Can shaky hands and weak arms be part of dropping prednisolone.

[Ebiker]

Currently on a slow drop from 11mg to 10mg and feeling tired but no other problems apart from reflux.I started feeling a slight shake in one hand months ago..first thing in morning. This is now in both hands but does lessen as day goes on. But then so does the reflux and tiredness!

Can anyone shed a lighy please from their experiences.

Thanks.

[piglette]

I had shaky hands before I started pred. The GP said it was old age! It went away when I started steroids. I do find I have weakness particularly in my right arm, it seems to ache too. I do swim and hope that helps.

[Ebiker in reply to piglette]

Thanks for reply. Shaky hands can be a part of so many other things apparently. Doctors will usual say 'ahh benign tremor..old age'.I somehow feel mine is more to do with muscle loss. I have lost a lot of weight.

[piglette in reply to Ebiker]

I lost a lot of weight before I was diagnosed. I wonder if that is what caused it in my case?

[Ebiker in reply to piglette]

Possibly I guess. Weight loss is a puzzle as one is more likely to gain weight with PMR. I am convinced that mine is due to the digestive / stomach problem. Have had tests for things which could cause weight loss but nothing seriously wrong. I am convinced it is due to a gut infection or infestation but all tests for such are negative also. I have a tel appt with doc next week to see 'where to now'.

[piglette in reply to Ebiker]

I found that I would have a plate of food and just take a couple of mouthfuls, I then started steroids and could eat a horse or a couple of horses even!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

The paper someone mentioned earlier about stratification of GCA and PMR says that about 1 in 4 patients with PMR show evidence of subclinical GCA, If you are one of them - you may well lose weight with what is apparently "just" PMR.

[Ebiker in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks Pro. What does 'subclinical GCA' mean please?Did not see the paper you refer to. Can you point me in right direction?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Ebiker]

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

is just an abstract but mentions it and this

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

is another aspect of what it means. Subclinical means that the disease is there but there are no symptoms showing to suggest it. So in this case, although the patients only show ovious signs of PMR, they actually have GCA as well. That has obvious implications for the dose needed to control the inflammation and the ongoing disease course and probably accounts for at least some of the Long PMR cases and patients who struggle to reduce at all, never mind get off pred.

[67Blue]

I had the shakes in my hands, couldn't even cut up a carrot at one time, the Rhumat who finally saw me (f to face) funny, it was to say as i was down to 1 mg I would be off their books in 6 months. F to f appointments didn't happen when I needed them.. She actually said it could be Parkinsons or something, without any checks. Anyway when I left off the steroids the shakes also went. However presumably I didn't taper the omeprazole long enough, so now after a dr suggesting Gavescone (quite useless) I had to go back on 20 mg of omeprazole for a month, then they prescribed 10 mg but I now have a bad throat so I guess I'll have to go back on 20 mg as the 10's are about to run out and havn't been able to talk to a Dr as the surgery is back in their emergencies only mode, I was hoping to try something different.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to 67Blue]

You can buy PPIs and the alternative H2 antagonists OTC if necessary. Speak to the pharmacist. You should ALWAYS taper PPIs before stopping, first halving the dose if possible and then having alternate days without. It can take several weeks before the rebound acid production calms down.

[67Blue in reply to PMRpro]

Thanks, foolishly I just went with the 20 ml and dropped a day after 6, 5 4 etc which obviously wasn't long enough. My medication comes from the pharmacy across the ally from the surgery and for a lot of things they just say I need to go back to my dr when they ask what advice I have been given. The Dr had said go back to 20 and let them know if 10 wasn't working so I did that today in a panic. Todays message says all our appointments for the day have gone, econsult just gets switched off when their appointments are full. Seems mad taking omeprazple to wreck your bones and the Calcium to build them up. How have we come to this horrible situation.

[Ebiker in reply to 67Blue]

I know what you mean. Omeprazole long term seems to be accepted by GP's and there are so many people on it.I have felt so awful with reflux etc on and off for over a year. Till then I had managed on just 10mg per day of omeprazole. After I tested positive for helicobacter pylori and had the treatment of antibiotics etc it was magic. No digestive problems but it didn't last and problems back. Unfortunately my doctor retired so since then the answer from the surgery has been to up the omeprazole. I tried an H2 blocker and it made me ill so I have recently dropped from 40mg to 20mg gradually as PMR says. Currently I am not sure that it is on top of the digestive problem but it could be rebound. Plus I am convinced I still have pylori but if one is taking omeprazole it can result in a false negative. I will be speaking to doc about...'where to now'.