I have IBS D and have taken a multivitamin for years as advised by my consultant as food does tend to go through me extremely quickly some times.
My GP is quite open to herbal medicines. Apparently his mother swears by Tumeric for her arthritis. I tried it but it just went through me. I prefer to get my turmeric in a curry or if I have a cold I make Golden Milk with turmeric, black pepper and honey. He had me try Green lipped mussel extract once for the arthritis too but I got no effect from it. Same with Glucosamine didn't work for my arthritis but did for my husband.
My Rheumatologist had me try Curcumin ointment on my numb leg where I get pins and needles. It didn't do anything except cause a burning sensation which was worse than what the initial pain was!
I've tried CBD oil too and whilst I got some results with it for my IBS and anxiety it didn't justify the cost of it. So didn't continue with that.
My advice is if you want to try something speak to your doctors and check with your pharmacist. Some herbs can have adverse effects when mixed with other pharmaceuticals. Don't waste your money trying to find a replacement for Prednisolone for PMR as quite simply there isn't one!
Always check with your medical team if you want to try something new just to make sure there won't be adverse effects x
Thank you GrannyMiaow and S4ndy,
I certainly was not looking to replace Pred!
I had in mind these things might give the muscles and the adrenal glands a little TLC at this difficult time but it seems that is not the way it works, and these products in particular are not the way to go.
Grateful for all the comments.
Blood tests I had today 😩for what 
Fit-flops (not flip flops!)
Experience of temporal biopsy
past my sell by date part 3
When you respond well to Prednisone, exactly how good are you?
