Are constant aches and pains PMR related?
Posted , 11 users are following.
I'm down to 3mg Pred now over the past 14 months. My most recent SED rate was 30 - so all good - right? My problem now is constant aches and pains and am not sure if they're PMR related. One week severe pain when putting weight on a knee, and it goes away in a day or two, then next week it's my back (sciatic I think) and tendinitis in my left elbow for no apparent reason is ongoing. Anyone else?
0 likes, 8 replies
Anhaga reykay
Posted
I get various aches and pains. I think part of it is pred can weaken muscles so we are more prone to doing things which cause us to hurt. Also there may be other things going on, like osteoarthritis, which gets masked by pred and reappears as the dose is tapered. My physiotherapist is no one of my best friends!
Anhaga
Posted
Is one of my best friends - oh for an edit button!
stanley36717 reykay
Posted
The normal sed rate is 1-22 for men and 0-29 for women so you're on the high side and yes in my experience the aches and pains are PMR related. I wish they had a cure for this (or at least knew what caused it).
EileenH reykay
Posted
What has your sed rate been over that 14 months? 30 has been regarded as the top end of the normal range - not necessarily YOUR normal though - although more recently it is accepted that above 20 is raised and a sign of inflammation being present in the body and as such is questionable.
To be down to 3mg in 14 months is quite fast since PMR lasts at least 2 years for 80% of people. However - what you describe is not typical of PMR which is usually bilateral. Were they sure of the PMR diagnosis? Is it possible that what you have is some form of inflammatory arthritis - one called palindromic rheumatism manifests as wandering joint pain which may last just hours or days before disappearing for a while and turning up in another joint later.
Of course - pred will deal with other forms of pain as well, especially at higher doses. As you reduce they are likely to return but for most of us we have had considerably longer to get further into the aches and pains of aging!
lynda62707 EileenH
Posted
hi Eileen....I know pmr is typically bilateral, but is it That uncommon to not be so??
my symtoms have always been fairly one sided, except for my hands/wrists/ forearms.
also, I Definitely responded favorably to my initial dosage of 15mg prednisone!
still on 12.5 8mo later.
EileenH lynda62707
Posted
One side may be very much worse than the other but I don't think I have come across anyone with definitely one-sided symptoms where the diagnosis remained as only PMR. Myofascial pain syndrome is closely related to PMR - it is caused by the same inflammatory substances but they are localised rather than systemic and that can cause symptoms that are similar but may also be more on one side. Has your arm pain been looked at as carpal tunnel or RS3PE syndrome? Both of which can be part of PMR.
lynda62707 EileenH
Posted
no, it's not carpal tunnel....I don't know what RS3PE syndrome is.
regardless, would the treatment still be the same (pred)?
if you remember, my positive result was almost Magical! (and extremely quick!)
as much as this drug has plagued me with side effects, I must give it credit for that!
EileenH lynda62707
Posted
Google it - it is a recognised abbreviation. And yes, it would still be pred.