PMR Exhaustion

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I've had PMR for about 10 months now. I was started on15mg of pred and am currently taking 7mg/day. My pain is not completely relieved, especially in the morning, though it is not unbearable. My main issue is chronic exhaustion day after day. I am wrung out to the point where I just don't feel like doing anything and that has severely constricted my life. Has anyone else experienced this and if so is there anything that can be done about it. For me, it is really horrible to have to live this way.

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  • Posted

    Most of us have same issue - exhaustion. How do you handle it? Two methods - pacing yourself and not doing too much. If you have overdone it, then take a brake and rest - recharge. I can work in a yard for several hours, take a sower and then take a nap...After that I am ready for whatever is next on "to do" list.

    Some of the comments mentioned that pred causes "surge" of energy. It could be true, but everything is relative... Before dx I could not do anything and spent most of the time in bed. After I started pred, all of sudden I felt the pain go away and that optimism gave me surge of energy. It is common and usually people go overboard and do too much... and payback next day.

    So, pacing and rest is the key. Know your limits... As you reduce dose, for me 6mg and below gave me even more energy back, but still I take nap after hard(er) workout or yard job.

    • Posted

      Hi nick67069

      That is good advice nick about pacing yourself, but in my pred days i couldn't summon up any energy to do anything anyway. So for me it was a question of trying to shift myself and doing whatever i wanted to do in the first place. So pacing myself didn't come into it. I'm sure for many others on the forum this is their case scenario. The spirit was willing but the flesh was extremely weak!...i really feel for all of you in that situation and sincerely hope you can all regain your energy as soon as is possible....bless you all..

    • Posted

      I couldn't find the posts which mention the surge of energy, skimming too quickly I guess. The surge of energy only comes at the higher levels. Once you are down around 7 that's when you aren't getting any extra cortisol, and the body's own supply has to start contributing - in my personal experience an excruciatingly slow process, but I'm getting there!

      I did feel very energetic when I started pred but that's because after months of pain and increasing disability I was actually able to do things again! of course I was elated and energetic!

    • Posted

      It might be hard to explain what I experienced. I was started at relatively low dose (15mg) and it took almost a week before I felt complete relief . I never felt surge of energy early on... maybe because my doctor was rushing me to get down to 10mg . What I am trying to describe is the fact that over next 9-12 months I have gradually increased intensity of exercise and decrease pred from 10 to 6mg and at that point my ability to perform endurance exercise( tested on 30 min clime on mountain bike) surged to the same level as it was before PMR. I actually had my personal record on that hill one year after diagnosed with PMR ( and @ 6mg ). So it might be unique experience.

    • Posted

      We are all different. I have found this third year, after a relatively minor flare last year, harder than year two, and I suspect it's because the extra pred taken to deal with the flare might have upset the rather slow return of my adrenal function. Things seem to be improving now. If I had true adrenal insufficiency I'm sure I'd feel far worse than I do - just experience the occasional time when I think, oh I must sit down and recover....

  • Posted

    Andrew,

    Yes, the exhaustion issue can be very limiting and frustrating. I think that Nick's comments about rest and pacing ones self are very on target along with the rest of his message.

    I've had diagnosed PMR for almost exactly 2 years and am currently at 8.5 mg of prednisone. I'm 63 and have managed to continue working a 5 day week. It hasn't been easy but over time I've adapted, taking more breaks, knowing my limits, etc. Over the 2 years I've had to be constantly adapting and adjusting my life to accommodate PMR and Prednisone. I've become very sensitive to what my body's telling me and not trying to be what I was prior to PMR.

    "Prior to PMR" - the life I used to have. Yes, I occasionally mourn the loss of that lifestyle but more importantly I have accepted that my PMR life is what I've got. My exhaustion can be extreme at times if I don't behave and then it'll take days to recover to a "normal" level. Now days I sleep and nap whenever time and place allows. Sleeping isn't just for nighttime anymore!!

    Everyone is different with PMR. Some have all the side effects from prednisone while others have very few. Some are able to reduce on pred quickly while others feel stuck at a high dose forever. I notice that when I start dropping my dose to the next level, that's when my exhaustion becomes more pronounced. After 2-3 weeks of gradually settling in to that dosage level the exhaustion doesn't seem quite as bad - IF I'm paying attention and not overdoing it.

    Some people like Michdon are fortunate and are able to rigorously work out, bicycle, ski, etc. Others are exhausted screwing in a light bulb. I remember about a year ago that I noticed that Michdon and I were at the same dose level. I see now that he's around 6 mg or less while I'm still up at 8.5 mg. To me it doesn't matter how quickly I reduce - just so I don't flare up time and again.

    Our choices are pretty few. First, we can accept that this is the new life. The old life is gone but hopefully it'll come back someday if the PMR decides to go into remission.

