I was diagnosed with pmr in September of last year was prescribed 15 milligrams of steroid
After taking my steroid the results was very good and very quick felt way better the following day.
Two months ago I started with pain in my hands and both wrists. I have since been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis , have now been started on methotrexate. Had my first dose a week ago.
still taking my steroids on a reducing dose i'm now on 8 mg
so far so good no side-effects but very early days. My question is is this a common thing to get both these complaints close together i'm fairly confident I was not misdiagnosed by my GP in the regard of PMR going on the good result I had with my steroids?
Monty
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Monty1914
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In the early stages of LORA (late onset RA), it can have a polymyalgic presentation - and it is impossible to tell which it is at that stage, even by the response to pred as it will improve most inflamamtion and is used in RA for flares. Only when more specific joint pain develops and imaging shows erosion can it be more accurately diagnosed. PMR isn't the disease itself, it is the name given to a set of symptoms which can have a range of underlying causes. PMR as we talk about it is a diagnosis of exclusion - you exclude the other possibilities and that is left. Many GPs never do all the tests and sometimes misinterpret them and one senior consultant in the field told me that her experience running a fast track PMR clinic was that about half of GP diagnoses of PMR weren't! They get it wrong the other way too - denying a patient has PMR when it is the most likely diagnosis.
Oh and a PS - could you not use your name as the post title please. It is meant to give an indication of your topic, whether it is a comment or a question and to trigger Related Posts. Your name will show automatically.
Because not every hospital has the VERY expensive equipment, it is a very expensive test and priority is given to ?cancer patients so the waiting lists are usually pretty long. It is preferable that you haven't been on pred or you have to reduce the dose quite low for an accurate result - so the patient may be left in pain for some time. Not sure that GPs can request them - so you would have to add in the wait time to see a consultant if that is the case.
I’ve been told I have PMR onset sero negative Rheumatoid Arthritis. The consultant thinks I had had PMR for sometime, and that it developed into RA. He started me on Prednisolone and within a couple of weeks added in Methotrexate. However I still keep wondering about the RA diagnosis as the reason for this diagnosis was the synovitis in my wrists and fingers, but I’ve learnt since from this forum that people do get synovitis with PMR. Also the fact that I’m struggling to go below 10mg Prednisolone despite the Methotrexate makes me think is it more PMR that I have.
I think PMRpro’s explanation to me of being somewhere on a PMR/RA spectrum was helpful so I don’t try and overthink the diagnosis!
Sounds as if they have their reasoning a bit in kinks!!! It always was RA - just didn't LOOK like at it at first. I refuse to believe a vasculitis morphs magically into RA. Though nothing is ever 100% certain in medicine!! Except we will definitely die of something sometime but hopefully not yet ...
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Followed protocol for Flare , but its not gone !?
Pmr/vit d deficiency 
Steroid resistant 
Anyone from Arizona?
long awaited rheumy appointment 
