... conditions? Over the past few years I have been prescribed several muscle relaxers and blood thinners, also metformin and Cymbalta. Within two days the painful swelling is so bad I can barely get from one room to the next.
Doctors and family members say to just keep taking the drug for at least a month and maybe the side effects will go away. I cannot spend my life in bed so I stop the drug.
I also have a positive lupus anticoagulant ( which doctors state is NOT an indication of systemic lupus erythematosus). For a month earlier this year i had the puffy red face typical of Sjogrens disease.
This week I read that some people have drug-induced lupus. Does anyone have experience with having flares or relapses when adding drugs for other reasons? I'm scheduled for a hip replacement and must be on blood thinner injections for a month after. I am terrified that the PMR will make it near impossible to do the walking and therapy required
Polymyalgia Rheumatica - Does anyone else have flareups of PMR when trying drugs for other...
Question posted by adoptmeow on 25 May 2019
Last updated on 26 May 2019
Answers
Hi kristacrowder. I have TN but I’ve never heard of PMR so I did a bit of research on it. Almost every symptom of this I have experienced; except I had weight gain instead of weight loss. I had so much inflammation along with muscle pain and weakness. Every one of my joints were stiff and I had a very hard time getting around. Then I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia. I ended up bedridden for 3 years and at times I thought I was dying. I started doing extensive research on the medications I was taking at the time and realized that one of them was causing every one of my problems. It was Cymbalta. I have been tapering off slowly and I’m down from 60 mg to 1 mg and all the inflammation and pain is gone. Almost every other symptom is gone also. I am still a bit weak and I get tired easily but I am so much better. I’m not saying that Cymbalta is causing all your problems but it certainly could be making things worse. Please research Cymbalta and it’s side effects and see if they sound familiar to you. Take care and I wish you the best. Cindy59
Thank you Cindy for sharing this experience that a drug's side effects can be worse than the illness it is claimed to help. I haven't taken any of the medications that I listed for more than a few days because I had such an abrupt debilitating response to them.
It makes me wonder if there is drug-induced PMR just as there is drug-induced lupus.
Hi there. Hopefully if you was on Cymbalta any longer than a week or two your doctor made you aware that these types of medications usually need to be tapered off very slowly. Most of the time the doctors follow the tapering process they have been given by the drug representatives. I am in a group of almost 20,000 people now who are tapering off Cymbalta by no more than 10% of the last dosage taken every two weeks or longer. One of the withdrawal symptoms is feeling like you are getting the ‘flu’. I really hope that you don’t go through this and you are ok. I hope that you get all the answers to your questions. Best wishes to you for the future. Cindy59
Kristacrowder,
I had hip replacement surgery 5 weeks ago. I was on 10mg of prednisone. You mentioned metformin. Before the surgery, I had tested positive for diabetes with an A1C blood test. I immediately went on a low carbohydrate, healthy diet with only lean protein and generous amounts of vegetables. I have been non diabetic since surgery, and in fact, am not even in the pre-diabetic range! I do take Fosamax for low bone density. Darn prednisone!!!
Regarding the post surgery exercise, if you can find a pool, aqua therapy has helped me tremendously! Get the book "Heal your hips By Lynda Huey and Dr Klapper". I was not able to get into the pool for 4 weeks after surgery, but I still needed a walker during that period. Now, I am reliant on a cane most of the time, but by 8-12 weeks should be able to walk unaided. I walked with my cane for 10 minutes 3 times a day during the 1st month and did the exercises prescribed by the physical therapist. I also have been swimming 1 mile 3 times a week. This is very tiring, but it does make me feel stronger and healthier in the long run. Hope this helps.
Thank you for all of this information/inspiration. Did you stay on the 10 mg of Prednisone every day before and after surgery?
Kristacrowder,
I got down to 10mg Prednisone for the surgery because my orthopedic surgeon demanded it for healing reasons. Meantime, my Rhumatologist has me lowering my prednisone by 1mg a month. I am currently at 8 mg per day. I must admit that I tire easily, and have muscle fatigue regularly. I will continue the present course unless I get a major flare up.
Best of luck with the hip surgery!
Related topics
cymbalta, polymyalgia rheumatica, fibromyalgia, systemic lupus erythematosus, swelling, blood thinners
Further information
- Cymbalta uses and safety info
- Cymbalta prescribing info & package insert (for Health Professionals)
- Side effects of Cymbalta (detailed)
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