    Second, we can take pred to deal with the pain, be reasonably comfortable and deal with the side effects as best you can.

    Third, we don't have to take pred, so we don't have side effects, but be an invalid from the pain for the most part. That's about all the choices I see. Take care and good luck.

    • Posted

      Excellent description of what the life with PMR is... pacing, resting, adapting to new normal and listening to your body. Given the choice between side effect of prednisone with somewhat normal life or debilitating pain I choose to live with pred.

    • Posted

      I second everything Nick67069 said. A really concise description of life with PMR, Raven. Would you mind if I printed it, It would be very helpful to show to some friends?

  • Posted

    Exhaustion !!!! I think I might have found my cure for it !!!!!! I am so over the moon at the moment I am almost scared to talk about it in case it fails me.

    I have had Fibromyalgia for 22 years and Poly for about 3 and 1/2 years. I had been deteriorating for months again. We thought it was a Fibro flare.

    On the 22 anniversary of Fibro , I had a 2 year old tantrum, I went away for 2 months. I rested, did what I wanted, when I wanted. When I came home I was so frustrated, because of the pain (probably Fibro pain) and the never ending exhaustion. I decided that I was going to take pain killers every 4 hours, 24 hours a day, until I got the work done which I wanted to get done. (I have only taken these in the past when pain gets unbearable-probably due to fibro) It takes 3 doses over 8 hours to get any relief at all. 6 tablets and 8 hours of pain

    I took two pain killers before I started work !!!!!! I had intended to take them every 4 hours, but i got working and forgot to take the next lot. 6 hours later I was still working !!!!!! I had no extreme pain and I still had energy. A first in many years. I felt surreal. I could not believe it. I have been experimenting with this for a month now.

    Fibro came with exhaustion too, so I was going to post this on the fibro site, but when I saw Andrew's message I decide to put it on here too. Extreme, unbearable pain always has set in after a couple of hours in my garden. For a month now I have been doing about 6 hours work a day with acceptable pain, but without the extreme exhaustion. !!!!!!!!!! I am in shock

    I still wake up every morning feeling, stiff, sore, achey and unmotivated. The pain is within the bearable limit tho. I still have to talk myself into getting up and getting started every day. I take my pred, anti depressant, and 2 painkillers. 20 minutes later I start work. Even if I am not feeling great at the time, once I start to get more energy. It really is unreal. I do not need any more painkillers other than the 2 in the morning.

    I go to the Dr tomorrow to get her thoughts on the subject.

    It will be interesting if some of you try it and see if it works for you too. Just take 2 tablets before you start something which will normaly exhaust you.

    Fingers crossed that it will work for some of you.

    • Posted

      Hi Flutterbie57

      Yes, what painkillers are you taking it may be them that are giving you the energy.....great if they are!!...

    • Posted

      Hi Flutterbie57

      Just to mention if the painkillers are of an opiate nature be very careful as they can become extremely addictive....

    • Posted

      hi flutterbie...I waited for a bit to respond to your post about pain killers, as I wanted to reply with a thoughtful/well thought out response.

      1st, PLEASE be careful w/pain killers. prior to have been dx'd w/PMR, my primary put me on a limited run of Opioids. at first they worked for relieving my pain (for a few weeks), but soon after, ceased doing so. since I hate being on ANY med, (Especially when it's not effective), I stopped taking it. YIKES!! I had a Horrible withdrawal (even such a brief stint).....MAJOR vomiting/nausea, shaking, horrible headaches....just to name a few.

      I guess what I'm trying to say is, ALL these drugs are so incredibly powerful and NOT to be taken lightly. if this regimen is working for you, then I'm happy for you. just PLEASE, please be careful!

      will be thinking of you and sending you good wishes!

      please keep me posted....💕

    • Posted

      To Kate, Mary and Lynda, I wasn't sure I would be able to put the name of the painkiller on here, but it is a common, sold over the counter medication which does not require a prescription. It isn't an opioid.I discussed it with my Dr today and she was as surprised as I am. She is going to suggest other patients try taking it before work as well. I am taking Panadol fast relief tablets.

    • Posted

      Hi Flutterbie57

      Thank you so much for letting us know. Wow! Sounds like a wonder drug!..long may they serve you well.....good thoughts and kind wishes your way...😊👍

    • Posted

      so relieved amk!! I take aspirin everyday (not that I'm recommending that either), I just don't think if them the same way I think of "pain relievers" (even though that's what they technically are)! my mind always jumps immediately to prescription drugs...which can be a nightmare!

      anyway, glad you cleared that up....and if over the counter meds are helping...I say Go For It!

    • Posted

      Sorry...I meant this for flutterbie....😷😕

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