I had stiffness and muscle pain, so went to docs. He took blood tests all of which came back great apart from ESR and CRP. They were 53 and 44. Doc said he would take more bloods in 28 days. By the 28 days still stiffness and aches but bloods were going down, 44 and 33.
He had spoken to Rheumi specialist who said put her on PRED for PMR. He didnt see me. When i went back to GP symptoms had got 80% better. I was taking 4 paracetamol a day and that seemed to do the job.
GP said no we still have to do PRED. I asked for another blood test. It came back with 56 and 34, but most symptoms are so much better as long as i take the paracetamol.
What should I do, take the PRED or see how it goes?
Does anyones PMR symptoms get better in a few weeks without PRED and just paracetamol?
Will bloods eventually come down?
I do have irritable bowel which has been made worse in last 6 weeks by starting Sertraline for anxiety.
Any help gratefully received
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pastamaid
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DL’s advice is spot on. You could take Pred for up to 10 days as she says to see if there is an immediate improvement. Subsequent blood tests would show reduced inflammation and indicate it is PMR.
Your inflammation marker are high, and the reason why needs to be addressed - whether that’s PMR or not is not clear if the paracetamol is helping stiffness and aches.
Some bowel issues can cause raised inflammation - what do you have?
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) are two distinct gastrointestinal disorders, though the differences between the two can be confusing for many people.
While they have some similar symptoms, IBS and IBD are not the same condition and they require very different treatments. It is essential to get an accurate diagnosis so that you can properly manage your condition
35 years ago i had a hemicolectomy because crohns disease was diagnosed. I havent had anything since i had the op and there were doubts that i actually ever had it as the biopsy they took was lost. Since then i have controlled the fallout from losing part of my bowel by diet, so never really been ill. The sertraline has really played with my system and i have been going a lot. Im scared of starting on Pred if i dont really have to. Does that make sense or am i just being an idiot. The doctor i first saw was adamant that if specialist said take the PRED i had to, new doctor said its totally up to me and is not giving much guidance
Well your symptoms do sound very PMR ish…. so I see why Rheumy is suggesting. nah insisting on Pred.
I suppose you could take it for a week to 10 days to see if it significantly reduces CRP/ESR and makes a big difference to your pains/stiffness.
After that, you can the decide whether to continue with it or not. So long as you don’t take it for more than 14 days there’s not a problem stopping it.
It’s always up to you, it’s your body. If it’sPMR, the pain will return soon after stopping the Pred. I don’t know anyone who has taken Paracetamol and had any benefit from it with PMR. Regarding risking GCA if you don’t take the Pred, my Consultant told me it wouldn’t make any difference. If GCA is going to rear itself, it will.
Definitely take the Pred. Re your bowel problems, I found it very important to read up on the best way to eat while on this medication (e.g., ucsfhealth.org/education/il..., but there is a lot of literature on this) - It makes an enormous difference (in my opinion). I wish you all the best.
I’ve actually lost half a stone which I didn’t want to lose! I had to cut my carb intake but already ate quite healthily. Why not try it and see. I’m still waiting for the moon face side effect to appear and fill out my wrinkles! Not everyone gets all the side effects, if we believed we would get all the side effects listed on medication information leaflets we wouldn’t take any of them! They are only POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS.
Thank you. I am a worry wart and never take tablets. Had to force myself to take the paracetamol to keep shoulder pain in check, so your post makes me feel a bit happier. Thank you again
We all have different responses to taking Pred, so there's no guarantee you'll put on weight at all. There are some people who post on here who've actually LOST weight through taking Pred, so I wouldn't worry about weight gain. Although, it would be wise to try and cut down on carbs whether you take the Pred or not. There are many people who take Pred and have no side effects at all. You never know, you could be one of the lucky ones, but you won't find out till you try it.
The only side effect I've had from taking Pred is Tinnitus, and I don't know of many others on Pred who get that as a side effect. Anyway, I can live with the Tinnitus as I now have a QOL that I wouldn't have had without the Pred, because I'd be bed ridden and in constant pain if I didn't take my Pred each morning.
You didn't upset me at all... I was just trying to impress upon you that at times you don't have any option but to take the Pred.. and for some that isn't always obvious at the outset.
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