quick introduction , am early 50’s contacted GP after 9months or so of increasing all over pain and stiffness especially in the morning , extreme fatigue, I asked if I could consider HRT as thought maybe it could be menopause symptoms , had been taking naproxen for menstrual pain and migraines for about 10 years , no type of pain relief or topical ointments was helping the stiffness and pain.
Thought maybe stress of losing younger sister to bowel cancer last year and dad to pancreatic cancer this summer 😰 had played a part
Lovely GP (not my regular GP interestingly) ordered blood tests , results showed high CRP they queried Rheumatoid Arthritis and suggested more blood tests for this specifically but didn’t show what they expected, GP spent a long time listening and then said she believed it could be PMR she explained in detail and suggested prednisolone and explained this could be a long process and possibly forever !
Started on 15mg a week ago and within 3 days almost all the symptoms were gone
GP has prescribed omeprazole 20mg , Adcal and alendronic acid as well and suggested to try 12.5 mg Pred after blood tests in 3 weeks and then 10mg after 6 weeks and they will continue to review and reduce slowly
What a rollercoaster !
Wanted to thank everyone on here for all the fabulous posts and useful information it’s been a godsend this week as I got to grips with the diagnosis
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Emilydarby
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So sorry for your losses. The sadness and stress of grief are enough to weaken your spirit and body. Glad the pred helped immediately and may distractions get you through the rest.
I am so sorry for your loss, you are right it seems stress can be that final straw to bring on PMR. Have you had a Dexascan to check whether you need Alendronic Acid? PMR is life changing, but steroids are a wonder drug. You may like to look at the PMR and GCA gardening group. The photos really cheer me up. facebook.com/groups/6288051...
Thank you , no I don’t remember her saying anything about a dexa scan, just said if the pred worked she would prescribe these for my bones as I would be at higher risk of osteoporosis
Should I ask about a scan do you think ? , the Adcal tablets are okay but I think the Alendronic acid has given me terrible indigestion !
Personally I would not take Alendronic Acid if I were not diagnosed with osteoporosis backed up by a Dexascan. My GP keeps going on about AA because I am on steroids. I have normal Dexascan results.
Stress was probably what brought mine on too. You've had a tough time and I'm sorry to hear it.
Do ask for a Dexa scan in case you don't need the Alendronic Acid as piglette says. Although apparently most damage to bones is done in first 6 months of taking steroids (I take AA after a very belated Dexa scan and found I was at the top end of osteopenia).
There's lots of useful content here about AA and Omeprazole - neither drug is something you want to take unless you really need it. Vitamin K2 may also be useful. Sounds as if you're reading up...I wish I'd found this channel a bit earlier. It's been so useful as my GP ignores me!
If I had been found to be at the top end of ostepenia after a delayed dexa - not sure I'd have taken AA at all. My t-scores were about -1.3 and I didn't and they were still about -1.6 after 12 years on pred.
I had two 2.4s but am wondering - GP (at a rare meeting that I requested) did put some pressure on. I'm thinking of taking it for 12 months maximum as I'm pretty active and have a good diet (mostly!) and now on 5.5/5mg of Pred. Potential dental issues are the main concern. Having no obvious problems taking AA otherwise.
Ah - now that is the LOW end of osteopenia and almost osteoporosis so a very different matter. Even I would have taken something! You need to see how it has progressed before stopping it - and they will be rather reluctant to allow another dexascan after only a year.
I am so sorry to hear of your recent losses.We should never underestimate the stress of such losses on our PMR (and general health). I was down to 3 mgs of pred a year ago and then, following the death of a beloved grandson to suicide, had to go back up to 15mgs. I'm still trying to taper from that. The grief for the whole family has been horrendous.
Hi Louisa, yes I'm a potter. But I haven't thrown any pots since PMR & GCA hit over a year ago. I had been doing it for about 8-10 years. We moved house to be closer to my husband's work and had major stress during that time and the illness hit me like a freight train. I still think the vaccine contributed to it but I'll never know for sure. I almost lost my son to suicide either 4 or 5 times. It was horrible. He has mental illness. He's still with us, but he struggles. I almost lost my daughter to physical illness. I could go on.... anyway, life can be so hard. But----I hope to start back at my potter's wheel soon! I've been remodeling our house and am almost done, then I can throw some pots. Are you a potter too?
No, but it's something I've always wanted to do! I have a best friend who is a potter so my house is full of lovely pots! I do hope you get back to your craft soon. I do think that all the stress you describe could be partially responsible for the PMR. Hard to prove I know...... Prayers for your son. Life can be so terribly hard at times.
My son. These losses are unimaginable. Thanksgiving last year was the last time I saw him. He died just before Christmas. My stepkids and his dogs are a comfort. Just before all that, I was diagnosed with PMR, then Type 2 Diabetes. Then constant bruising and hairy face and arms. And the tatas even finally sagged. It has been a hellish 12 months.
Oh my God, Merrifield, you have lost your son. I'm so sorry for the pain you've had to go through. I'll be praying for you. Plus grieving the loss of your (and our) health. It's a lot. Take care
Thank you, Pottery. Holidays are tough for so many. My friend, who lost her son to sepsis in May, says live in the present. Reducing methyl pred also making me emotional,perhaps.
Hello! Sounds like your GP is great. I had a similar miraculous disappearance of symptoms on 15mg of Pred and was advised to taper to 12.5mg after 3 weeks - sadly the symptoms came rushing back. The great advise here was to stay on the initial dose for 4-6 weeks and then taper down by 10%. I’m back on 15mg (and having good days and bad days). Hoping to start tapering down soon. Good luck and welcome!
Welcome to the forum! So much great information here. In my opinion, that taper plan seems a bit rushed..I have really struggled getting down, currently on 25 mg..but bottom line, I feel so much better on the Prednisone. I also am lucky with having a good GP, many aren't.
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