trying to find an answer

[taracbry]

I was diagnosed with polymyalgia 34 months ago.  I have been off of prednisone for 5 weeks and am experiencing pain and swelling in both knees/legs.  I'm wondering if it's a return of the polymyalgia or withdrawal from the prednisone.

[taracbry]

Thank you for the welcome and your comments.  I had been taking prednisone for 34 months for symptoms of the polymyalgia.  I had decreased this to 1 ml for 2 months before stopping it.  The last month I had taken 1 ml of pred one day on and one day off for a week, then 1 ml with two days off for a week, then 1 ml with 3 days off for a week and so on until I had stopped.  There were no sx's for a month, then both legs began to swell, and I could not bend my knee joints.  I stopped taking prednisone, because (as you mentioned) of the side effects long term.  

I eat a mostly vegetarian diet that does includes eggs, chicken and turkey.  I cook my own meals.  Up until these issues, I was running 5 miles a day, 5x a week (have done this for 30+ years).  I've never had a problem w/my knees.  I'm also certified as a personal trainer and have knowledge of exercise, muscles, joints etc.  

My rheumatologist is baffled, and she sent me to the ER to rule out a clot.  The ultrasound was negative for this.  I have an appointment in 3 weeks with a doctor of osteopathic manipulative medicine.

The good news is that the swelling has gone down, and I can now bend my knees (although they are still tight).  Again I appreciate you taking the time to comment and offer suggestions.
thank you,
tara

[TheLightSeeker]

Hi taracbry. Welcome to the forum

Well, it's a bit of both.
1. Prednisone should not be discontinued abruptly, as the body develops a dependency within one week of its intake. It actually causes the body to
stop producing its own corticosteroids and specially cortisol.
So you may suffer a double whammy, where no prednisone and no natural
cortisol is present and feeling  some of the withdrawal effects.

What is  the severity of your swelling and knee pain in your case?
My aunt had gone trough this a few years ago, with excruciating pain in her arms and  hands, swelling of many of her joints and was almost incapacitated.
She had also taken cortisone shots for a while and this I think contributed to her problems greatly, as her adrenals were almost shot.

The tapering off gradual withdrawal should take place over several weeks
and this depends on the length of time on it and the patient's constitution.
What was the reason you had to stop taking it?

2. Polymyalgia, unfortunately does not go away with prednisone, just some of the symptoms, but the dependency issues along with the immuno-suppression and the down regulating of the adrenals, the numerous side effects, to my opinion, make this choice of drug questionable for long term
treatment. And for short term treatment, it must be monitored carefully.

There are some natural things you can do on your own
If interested, I can give some suggestions, but please include some details,
such as other meds, conditions, diet and lifestyle, fitness levels, activities...

Hope this helps, but please note that my comments are not intended to replace medical advice.

Best wishes.

Niko