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Tapering Prednisone : Increase in OA pain ?

Posted , 13 users are following.

dea13
dea13

Hi all, I have bee away for a few weeks, and the wedding went well thank you, my daughter looked lovely.

Myself I lasted the week away but with some pain. 

My question is has anyone else with OA felt worse pain when tapering down off Prednisone.? I have pain that I never had before or increased pain, upper legs, hands,fingers, wrist, feet and now both knees. I also have OA in my facet joints lower back which I had cortisone injections done 5th Oct and they lasted just 5 weeks, but that's another story. For now I am just wondering why my OA has flared over the last 3 weeks. I am on quite a few supplements that helped for a few years, still taking the same but not working so good.

I'm on 12 mg Preds...

Sometimes as we all know it's hard to tell what pain is what ( although I do know the PMR pain ) but the withdrawals with tapering and the OA changes. 

My Dr is now saying I may have Fibro BH sad 

I don't take strong pain killers but thinking of asking for some, Panadol is just not cutting it for me now. I live in Australia so our meds are different here. There is one called Panadol Osteo  I may try that : Just so sick of all this pain, like us all. Having PMR is bad enough.

Thanks for listening to my rant :

Wishing you all many pain free days : Dea 

 

1 like, 34 replies

34 Replies

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  • erika59785
    erika59785 dea13

    Posted

    I know how you feel.  I have the same problem with OA acting up at times.  It is difficult to know sometimes what is what!! :-)

    I am on 9 1/2 mg prednisone. I felt fine the past three days, today I am resorting to taking a couple of Tylenol because my lower back and hands hurt.  It is cold and rainy in the Pacific Northwest.  Hopefully, tomorrow is a better day.

    I wish you all the best --- no pain!  PMR pain is terrible!

     

  • Michdonn
    Michdonn dea13

    Posted

    dea13, have you tried any anti-inflammatory supplements, like Turmeric? I take it every day, plus my Pred, I am PMR pain free. How much does it help, I do not know. Thinking positive and smiling. 🙂

    • erika59785
      erika59785 Michdonn

      Posted

      I have tried Turmeric Curcumin with Bioprine.  I did not do anything for me - except a stomach ache, probably because of the pepper.sad
    • dea13
      dea13 Michdonn

      Posted

      Thanks, and Yes, I have been taking Turmeric for years now and normally it helped my OA, also I take many other supplements...  something has just gone wrong it feels, I live in a tropical climate, so can't blame the cold. Gentle Healing 

      Cheers  

    • dea13
      dea13 erika59785

      Posted

      Did you take it with meals? I take 3 teaspoons a day, but always with food " It used to help my OA a lot......

    • Michdonn
      Michdonn dea13

      Posted

      Yes dea13, I take turmeric capsules at meal times, three times a days, plus celery seed capsules in the morning. Normally PMR pain free since the spring flare, I did a couple minor flare.

      Thinking positive and smiling. 🙂

  • constance.de
    constance.de dea13

    Posted

    I definitely find OA is worse at lower doses of pred (I’m on 5 mg at present).  Have tried to cut down several times - got down to 3 1/2 once - but not willing to try to decrease any more for a long time (if ever)!

    I really couldn’t cope without Cocodamol.  I limit myself to 2 or 3 per day though.

  • BettyE
    BettyE dea13

    Posted

    One of the many annoyances of OA is the unpredictability. I definitely had far less OA pain when on steroids but since getting to zero 4 years ago have found that OA pain fluctuates form very painful indeed to ok-ish. Have not yet been able to connect pain levels to anything specific unfortunately.
  • EileenH
    EileenH dea13

    Posted

    The only difference between panadol osteo and any other sort is that they probably charge more because it is said to contact two lots of paracetamol, an instant release sort and a slow release sort that is supposed to sustain the pain relief. Given the studies from Australia showing paracetamol is no better than placebo for several sorts of pain - I'm sceptical!

