sweating
Posted , 11 users are following.
Do hope someone has an idea of what is going on for me here. I have PMR and GCA.
I have slowly come down from 60mg to 15mg of steroid medication and have had lots of unusual symptoms. I have awful sweats - I wake in the morning covered in sweat. During the day I can feel it running down my body, i put my glasses on my head and when I retrieve them to read they are all steamed up, my head is also wet. At the moment its running down behind my ears and neck.
My Doctor does attribute most of the strange symptoms to the steroids as a side effect.
But to be honest along with the weight gain, the thinning hair, depression, exhaustion, confusion and the sweats, along with the stiffness and the odd pains............ I am totally and utterly at my wits end.
Any suggestions please
0 likes, 26 replies
EileenH Abella-Linda
Posted
It has recently been said by several of us that a return of sweats (they are a common part of GCA and PMR) as we reduce the dose is a pretty sure sign we are teetering on the edge of the dose that manages the inflammation or have even gone a bit too low. The underlying cause of the GCA hasn't gone away - it is chugging away in the background and all the pred is doing is mopping up each day's new lot of inflammation - which in a lot of people causes sweats.
Most doctors WILL insist on attributing sweats (and everything else) to the pred as a side effect - without ever thinking that if that were the case that they would be worse at higher doses (which is often the case) and not reappear as the dose gets much lower. And I promise you - they probably weren't unusual symptoms, I'll guarantee that whatever it was there will be several others who will say Me too!
Most pred side effects can be managed when you know how - sweats though are difficult to say the least although someone on another forum said a few days ago that half a Kwells travel sickness tablet works brilliantly for them (hyoscine hydrochloride) without making them sleepy. Others swear by sage extract as used for menopausal sweats. You can but try.
Weight gain can be held in check by drastic reduction of carb intake - especially white and processed carbs as well as fruit root vegetables. It is even possible to lose weight while still on pred - I lost 35lbs of pred and PMR weight like that and I am not the only one.
But you can only hold on to the fact that unpleasant as the side effects of pred may be, it has protected you from far worse. The ultimate adverse effect of untreated GCA is loss of vision, partial or total, and there is no going back. The inflammation of GCA also does unseen damage which can lead to stroke or other cardiovascular disease. That is always a primary comfort.
celia14153 EileenH
Posted
You are such a knowledgeable positive star! Hope you're own problems are giving you a break ps Spoke too soin about the punctuation problem on another thread. Serves me right! 😉
Abella-Linda EileenH
Posted
Thank you so very much Eileen for your help, so much appreciated and so much knowledge.. i am not the only one who is grateful. You are a star to all of us..
I have just bought a book 'Anti-inflammatory food plans'
I hope I have as much success as you regarding the food
Best Wishes
Linda
margaret89358 Abella-Linda
Posted
HI, you are not alone I can remember posting the same, sweating, weight gain, breathless, facial hair, hair falling out feeling tired etc. I am now on 6mg a day of pred still sweating. After reading other posts i manged to go from 12st 8lbs down to 10st 12lbs , I also started walking gently to begin with at the begining of 2018 after about 6mths I can now walk 6 miles with little effort. Just take small steps and like a lot of us on this forum you will get there. Take Care.
Abella-Linda margaret89358
Posted
Hello Margaret thank you so much for answering, you often feel alone with all of this dont you?
You lost all of that weight building up your walking, you should be very proud, I
am proud for you.. I am also interested to know what else you have done to loose all that weight.
I do walk every day but not as much as you, I have a patterdale terrier rescue and he is always ready to go out! I do wobble quite a lot some days so have just ordered some balance wheels for my bike then I can go further with my dog and not worry about feeling tired.
