wrist pain flare

[Beinkc]

I started on 20 mg and had tapered to 9 mg. Right before I was to go to 8mg I started waking up to my wrists being sore as if I’d sprained them. By noon they felt better. My dr told me to go up to 9mg for two to four weeks. It’s now been three weeks and there’s been no change to the wrists. I went up to 10 for a week and still no change to the wrist pain. My question to those who may have experienced this, do I hold tight at 10 hoping eventually the wrist will get better or do I go up another mg? I can live with this wrist pain, but I want to continue tapering and I’m afraid I’ll get other areas flaring.

[PMRpro Ambassador]

It is difficult to say whether the wrist pain is PMR threatening to flare - it always has been for me - or whether maybe there is something else going on, like osteoarthritis.

I'd have been inclined to try the flare protocol. 1mg rarely sorts something like that out whereas a good burst of a higher dose often does. We suggest adding 5mg to where you flared for a week or so and if all feels better, drop back to the dose above where you flared.

[Beinkc in reply to PMRpro]

Thank you

[piglette]

Have you tried a pain killer?

[Beinkc in reply to piglette]

Yes, ibuprofen relieves the pain

[piglette in reply to Beinkc]

If Ibuprofen relieves the pain it is quite possible that the pain is not being caused by PMR. As we reduce other pains can start to appear again.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

As PMRpro has said usual advice for flare is higher than your doctors suggested… and if 3 weeks hasn’t cut it, then you need more - assuming it is PMR -

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

But it may well be something else.. sometimes difficult to know.

Definitely no tapering until sorted though…

[Beinkc in reply to DorsetLady]

Thank you

[Missus835]

I believe I'm experiencing a flare as we speak. Wrists are part of it. Upped my Pred from 8 to 10 mg last night and wrists have settled, as well as feeling better in all the other places. If only I could convince the GP that THIS IS A FLARE. Also at the pain clinic (took 2 years) at the moment. This is for the vertebral fractures and osteoporosis. Hopefully they can help with this pain. All the best with the wrists. One of the docs did a simple test for carpal tunnel and also fibro. Both were negative.

[Beinkc in reply to Missus835]

I took the advice from this forum and upped my dosage, after two days I have woke up with no pain in my wrist. I’m m so thankful to have found this forum. Hope you will continue to find relief also.

[Missus835 in reply to Beinkc]

I just expressed this to the doctor at the pain clinic. He said that Pred is not the answer. I now have a "newer" version of fibromyalgia, caused from the neurological centres being inflamed. Offered no other answers or alternatives, other than PT which will further irritate the muscles in my back. Waited 2 years for this and is referring back to my GP. Asked for pain patches. He says that would be up to her. I said she sent me to you. Getting the run around over ruddy pain patches. He doesn't believe in opioids. I said it's called quality of life and how much more if that do you think I have left at 74. By then I had flipped over to sarcastic me. Lol.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Missus835]

Why isn't pred the answer to inflammation underlying a form of fibro??

[Missus835 in reply to PMRpro]

Don't know Pro. Inflammation is inflammation to me. They want me off the Pred due to the OP. I agree, but I'm a slow taper girl. If a 2 mg top up can help the wrists, upper arms shoulders and thighs over night then I'm all for flare protocol. He wanted to know if that was recommended by GP. I said no. That's when I referred to QOL. Yet when I asked GP about cutting the Rabeprazole back to 1 per day as it can also cause the bones to be brittle, it was a flat NO. Sorry for running on, I'm angry and due for a crying jag here in a moment. I was so thrilled about getting into the pain clinic on someone's cancellation. It could have been 5 years and not 2. Ball is back in GPs court based on his recommendations. "I've been doing this for 14 years" says he.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Missus835]

My experience of the pain clinic here seems to come down to "no" for anything I can find that works!!!!

[Missus835 in reply to PMRpro]

Exactly! The student who did the intake said I seemed to know a lot of medical terminology. I gave credit to our charity and all our experts for that. He took the name and email address. He had more sense than the 14 year "veteran".

[reefswimmer]

I am on my third bout of PMR and this time, it has only really affected my wrists and hands and always gets better as the day wears on. I have been reducing my dose by 1mg a month and the pain had neither got worse or improved until now. Suddenly I realised that my hands had pretty much stopped hurting altogether. I am not cured but now on only 5mgs daily. When I forgot to take my pill because we were travelling the pain flared again. I took 6mgs for two days and now it has gone away again. Maybe try a small increase and then go back to tapering. I've got rid of PMR twice now so every hope you will too!

[Beinkc in reply to reefswimmer]

Thank you

[PaaDal91]

hi, this is interesting to me as i have serious wrist pain since june, but my doc says it's unrelated to pmr. coincidentally that i have inflammatory arthritis in the hands and wrists. currently taking celebrex 200 msg, once daily. a game changer. good luck

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to PaaDal91]

And how does he know it isn't PMR? Quite a high proportion of PMR patients show periperal arthritis. Are you on pred? Not sure I'd want to take both despite their claims about not being as hard on the stomach. You are taking a PPI?

[PaaDal91 in reply to PMRpro]

yes, i am currently on 2.5 msg every other day for PMR symptoms, which seems to be working. you are correct, how does he know they are not related? tho, the hand and wrist pain feels so unlike pmr, but i get it, that we can get concurrent issues

[PaaDal91 in reply to PMRpro]

PPI?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to PaaDal91]

Stomach protection medication such as omeprazole or one of its stable mates. Mixing any NSAID and pred isn't a good idea. Even I take one if I need more than the odd dose of an NSAID.

[PaaDal91 in reply to PMRpro]

shame, because celebrex 200 is a game changer in addition to my pred.. i took it w famotidine.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to PaaDal91]

That is thought to help but not ban the risks.

However - if Celebrex helped that much, it is very unlikely that PMR is the problem.

[PaaDal91 in reply to PMRpro]

It relieves the pain. Don't take it every day. Mostly just the pred. I have 100% classic PMR symptoms. It's my 3rd go in 12 years. Thx