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looking for flare advice

Posted , 4 users are following.

noninoni
noninoni

Hi, I have been reading older posts unsuccessfully looking for EileenH's wonderful words of wisdom on flares!  She is so helpful to so many people!  Anyway, I am having a flare and wondering what to do about it.  I remember something vaguely from months ago, but I unfortunately    can't remember the details. 

I'm the one who, at diagnosis was started on  5mg, and later my primary increased it to 7.5 mg which actually gave me a lot of pain relief.  Then she started to bug me that I should reduce from 7.5mg.  She said most of her patients with PMR were on lower doses. So I went down slowly, reaching 5mg 6 weeks ago  and thought I was doing well.  I'm 73 years old. 

 Then one morning about  2 weeks ago I suddenly couldn't bend over or sit without a lot of pain, so I upped the dose back  to 6mg.  Then after a week both my shoulders started to hurt again and my upper back- all really tender and painful. I stuck it out a couple of days, but 3 days ago I decided to go back up to the 7.5mg, the dose which helped so much 6 months ago.  But my shoulders still hurt, I still can't bend, and I have a mild headache, but no temporal pain.  Tonight my left upper arm is cramping.  (My right shoulder has been totally replaced, so that may be why only my left arm hurts tonight.) So my question is: should I just wait a few more days, or temporarily up the dose even more?  Or both- wait a few days, and if I still hurt, up the dose again?

   

 

1 like, 3 replies

3 Replies

  • karen0310
    karen0310 noninoni

    Posted

    Hi,

    I wouldn't advise waiting a few more days. I'm like you, I try to manage on my own, but lately it seems like the longer I try to tough it out, the worse it gets. Maybe you could call your doc and ask what you can safely increase to, and then taper down from there.

    Wishing you well!

    Karen

    • peter_webb
      peter_webb karen0310

      Posted

      totally agree as thats what Drs are for to help their patients
  • lisa50219
    lisa50219 noninoni

    Posted

    I would go to see your doctor, telling them how you feel and asking for something to help you. Might be something new to try.

    hope you feel better soon.

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