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Persistent virus infection - PMR to blame?

Posted , 4 users are following.

Judit
Judit

Hello everyone!

I'm new to this site, although I have been reading all posts since more than a year. The reason why I haven't posted before is that I live in Sweden, my English is not perfect, and thought maybe I shouldn't intrude in your virtual PMR-family just like that.... We also have a PMR forum in Sweden, but it is very inactive, that's why I am tempted to join yours! You seem to have so much experience and have always some good advice to give!

A short presentation about me:

I'm a 59 year old woman, born in Hungary, living in Sweden since 31 years, married to a Swede. Since 7 years we spend the Winters (Oct-Apr) in Spain and so it is this time too: staying at a campsite with a big motor home which gives us all comfort we need.

I have had PMR since May 2008 and been on Prednisone since Nov-08. Started at 20 mg and now approaching 3,1 mg. Since I was on 5mg, I use a very slooooow tapering method, allowing me 5-6 weeks to reduce from e.g. 3,75 to 3,1 as I do now. The reason to this slow tapering is a few ups-and downs earlier this year, when I needed to up the dose a couple of times. Since then I decided to have much more patience...

Luckily, it all goes very well now, I have no pain at all and should be really happy for that, BUT.... there are other problems:

Since end October I have had a persistent virus infection (as the Spanish doctor calls it), which gives me unpleasant symptoms. It all started with some light irritation in the throat with some kind of a reflex of cough. I don't cough much at all, it's mainly the never ending reflex. Haven't had any temperature, and haven't felt ill in some way during this period.

Have seen a doctor here a couple of times, he did some blood tests which were OK, and he says it's a virus infection - not a bacterial one (how does he know that?), thus no need for antibiotics. Have also had a night with a terrible diarrhoea - which, according to the doctor, were caused by the same virus... If this weren't enough, the latest weeks I also feel a bit dizziness (not much, but it gives me an unstable feeling when walking or standing). Visited the same doctor for the 3rd time, and he gave me medicine for the dizziness (which \"of course\" is also caused by that virus!). This medicine, called Beta Serc, doesn't make any big difference, so now I really don't know what to do.

Have any of you experienced such a prolonged problem with a virus? Do you think PMR could make it worse or rather make it more difficult to get rid of? Or is it the immune system which is so poor that it can't fight against that virus? I would really like to have some effective help, thought that antibiotics would be good, but as I understand, they have no effect on virus.....

Would appreciate very much if you could give me your comments on this. And apologize for this long thread, but I wanted to give you a picture about me in the beginning.

My kindest regards to all of you

Judit :wink:

0 likes, 17 replies

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  • EileenH
    EileenH

    Posted

    I think you would have to try it and see - I would try what you suggested, 4.4 to 3.75 and see if that was OK, stay there a few days and try again to do down and see how you felt. There are 2 aspects to the reducing - taking the smaller amount of steroid can cause pain because of \"steroid withdrawal\" after you have been on steroids for a long time or the inflammation of the PMR starts up because your dose is too low. If you only took a higher dose for a few days \"just in case\" after previously being OK you should be able to drop back down easily. On the other hand if you put the dose up because you were in pain from a flare-up, it will be more difficult.

    By the way - you quote very exact doses - how? We have 5mg and 2.5mg enteric coated coloured pills and 1mg white tablets - so our doses are what you can get with combinations of those pills, possibly cutting a 1mg tablet to get 0.5mg (you mustn't cut enteric coated ones).

    EileenH

  • Judit
    Judit

    Posted

    Well, why I have so exact doses depends on that from the beginning, I was prescribed Prednisone by a Spanish rheumy in Nov'08, and here they only have 30, 5 and 2,5 tablets, all white and uncoated (luckily, they don't upset my stomach). So I cut these 5 and 2,5 tablets and can have lots of combinations, since the 2,5 ones can be cut in 4 pieces.

    By the way, in Sweden they only have Prednisolone (not Prednisone) and when I asked this Spanish rheumy if there was any difference between these two, he said that Prednisolone is 20% stronger than Prednisone, so he suggested to buy enough and take back with me to Sweden for the summer period, in order not to mess with another sort there. When I told about this to my GP at home, she said she never heard about this difference in strength.... - so who knows what is true?!

    Anyway, thank you for your input about reducing, I will try and hope for the best.

    Have a lovely weekend, :cheerup:

    / Judit

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