have PRM, started 15 Lodotra last night, no change today, is that normal? also I read about hot night sweats but I get these in the day particularly if I am anxious about anything, although I have all the symptoms of PMR, I get worried that although I have difficulty lifting my arms have a job turning over in bed cant do my bra up, none of these are unbearable and in the day lead quite a normal life apart from not wanting to eat properly and feeling tired
It's not lunchtime yet! Have patience!
You effectively took your pred dose at 2am, I took my first dose of ordinary pred at 10.15am and first noticed the difference at 4pm, 6 hours later. Some of us get that sort of miracle effect but by no means everyone does. The criterion used to confirm that PMR is the correct diagnosis is a 70% relief of symptoms within about 48/72 hours and a return of the symptoms in a similar time frame if the pred is stopped. Some people need a week to get good relief and some parts of the pain can take far longer - if you have bursitis or synovitis then this moderate dose of pred will take some time to work on that.
You should notice some improvement by this afternoon if you are a "rapid responder" but it could be you have to wait until after a few doses to notice a significant improvement.
I did say you shouldn't build your hopes up too far in advance - unrealistic expectations are unfair to the drug company and yourself. If this is all "bearable" without pred then it is to be expected you will have a less dramatic effect. Mine was so severe I COULDN'T lift my arms, it wasn't just difficult. I crawled up stairs on hands and knees - all day, not just in the mornings. I couldn't hold a cup of tea in one hand - I needed both not to drop it. You notice a change from that.
And if the tiredness and not eating is due to the underlying autoimmune disorder that causes the PMR symptoms, they may not change as much as the stiffness. The pred does nothing against that and the fatigue often lasts much longer even while you are on pred. Even a couple of years into taking pred I would go out to ski and do a few short runs (all I could manage anyway at the beginning of the season) and think "I feel fine, just one more run..." only to find half way down that I felt as if I had hit a brick wall of fatigue. Others have gone out for a walk and had a similar experience - one lady was found by a neighbour sitting on his garden wall because she couldn't put one foot in front of the other so he took her home to the next street in his car.
Hi vanessa,
It's a modified release pred. tab. The dose may need some tweaking.
give the med some time u just started it generally takes time to show signs of improvement. U will know the difference.
TC & GB
Eileen,
Sounds way too familiar.. I really, really hate that wall!
thank you for that, i have had times when i could not climb stairs but it did not last for that long, I know I am jumping the gun with the preds, when I was given a shot it did not start to work for a couple of days and then lasted exactly 2 weeks, you do not mention the sweats in the day time, are these unusual? this site is so wonderful for people like me, thank heavens we still have people around like you!
Sorry, I forgot the sweats bit. Yes, most people find they have sweats with PMR - but also with pred. I had sweats all through the 5 years with PMR not on pred and many people complain of them whilst on pred - so it really isn't somethingyou can say is one thing or the other. I think that, like the fatigue, it is probably the autoimmune bit of PMR which isn't touched by the pred. Keeping the room cool and wearing layers helps - just like menopausal sweats. I used a fan at night in the summer when they bothered me and haven't used a winterweight duvet for years. It's easy for me - we have a double bed but separate mattresses and duvets stemming from when my husband had cancer and was frozen at night in a hot July - despite having the heating on! I got single duvets so I had a chance of survival instead of cooking - and we never switched back. It avoids theft of the covers and makes it easy to stick your feet out when you are too hot! ;-)