Polymyalgia?

Question

I have recently been diagnosed with polymyalgia- it is so hard to deal with- I do not want to take the nasty prednesone pills that the doc has set up for me- IS there an alternative med that doesn't attack some other organ?
I hear that prednesone is a carcinogen, it destroys bone, and causes fatigue- almost as bad as the polymyalgia.

Answer 1

http://www.chestjournal.org/cgi/content/full/115/3/886 here's a link for you which might give you information

But how old are you, normally people wont get it before an age of approx 65 years, so maybe you'd change your doctor!

Answer 2

Prednisone is not a carcinogen, it can cause osteoporosis or bone necrosis and usually energizes people rather than making them fatigued. When you taper off the prednisone is when you might feel tired but this can be minimized by tapering very slowly.

A lot depends on what type polymyalgia you have. If temporal arteritis is part of your problem then you need to take the prednisone since if untreated you will be at high risk of stroke and blindness.

Ibuprofen or Naproxen might help mild polymyalgia pain quite a bit but probably won't help put the disease into remission. You have to decide what risks you are willing to take, how much pain you can endure and the repercussions of any treatments.

good luck with your decisions.

What dose and how long the Dr wants me to take the prednisone would be considerations for me. Taking prednisone for a couple weeks is no big deal but if it was for a year at 60-80mg a day, then that is serious medicating with all the risks that come with it. If you do take the prednisone, make sure and take high doses of calcium, magnesium, vitamin D and possibly the RX Fosamax to minimize potential bone dangers.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/polymyalgia-rheumatica/DS00441