PMR, Prednisone & Sweating

Posted , 6 users are following.

I'm currently taking 8 mg of prednisone for my PMR and experiencing  sudden flashes of sweating, particularly while trying to sleep. I also experience sweating after I sit down from a walk. The pattern of sweating seems odd. I feel it at the base of my spine and below my breasts first. I am post menopause but never had hot flashes. Has anyone experienced this while tapering the prednisone? 

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7 Replies

  • Posted

    I experienced it with PMR and no pred when I postively dripped, with PMR and high pred, then it seemed to calm down a bit around 10mg and then it has returned at lower doses though now it is more of a glowing feeling. It starts as a feeling of having been hit in the solar plexus and then spreads all over. It is enough to push the covers half off at night. It also happens sometimes when drinking a cup of tea - but not regularly enough to say that that is more than coincidence.
  • Posted

    I had dripping sweats, totally wet all over, until last week when I came down to 10 mgs. Now I am just damp and it does not wake me up....glorious change for the better! Best of luck with extra laundry,

    Ann11195. USA

  • Posted

    It's just occurred to me - this is the point at which your body has to learn to make its own corticosteroid, cortisol, again. It is governed by a very complex feedback system which in some people takes a while to settle down - in the meantime it could be affecting all sorts of hormones and leading to the flushes. Just a thought.
    • Posted

      Eileen,

      This makes sense to me about my corticosteroid kicking in and activating hormones. Do you think I just need to hang in there with the 8 mg until these symptoms stop?

      I have a little bit of nagging almost-pain in arms and hip joint. Not serious but these symptoms had gone away. Energy level is still excellent. Walking daily and lifting 3 pound weights 3 times a week to regain muscle tone.

    • Posted

      I'd hang around at 8mg for a bit to be sure itis still holding those symptoms. I found I got a sort of nagging pull in one arm when I tried down to 3mg - it was gone at 4mg and at 5mg I felt great! Back down to 4mg again and so far it isn't there unless I use my mouse arm too much - which i suspect was the problem before! We'll see, I'll try 3 again...

      Maybe reduce those 3lb weights to a bit less? I know I can do far more at higher doses of pred than I can at lower ones even though the PMR symptoms haven't come back.

  • Posted

    Yep - having gone through menopause without so much as a single hot flush, I was dismayed to find I would have them once I got this hateful PMR - I am so upset by that.  I am now down to 7mg and have been taking this dreaded treatment since January - the flushes started about March and I have them almost every day now.  Not wet with them, just so hot and uncomfotable.  I am a hot person any way and so dont need duvets etc at night - so there is nothing I can cast off to relieve it!  
  • Posted

    I had a lot of sweats in the first 6 months, but I don't know if it was the PMR or the pred. Either way I only get the sweats when I'm reducing now. They are exactly like menopausal hot flushes and I'd only just finished with them when the PMR hit me!

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