Thank you Margaret
All the best Linda
margaret89358 Abella-Linda
Posted
i managed the weight loss with cutting down on carbs, I also just eat 3 meals a day with no snacks judt water. Last meal by 5.30 as I go to bed by 10 10.30. Something to make you laugh when i was diagnosed with PMR in April 16 I was10st3lbs, I was a gold member with weightwatchers for th 5th time I think I can manage my own weight. Dont beat yourself up we are all different and you will come through just take it easy.
ptolemy Abella-Linda
Posted
I have the same problem with sweats although it does improve as you get lower. in my case they happen without my pred dose needing upping, I just sweat. I have the same problems with my glasses! My hair was like a haystack very dry and brittle but improving at lower rates of pred, but it has turned curly from being straight all my life. Fatigue is a symptom of PMR remember you have an illness, just by taking pred does not make us better.
Abella-Linda ptolemy
Posted
Thank you Ptolemy for your reply and really for shaking me in to sense with your last sentence - very much appreciated..
I have never given myself permission to be ill ever in my life. Therefore when this all hit me by taking away so much it was a shock in every which way. Problem being I am always so very impatient with myself and I do understand that all of this takes its time.
Thank you so much
Linda
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ptolemy Abella-Linda
Posted
I was the same and the rheumie who diagnosed me gave me the impression that I would be running marathons the following week, so I thought I could carry on as normal. I decided to start pampering myself and saying no when people asked me to help with things. If I need help for myself I now ask,
Abella-Linda ptolemy
Posted
Thank you Ptolemy I will do my best to follow that advice. Wish me luck
All the best Linda
lynda62707 ptolemy
Posted
hi Abella Linda...I've been on prednisone for almost a year now. the 1st 8mo were Hell...soooo many side effects. But one of the worst was Profuse Sweating! I'm not éxagurating, it was absolutely embarrassing. my head, face and scalp were by far the worst, to the point my hair constantly looked like I'd just gotten out of the shower.
All of a sudden, about 1mo ago, it seems to have (almost) stopped!
I've got no idea why, but I'm not going to question it!!
I guess my point is, possibly your body gets used to some of the crummy side effects....wish it would not put on weight....but one thing at a time!
I'm in the process of tapering (again) and am at 10.5mg for the next few weeks.
we'll see how it goes!
Try to stay positive even when you're NOT!
my thoughts are with you!
Lynda
Abella-Linda lynda62707
Posted
Thank you Lynda ohhhh I feel for you with it pouring from you like that but am glad it has stopped now - goodluck
As to the weight Eileen gave up carbs and lost a lot of her pre=PMR weight and more. Try and have a go at it = I am going to.
We could both try it and get back in touch in a month? What do you say to that - I think you try harder if someone else is doing it with you. If a month is too long we could be in touch sooner.
I feel that you, like me, need a bit of a cheer-up.
Good Luck and Take Good Care of YOU
lynda62707 Abella-Linda
Posted
Sounds like a plan Stan!!
Seriously, if you need a shoulder to cry on, I've been told I'm pretty good at that.
feel free to text me or p/m me anytime! Lynda
Flutterbie57 ptolemy
Posted
You are the first person I have heard mention hair. My hair has turned very curly recently. I did wonder why.
ptolemy Flutterbie57
Posted
I have always wanted curly hair so there is a plus side!
lynda62707 Flutterbie57
Posted
mine too flutterbie!! I thought I was the only one!
It literally went from"stick straight" to Super curly almost overnight!
I had fairly long hair which I couldn't control anymore cuz I knew nothing about curly hair!
I finally have in at Christmas and had it cut which I'm still trying to get used to. Jury"s still out!!!!!
Flutterbie57 lynda62707
Posted
Mine is a bit too much like an old 70 perm 😃
Silver49 Flutterbie57
Posted
Mine went curly too and was even more so when I was sweating though not like a perm. It is now back to normal and I am making my way to 1.5 mgs. I was at that over a year ago but it was too low at the time. It is looking more hopeful this time.
Abella-Linda lynda62707
Posted
Thank you Lynda that is wonderful and I will remember what you said.
Great lets start monday!? I have a book 'The Anti-Inflamatory Diet and action plans' which I found on the internet, if thats any help.
I feel a food shopping trip is on any minute now.
Umm perhaps catch up in a week?
Chat soon and thank you again
ptolemy lynda62707
Posted
I had shoulder length hair but the Pred made is so haystackish I had it cut very short so it stuck up all over and looked quite funky!