    Yes - pred does help with OA pain, although the opinions amongst experts are mixed.Some people say steroid injections in the joint help, others say they don't and also that oral steroids wouldn't be expected to help. But many patients say that OA pain gets worse as they reduce their pred dose. One doctor says:

    "Oral steroid preparations are generally more effective than NSAIDs in suppressing the inflammation, swelling and pain of osteoarthritis.  Steroid products are generically referred to  as “cortisone”.  There are several available drugs, but prednisone is the most commonly used.  In general, oral steroids are effective in mild to moderate osteoarthritis, but again are  ineffective in severe end­stage disease.  Steroids are often given in the form of a tapering  dosepak.  Steroids should not be taken over the long term unless absolutely necessary  because of adverse effects on many organ systems of the body.  Side effects are few when  taken over a short duration.  Patients with very sensitive stomachs can develop symptoms of  ulcer disease, but this is uncommon when administered via a six day tapering dose pack.  A flushed or restless feeling sometimes is noticed, but this resolves upon completion of the  medication.  Diabetics need to carefully watch their blood glucose, as steroids will cause an elevation in blood glucose.  Steroids are safe and very effective drugs when administered and used judiciously"

    But he doesn't hold a generally accepted view - even if a lot of us agree with him.

    However - there IS potential breakthrough in Aus:

    "A decades-old drug could be a potential cure for osteoarthritis, which afflicts millions of Australians and costs the health system over a billion dollars a year.

    Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium - used to treat blood clots and cystitis for 60 years - has successfully been tested on a small number of patients who have advanced osteoarthritis.

    It worked so well for a 70-year-old Adelaide woman her pain score went from eight out of 10 to zero in a matter of weeks.

    Her case study will be published in the BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders journal."

    So maybe...

    • dea13
      dea13 EileenH

      Posted

      Thanks Eileen, very interesting read... We would all like to be on a short dose of Preds, but most of us PMR people are on it long term .

      I'll let you know how the Panadol Osteo goes, I will try it. 

      And will also search out more information on Pentosan Polysulfate Sodium.

      I hope all is well with you : Cheers Dea 

    • EileenH
      EileenH dea13

      Posted

      "We would all like to be on a short dose of Preds, but most of us PMR people are on it long term ."

      Don't need to tell me that! I've been on it over 8 years!

  • Anhaga
    Anhaga dea13

    Posted

    Short answer, yes.  To fill in the picture somewhat, I found recently when I was experiencing a relatively minor flare that both PMR and OA were worse.  Increasing pred dose has actually dealt quite nicely with both issues, and even helped me sort out the difference between various pains, a confusion I hadn't really had before, the two kinds of pain having registered a quite different once I knew I had PMR.  I had always thought that OA wasn't inflammation, but I guess when it's active it's in an inflammatory stage, but the after effects - enlarged joints, etc., remain even when there is no longer active inflammation and this can cause ongoing problems, such as my current back pain.  

    I do know it's important to try to avoid using NSAIDS, including aspirin, on a regular basis because they can interfere with cartilage regeneration and ultimately make the condition much worse.  I credit my refusing to take pain meds for OA (which I've had for a least thirty years and probably longer) and taking glucosamine at a fairly high dose for helping me avoid the worst effects of OA so far.

    • BettyE
      BettyE Anhaga

      Posted

      I'm really interested that you avoid pain killers.  So do I. In fact I avoid everything as past experience shows that prescription drugs and I don't get on. Over the years I've found that PPIs, Penicillin ( big time ) Alendronic acid Paracetamol are all more nuisance than they are worth. And then there are bee stings, wasp stings that my apparently ferocious immune system takes objection to.

      Glucosamine I've taken for Years and cannpt be sure if it is doing anything but it certainly doesn't seem to cause any problem. Don't dare stop it in case it's doing some good. Also I'm pretty sure that Flexiseq helps my OA.

      Don't suppose I'll live long enough to benefit from personalised medicine but I'm sure it's got to be the way for those of us that inconveniently don't fall in the normal range half the time.

      Another thing I often wonder about is why so many of us with a PMR diagnosis are people who have lead really active lives. Are there any lazy sufferers out there?

      And I think that old age must be  much easier for the physically lazy. Every next thing that becomes a problem can be cheerfully written off instead of cursing every time we find one more thing we cannot/ should not do any more.

