Vitamin d tablets

If you are taking steroids for PMR it is recommended that you take vit D and calcium supplement too. Your doctor should have told you. 

Magnesium and a few other things are important for the body to make good use of calcium in building bones.  Taking extra calcium often means you may need a little extra magnesium as well to maintain the right balance.  It can help with some kinds of aches and pains, but not really PMR itself which is caused by inflammation.

Hi Julian,

In agreement with Ptlolemy.  I took Vitamin D and Calcium.  It's not for the PMR.  It's for the damage Prednisone can do to your bones.  I am now off Prednisone (for now) but still take both Vit.D and Calcium as Prednisone worsened my osteoporosis.

I have heard Magnesium suggested by several on this Forum, even stating it was necessary when taking Calcium, but my Dr. doesn't find any benefit to it; just says it won't hurt anything.

You need to take: Calcium,K2,E,D3,magnesium and a multivitamin.

When you get lower on prednisone and adrenal glands start or befor take pantathiac acid help the adrenal glands.

I also take b6

Mariane

in general, yes you might need calcium, Vit D , K2, magnesium but the right way to do it is to do the blood test and see exactly what you are missing, instead of guessing. For example, if you take too much calcium, or you don't take K2, extra calcium may endup as a deposit in your artheries, and that is the last thing you want.

Before being diagnosed with PMR, you should have been checked to see if your Vit D was up to scratch - Vitamin D deficiency causes aches and pains just like PMR  - that is why it is an exclusion test in the diagnosis.

You need to ask for a Vit D test and see what your levels are.

I ran into problems with Low Vit D and when tested it was so low, I was put on 40,000 units per day for two weeks, re-tested and then 20,000 units per day for 5 days.  Vit D level corrected, since then I take 1000 units per day everyday.  Recommended daily dose.

Calichew does not give you enough to raise or keep your levels right.

Vit D and calcium supplements are standard accompaniments to pred - and also for bisphosphonates which won't work unless serum calcium and vit D levels are correct. Vit D levels are commonly low with autoimmune disorders - not known if it is cause or effect. 

As lodger has said - vit D deficiency should be part of the differential diagnosis, low vit D can cause similar symptoms to PMR. Not necessarily though - my husband had a level of 7 a couple of weeks ago - not an ache in sight...

You can have an occasional bath or foot bath with Epsom salts - you will absorb magnesium through your skin.  Saves having another pill, and you get the benefit of the relaxation of the bath.

I take 1000 units of D and 1200 mg of a time release calcium tablet each day. However, I was doing that before going on the Prednisone (for osteoporosis prevention) even though it was highly recommended by the rheumatologist, as well. I also take 800 mg of magnesium each day, but that is for my chronic migraines.  I don't believe any of that helps with the pmr or GCA pain.  

Friends mean well when they make suggestions to us. In my case, I've usually already tried whatever they read about.