No steriods for 3 weeks

Hi Eileen, you always give good advice .It's very reassuring to no 5mg is ok long term. What dosage (if any)  are you on, and how long have you had Myalgia for Eileen?

About 9mg after yet another flare. I have had PMR for 14 years and been on pred for 9 of them. It wasn't diagnosed for the first 5 years - and it was me who worked out what it probably was!

I too wasn't diagnosed for 1st 8months. Also had to tell doctor what I thought is was. Amazing isn't it! Looks like its a long road ahead for me too.

Patricia, I was lucky 3 months for me, when to PC who is an endocrinologist, my wife explained all of my to she called the next morning and told us, she thought I had PMR and she called in a prescription for me. She then referred me to the Rheumy. My PC is a marvelous doctor a detective. Now in my second year of my PMR journey. ☺️

I was working in a library when I developed all the classic symptoms.  The doctor I was seeing at the time didn't look further than my pre-existing osteoarthritis and prescribed heavy duty painkillers I refused to take.  I plugged all the symptoms into a search engine and came up with polymyalgia, which of course I'd never heard of.  When I saw it was treated with steroids I dismissed the idea, believing that I, health nut, could never have anything so serious, and promptly forgot all about it.  About a year later, fourteen months after onset of symptoms, a new doctor spotted the problem right away.

I am 65 and have been interested for many years in good health.. I had been cutting out several bad foods and working on my diet with supplements when my Pmr symptoms appeared.   I had been pretty active as well.   However,I was under stress and had been around some people who were sick and had a flu shot the month before.  I wonder if my body was trying to detox and an introduction of a virus, was just too much and Pmr set in.

My chiropractor suggested it could be some form of arthritis as I was not improving but getting worse by Feb... After major inflammation set in, I knew I had something related to major inflammation, hips, shoulders,  and found Pmr in my research in conjunction with arthritis ..  my first symptoms of fatigue and limping started in late Nov.   I had to convince my pc that it could be Pmr.   She was hesitant, and I had to convince her to do the inflammation blood tests in Early March.. By mid April she finally let me try Prednisone.. only a trial. I Never thought I would be asking a doctor for Seroids😀   she finally put me on starting dose of 15 while getting me into Rheumatologist late May.   Now on 12.5, and explaining to doc.  I can’t reduce further at this time.   

Mine, too, was first diagnosed as OA ( which I've had for years ) but the clincher for me was when I said, as I was leaving, that I had lost weight. ESR and CRP results backed up this different doctor's suspicion.

My test results showed ESR80 CRP7, which is strange on CRP. This time last year ESR58 CRP 15. Doctor has  told me to try Celebrex a non steroid antinflammtory which has taken 95% of pain away after only 1 tablet, only thing is have to watch blood pressure  ., He said its better than the steroid tablets. I am on BP tablets. will keep you informed as to my progress.

"He said its better than the steroid tablets"

That is a rather silly statement. It depends what you need the medication for. If it is PMR that you have then pred is the right drug - and Celebrex or other ordinary antiinflammatories rarely do any good for PMR symptoms as most people on the forum will tell you. Even heavy-duty opiod medications don't cut the mustard with PMR.

When NSAIDs make such a dramatic difference to pain it really is a signal that the PMR diagnosis may not be correct. There are other underlying conditions which can present looking exactly the same as PMR - including some forms of inflammatory arthritis which would respond well to NSAIDs. 

Not sure why you say your ESR/CRP levels are "strange". ESR will respond to all sorts of things, not just PMR. And maybe it isn't PMR - it must be considered.

Patricia, as EileenH stated NSAIDs have no effect on PMR. When I first came down with PMR, I try all the NSAIDs I could get my hands on, no help. When we explained that to my PC it helped her determine I had PMR. Good luck on the rest of your journey. ☺️

Celebrex took away 95% of the pain?  Then it's not PMR causing that part of your pain.  I was prescribed Celebrex several times over the years.  One time, long before PMR, my doctor handed me packets of samples because I was complaining about something, probably my back.  I forgot about them and never took them.  Years later when the doctor who missed my PMR tried to get me to take it for my debilitating pain I looked it up on the internet and wondered why it was still on the market.  I am much more afraid of Celebrex than I am of low dose pred, and that's saying something!  However if the pred isn't doing the job and Celebrex is, then it's important to make sure you get an accurate diagnosis.  

There's more to be concerned about with Celebrex than blood pressure.  Like many other meds, pred included, it can be very hard on the stomach.  There are other side effects, too.  Worth noting that all other drugs in the class (cox-2 inhibitors) have been removed from the market, this was the least damaging of a bad lot, I guess.  It was deemed the risk of heart attacks and other side effects outweighed the benefits.  Even so I believe Celebrex is implicated in increased risk of heart attack and anyone with heart issues should not be prescribed it.  It's also, according to a consumers reports article, no more effective at relieving pain than other NSAIDs, although more risky. 

Thanks for the info Anhaga. All sounds very nasty,