Rheumatoid Arthritis Support Group
Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic, inflammatory, multisystem, autoimmune disorder. It is a disabling and painful condition which can lead to substantial loss of mobility due to pain and joint destruction. The disease is also systemic in that it often also affects many extra-articular tissues throughout the body including the skin, blood vessels, heart, lungs, and...
Diagnosed with PMR Nov. 2014, and put on 20 mg. of prednisone daily; 8 tablets - 2.5 mg. each of methotrexate 1 x weekly; 1 mg. of Folic Acid - 1 x daily; and Actonel - 150 mg. - 1 x monthly. Did well, felt good, little discomfort, and then started the tapering of Prednisone and down to 10 mg. I tapered to fast, had a flare, and back to 15 mg. and felt good again. Back to a very slow tapering. Then this past Nov. 2015, my rheumatologist said that I had moved into RA, and added Pacquenil - 200 mg. - 2 x daily and to continue tapering prednisone with the hope I can get off it. just occasional stiffness especially in the shoulders, and legs and thighs.
I've finally worked my tapering of the Prednisone to 7.50 mg daily and working on trying to get to 6.25 mg. The stiffness in shoulders, arms, thighs, and legs keeps getting worse as I take less Prednisone. Just wondering if anyone has experienced this as they tapered Prednisone, or if it's the RA. Also can you have RA and PMR both at the same time? My rheumatologist says that I have moved from PMR to RA, but my major complaints are the stiffness in the shoulders when raising my arms, and stiffness in my thighs, and legs which are PMR symptoms. Thanks for your help!!!
I've finally worked my tapering of the Prednisone to 7.50 mg daily and working on trying to get to 6.25 mg. The stiffness in shoulders, arms, thighs, and legs keeps getting worse as I take less Prednisone. Just wondering if anyone has experienced this as they tapered Prednisone, or if it's the RA. Also can you have RA and PMR both at the same time? My rheumatologist says that I have moved from PMR to RA, but my major complaints are the stiffness in the shoulders when raising my arms, and stiffness in my thighs, and legs which are PMR symptoms. Thanks for your help!!!
I am not expert by any means but from what you have described and all that I have learned here, sounds like it to me.
There are some incredibility smart and informed folks here - they will be along directly to help.
Peace
Bluedogs2
your methotrexate is wicked low dose at 2.5 - is there a reason the rheumie aint ramping since you are not doing so well? pred is a masker of the disease. if you had at it at the beginning it was either to 1. diagnosis the disease (which in higher doses it makes you feel so much better or 2. to bridge you to where the disease modifying anti rheumatic drugs were doing their thing without the pred. at this point you need the pain relief that the pred is masking
the rheumie should be told that plainly and maybe she will adjust the dosages of the dmards or change them and /or add a biologic by the spring or summer if that does not work and you are in agreement.
are you allergic to nsaids? if so can she add one of those there are about 17.
maybe you just have both - whatever med mix the doctor can get for you I would think. has either shoulder ever been MRI's for erosions and damage since the med mix aint working? do you want to ask about that?
depot
Bogiesmom....there is a well known effect with pred called "steroid rebound" where the disease process ramps back up....sometimes even worse than before...when the dosage of pred is lowered. I spent a month on 20 mgs. pred for asthma and it took me 10 months to wean off. You were on it far longer and your body is now used to it and so it takes a lot longer. On top of it, our bodies make the natural equivalent of prednisone and when we start taking it, the body stops making it. So again, you have to go very slowly so the body starts making it's own again. This is why it takes so long.....your body may not be making it's own yet. And the symptoms are the same either way.....rebound or body failing to make it's own.
And yes, it is common to move from one auto-immune disorder to another. Many here have the symptoms of Sjogren's Syndrome along side of RA(dry eyes, dry mouth, dry everywhere) and I may have developed another auto-immune disorder called relapsing polychondritis......frequently develops along side RA.
Once the immune system has gone awry, it can do a lot of bad stuff to us. As your PMR symptoms go down, the Ra symptoms will come up.....sorry to say.
gentle hugs..............Jen
Depotblue: I am on 8 tablets of 2.5 mg of methotrexate total of 20 mg. once a week.
All of you are so helpful and I've learned so much from this group!! Thanks!!