Pred down to 8 mg . Do I still need omeprazole

[Marek1]

Hi Everyone , Really struggling with the PMR ilness currently , Terrible fatigue . its changed the way I live completely . Quite often I get even worse days where it seems to be related to my tummy . Nothing obvious except feeling really bad, tum discomfort and looser poos .

Just going through the process of trying to identify what could be the cause . I know omeprazole is meant to protect , but could it be harming ? at what point is it still needed as Ive now managed to get down to 8 mgs of Pred .

Any thoughts on any of the above would be very welcome

Thank you

Marek

[piglette]

It is normally around 7mg when the adrenal glands start to wake up as the pred is no longer supplying enough cortisol for them to not have to bother to work. One effect is unbelievable tiredness. I had trouble putting my hand out to change the TV channels I was so fatigued! This is just a suggestion of what your symptoms could be.

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Agree with   piglette , your issues sound more like adrenals - fatigue is very common, but stomach problems are also symptoms, see this -

healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk...

But Omeprazole may also be causing issues- but strange if you haven’t had these issues all along.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to DorsetLady]

Stengel???????

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer in reply to PMRpro]

Pzfft! amended.. flippin’ technology!

[PMRpro Ambassador]

I'd put all those symptoms down to adrenal function being slow to recover to produce cortisol as a top-up for the reducing dose of pred.

The fatigue is a question of patience and not dropping in too large steps or too often. And pacing.

But if you have PMR symptoms again - that suggests you have got to too low a dose to manage the inflammation. You aren't heading relentlessly to zero - you are looking for the lowest dose that gives the same symptom relief as the starting dose did.

[Nanatoo]

Have you ever suffered from IBS? Having PMR seems to make my IBS flare more often. I slowly weaned myself off ppis and take Gaviscon if I get mild heartburn so I don't have the side effects of the ppis. Having said that I have two friends who have taken omeprazole for the many years they have been taking prednisolone with no problems. Of course none of this is relevant to your problems with fatigue.

[Marek1 in reply to Nanatoo]

Hi Thanks , yes some IBS previously .Thank you for your reply