      You speak of enlarged joints. Have you found, as I have, that once the bony  swellings appear, the pain becomes more like severe stiffness? It's a nuisance but not so debilitating as the pain.

    • Anhaga
      Anhaga BettyE

      Posted

      It's really only in my fingers I note this.  Of course I can't see the bones in my back, the other place the OA seems to be a bit active right now.  A few months ago my little finger swelled up and I wasn't sure what was going on.  It actually felt like I'd injured it, but I know I would have remembered doing so.  After a few days it stopped hurting like an injury, the swelling went down, and even the joint doesn't look any different than it did before.  There was a time I gave up the glucosamine.  It was while I was undiagnosed with PMR and thought it was OA and the glucosamine wasn't doing me any good any more.  After I had pred and got pain free for a while I began to have a better understanding of what was going on and started taking it again.  I did read somewhere that you aren't supposed to take it indefinitely, but it didn't say why, so I decided to carry on.  There must be a reason why the OA has preogressed so slowly, maybe it's the glucosamine, maybe not.  I also think that Vitamin B helps, but I don't know why this should be the case.  I take a complete B supplement, and over the years discontinuing this seems to correlate with increased OA discomfort.  That's all I can say about it, really.  Actually started with only B6, must have read this would be helpful, but after some time decided on my own that supplementing a single B vitamin likely not a good idea in the long term.

    • constance.de
      constance.de BettyE

      Posted

      Lazy sufferers?  Yes, I’m one.  Never really been interested in sport - swimming yes.  Can’t say old age is less of a problem though.😡   Aggressive OA, PMR, Osteoporosis, GERD, high blood pressure, high colesterol, heart monitor!!!  Can’t say I miss sport/activety much - I’m as pleased as Punch if I can get out of the house when the sun shines, see my children, have my very supportive husband by my side.  Life is good.😀

    • dea13
      dea13 Anhaga

      Posted

      hanks, I knew I was not going crazy, that the pain had increased . I tried glucosamine and it made me feel sick on the stomach, is there a way of taking it ? Glad it has worked for you.  Gentle Healing.

      Cheers Dea 

    • Anhaga
      Anhaga dea13

      Posted

      Yes I've heard other people say it upsets their stomach.  Can't say I've ever noticed a problem.  I take one dose with breakfast and a second with supper.  I take a kind which is a powder in a capsule, not a hard caplet or tablet.

    • Anhaga
      Anhaga dea13

      Posted

      Actually someone sent me information about MSM earlier today or yesterday, and apparently this is helpful for OA.  It is a kind of supplement which I think is related to sulfa drugs so maybe ppl allergic to those kinds of medications need to be careful. It provides us with much needed sulfur.  Found in food as well athough not always reliably enough.  Not proven useful for PMR although there are claims it has some anti-inflammatory effect, and it makes one's hair and nails stronger!  Maybe I'll try it someday?  We'll see.  cool

    • EileenH
      EileenH Anhaga

      Posted

      I think it is much the same with MSM as with glucosamine - you read the opinions and takes your choice!

      Arthritis Research UK says:

      "Available evidence from short-term RCTs shows that MSM may have a moderate effect in improving joint pain and swelling as well as general functional wellbeing in people with osteoarthritis. In one trial this effect was greater when MSM was combined with glucosamine."

      They also give an outline of the results of the (admittedly not very large) studies on it - which is basically that it doesn't seem to do harm/have too many side effects and works best together with glucosamine to relieve pain. It doesn't appear to improve function though.

      Interactions seem to really be just with an anticoagulant (warfarin) but it also seems to cause gastrointestinal problems if anything.

    • Michdonn
      Michdonn EileenH

      Posted

      EileenH, I take MSM, it was recommended by one of my fellow ski instructors. His son broke his neck, playing football. The doctor told him the only natural supplement that would help with his bones was MSM. Seeing that I choose to put myself in harm's way of falling, I decided to take it. Does it do any good, probably never know! Thinking positive and smiling. 🙂

    • dea13
      dea13 Anhaga

      Posted

      Thanks, I have been taking MSM every day for a few years now... along with Turmeric and flaxseed oil and other supplements .... 

       

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