I was diagnosed with PMR in December 2014 and am now tapering off of prednisone. (I started with 40 mg and am now at 6mg/day.) I have had a couple of mild flares which sent me back up to 10 mg and then back to tapering from there. For the most part, i think I am doing pretty well. My most recent sed rate was 19--down from >100--and my CRP was 9--down from 44. My problem now is intermittent, profuse head and face sweating. I have scanned past threads for information but as most threads are wont to do, they get tangled in other important discussions. Is this something many of you have experienced? WebMD says it is a "rare" side effect. Has anyone discovered anything to relieve it? (Other than wearing ice packs to garden!) I am 66 and otherwise relatively healthy. Thanks in advance.
I am suffering from the head and face sweating. I am 65, and started on 20mg Pred a day, for two weeks. The sweating went away in the second week, but returned as soon as I was dropped to 15mg. I was put up to 16mg a week later, but two weeks later I think the sweating is getting worse.. Hopefully someone with have some ideas for us to overcome our problem. I wear glasses - not a good look - foggy lenses and steam rising.
I suffer from the sweats, upper body but mainly head and face. I mentioned it to my GP who is overseeing my treatment for PMR and was told that in fact it is not that unusual with steroid takers especially if accompanied by the odd hot flush
I know it sounds far fetched about the steamed up specs. but its true, they either steam up of fill with liquid when and if I look floorward when having a hot turn.
I wouldn't say I have got used to the sweat problem but I have learnt to live with it - have been on pred for going on 3 years and am still trying to get below 10 mg - am at 8,75 now - getting results from latest blood test on monday so I am hoping that I can take the next step down!
I think maybe side effects aren't neccessarily connected only with the size of dose but also the length of time you have taken the meds.
The face/head sweats are pretty gruesome - I am still working and people have got used to the lovely sight of sweat dripping down my face and neck!
Wish I knew of a "cure" - I look forward to seeing if anybody out there has a tip.
This is one of those horrid side effects for which I don't think any of us have found an answer. As far as the overall body flushes are concerned, wearing only cotton clothing does help to more quickly rid us of the discomfort from each bout; however, the head/neck sweating is more of a problem. I would wash and style my hair only for it to look in need of an instant repeat. Strangely I used to find that the flushes often arrived during/just following a meal. As far as when gardening is concerned, how about wearing one of those sweat bands the tennis players wear around their foreheads - at least that would catch some of the drips before it reaches down the face and neck?
I have had the head sweat problem ever since I started pred. I think it is slightly better now but it may be that I am getting used to it. When I watch TV I put a cushion behind my head and have to keep turning it over, the same with my pillow, so it cools the back of my head for a few seconds. I sometimes put my specs up on my head, then drag them down and discover I cannot see as they are like a window on a cold morning, steamed up and dripping. My rheumy said it was quite normal to have these sweats, great, I don't want to be normal.
It can be due to either the PMR or to the pred - I had really "drippy" sweats from underarms and down my spine during the 5 years of PMR with no pred. They improved with pred, becoming more overall "glows" with rather less localised sweating. Now I am down to 5mg the glows are still there and when it is warm at night I feel sweatier - not a problem this year where we live but it was the other week at Lake Garda when it was about 20C overnight. So I suspect it is just confirmation the PMR is still lurking.
I found that having a fan on near me helped a lot - not directed straight at me as that caused a stiff neck, especially with the air-con in the car, but so that the air around me was moving. I wear a lot of cotton or wool clothing (wool is wonderful in the summer for lightweight suits for men by the way) but to be honest by far the best stuff is athletics underwear like you see footballers wearing under their strip which is designed to wick sweat away from the body and allow it to evaporate rather than remaining as damp material close to the body which can be very uncomfortable.
So WebMD says it is a rare problem? I think not - and as good a reason as any for yellow card reporting being taken seriously! Though, as I say, the underlying autoimmune part of pMR does it too. It isn't JUST due to pred.
As I was on HRT that helped a whole lot. But I also took extract of Sage and found that helped as well.
Like PMRpro I think webmd is up the creek without a paddle.
My sunglasses even fog up.
I have learned to avoid being out in the heat of the day. It still is embarassing when friends ask if I am ok when I am dripping in my lunch.
Good idea--I will try that.
No, I am sick of being "normal."
Thanks for the suggestions and reassurance.
I get them too. Have GCA, currently on 22.5mg Pred. I've started carrying a fan in my bag, the type you just use your hand to fan yourself with. Of course, that would look a bit odd for a man to use! :-). At home, I can at least just wipe my face and neck.
Yes I had the head sweats, they were so disgusting and it was only on here that I learnt they were a side effect of pred. Niether the doc or pharmacist knew what was causing it, we even tried 3 months of HRT to no avail, obviously. Now I am down to 8.5mg and they seem to have mostly gone, though if it is warm I do sweat more than most. It's only the head , very strange. You are lucky in one way, if I have a flare I end up on 20mg and then the sweats start again.
Bear with it and tie up your hair if you can, it disguises the 'wettness' a little!
Just remembered other things I did to help. Cold packs from the fridge. I always carry an old fashioned fan in my bag (not sure what gender you are!) and as I said tying up my hair!
Lodger also had terrible head sweats, she sat with a towel around her neck to absorb it!
How about the icetowels the tennis players use on hot days? Ice cubes in a long plastic bag (to make it less messy) and wrapped in a towel so it doesn't burn your skin. Even a cold wet towel would cool you down.
I get them too - I can feel it coming on and my whole head glows !