metho and coug

So sorry Gina.   I have had pain reduction with prednisone ... not complete but 75%.  At first in order to reduce the pain, my Rheumy prescribed diclofenac for 2 weeks (slow release 75mg)- I could not walk the stairs at that time. And even now, I take it 2x/week. 

Although I read for many that methotrexate works great, I could not tolerate it.  I had stomach issues and a cough/throat flem which everyone said was not due to the drug but after I was off it for 2 months, the cough disappeared.  There are many options out there. You WILL find one that works for you - our bodies are not all the same. Good luck!  

WI got severe bloating with medication in the Prilosec family. It is a known side effect.

Who thought the cough couldn't be methotrexate? As you know - they are wrong. You can stop the mtx altogether with no problem and see if it improves. 

Bloating is a common problem with Prilosec/omeprazole - if you have possible acid problems try using ranitidine/Zantac. It does the same but in a different way so the side effects are different.

If you have painful joints I'd suggest it isn't PMR you have - very few of us have joint problems (I don't care what doctors suggest that PMR is joints). If the pred didn't help at 20mg - there is nothing to stop you dropping fairly quickly to 10mg or even 8mg - that is where the care with reducing starts as that is the amount of pred that is about the same as the body would normally produce as cortisol, the natural corticosteroid.

Someone needs to put their thinking cap on - not just dismiss your concerns without knowing what they are talking about.

Gina, I have had a recent experience with methotrexate.  Have been hesitant to respond because every person responds differently and has different needs.  My PMR was so bad at the beginning that I was unable to even brush my teeth without help.  Had it not been diagnosed I'd be in a nursing home today.  I was seized, arms would not move, I could barely walk, had to have help even to sit on the bed. What a painful nightmare.

My internal doctor started me on 20mg prednisone and that was a miracle.  However, my condition continued to worsen.  A rheumatologist and a specialist in autoimmune diseases, saw me and bumped my pred to 60.  

I was feeling so rough in the beginning months, he put me on methotrexate to help me reduce the prednisone.  

Well.  A month after beginning the methotrexate, I developed a blood clot in my leg and it broke, going to my lungs.  I presumed my breathing issues were from the prednisone.  WRONG.  I'll never presume again.

An ER visit, hospitalization, blood thinners, swollen legs (still) more drugs for the edema, compression stockings convinced me to check out strange side effects.  note:  My leg never hurt where the clot was located. The only sign that anything was wrong was severe swelling of the leg.  A doppler was used to diagnose the leg, then they studied my lungs when I mentioned I was struggling to breath.  What a shock!!!

 

Thankfully, I'm at 10mg of pred now (am in my 10th month of PMR) and will remain there until life is less stressful in my family.  My doctor said, "If you want to improve, you will go slowly.  After 10mg, you will not reduce your prednisone more than 1mg per month.  You can go by 1/2 mgs if you choose.  This requires patience,"  

He was not kidding.  I've gotten that lecture from his APN, too.  Slow.  I'm going to stay on the 10 for at least 2 months and reduce by 1mg until 8, then will reduce by 1/2 mg for a while.  

The doctor stressed the likelihood of a flare if I rush the process and that a flare could be difficult.

I'm not interested in more problems.  He also warned that, for me, a low dose of prednisone, like the blood thinners, might be for life.

Tell your doctor about your breathing issues.  Every body is different.  Look up the side effects of the methotrexate, even print them out for the doctor. There are long lists on the internet that are sobering.

I told him I read that methotrexate could cause blood clots and he said, "Yes, that had been discussed in meetings."  It is rare, I'm sure, but ... some of us specialize in rare.

I agreed to try the metho, but also took myself off by weaning off over three weeks.  I didn't come off suddenly.

It has taken 6 weeks to feel a lot better, more energy, generally stronger.  My hair is 85% gone, am hoping that will come back in soon.  It's still falling out and I stopped the med 5 weeks ago. 

My doctor did not get upset.  They can see what happened and realized that my body did not do well on that medication.  I'm still able to reduce the prednisone, slowly, too.  The APN added methotrexate to my long list of allergies.  Lasix is another recent allergy med, too.  What a pain.  They told me that people with multiple autoimmune diseases present with multiple drug allergies.  Had never heard that before, but it is true for me.

Best wishes to you and I'm hoping you feel better soon.  

Let us know how you are doing.

MariGrace

 

Sorry I can't help with advice, and I know when you said you were ready to "flush" all the tablets you didn't really mean it.  But I thought It wouldn't hurt to remind everyone that they must NEVER flush unused tablets down the drain.  Always take them to the pharmacy for proper disposal.  The fish and other animals in the lakes, rivers and seas have enough trouble dealing with the medication we've already passed through our systems, let's not give them more....

All the best to you, Gina, for a good resolution of the current problems.