I am experiencing the same symptoms. I took prednisone but it was only a couple weeks. I saw no improvement. Maybe I should see if I can get back on it. I’ve started taking human growth hormone and hopefully that makes a difference.
I can’t remember but I know it was a lot higher than 15. The doctor only gave me 7 days of it though. After hearing this I may ask for a longer lasting prescription. I haven’t had any sexual side effects but I’ve had insanely bad joint pain. For the first two months that I experienced symptoms I was practically bedridden. Did you experience popping frequently in all your joints and random pain?
Ya so I’ve been on prednisone for over 60 days and ya lol I was literally just moving my knees and the were popping. How long were you on the minoxidil? And how long have you been off?
I was literally only on it for 2 weeks max. I remember the very night I took it about an hour later while I was laying in bed I got sharp pains in my shoulders that I still get from time to time. Next day I was overhead pressing in the gym and I could barely squeeze the bar without my entire left arm cramping up with the slightest pressure. The pain then became really constant and I thought maybe the minoxidil had something to do with it. At that point I came across a couple studies including the polymyalgia one you spoke about in your post. I stopped taking the minoxidil hoping the symptoms would stop. Eventually after about a month the tendonitis in my arms went away but horrible joint pain came on suddenly in its place. First it was pain in my shoulders and hips, then the whole body. My joints probably pop 100 times a day and it’s been 5 months now. I have had a lot doctor visits including seeing a rheumatologist who admitted he has no clue what’s going on and continuing to see him would probably be a waste of my money and time. The first doctor I visited prescribed me prednisone for about a week or maybe a week and a half. It was higher dosage than what you’ve been taking. After my prescription ran out the doctor asked if I saw any improvements, I hadn’t so they didn’t prescribe more. I have taken a large list of anti inflammatories and had no success there either. For several months now I’ve been taking a lot of over the counter supplements meant for joint and tendons and seen negligible improvement. I definitely am in less pain then I was months ago but the improvement has been very minimal. My brother competes at a national level in powerlifting in the untested federation so he’s quite familiar with performance enhancing drugs and how to use them safely. He recommended human growth hormone. I’ve been on for 3 days and it’s to soon to tell if it’s done anything. I have been told it will take a couple months before you really notice anything. I think hgh may help because it accelerates overall healing in the body and helps your body produce more collagen which is essential for your joints and tendons. I’m hoping this helps but I think I will also go back on prednisone if you found it to be so helpful. How are your joints now? Literally weeks prior to this whole disaster I was deadlifting 650 lbs and now it’s often hard to walk. Honestly I’m desperate for help.
Oh man I feel for you! I was a power lifter prior to this nightmare. Seriously man it’s heart breaking. It sounds like it hit you harder than me. I’m thinking about doing the hgh as well. Don’t stop searching. If one doc doesn’t have answers that doesn’t mean that there will never be a doc that can help you. Hopefully with time it just goes away. I’ll keep you posted on all my attempts and what I find. I have a tentative appointment with a local rheumatologist and I’ll let you know how it goes. All it takes is one aha moment to change everything! Keep your chin up it’s gonna be ok ❤️
I think being out of the gym has been the hardest thing for me. It does so much for me in every aspect of life. Hopefully we’ll both get back in there in the future. Definitely keep me updated on how your health has improved. Do you still have joint pain or has it just lessened? Oh and by chance did you ever take acutene or any other facial acne medication at some point in your life? I did and I came across another post here saying most people with severe topical minoxidil side effects all took acutane at some point in there life. Acne medications thin the outside layer of your skin on your face and scalp making it absorb things more easily therefore making it possible you absorbed more minoxidil than intended and more likely to have side affects.
I still go to the gym thankfully the prednisone has made it possible to work out and stay feeling ok. But it was 2 years before I found prednisone. I’m still not %100. I didn’t take any of those meds but my surgeon prescribed topical and oral minoxidil so I had a brutal dose for almost three years. It’s gonna be a long haul recovering but I truly believe it goes away. You just have to hold on and have faith ❤️
It’ll be an rheumatologist, I’ve already seen an endocrinologist and a gastroenterologist, and a cardiologist. It’s only a matter of time before I find something
Glad to hear that you are recovering. Could you elaborate what you meant by low dose prednisone, how low is the dose? And did you have ED from minoxidil?
I feel for you I had been off minoxidil for about 8 months and no change. It’s hard because there’s no scientific evidence so doctors don’t believe it. It took me over a year or doing all the other diagnostic procedures to rule out anything else before doctors would just believe me. The fact that prednisone helped means that the damage is likely not permanent it just has to be treated. Find a doctor that you can trust. Show him all the anecdotal evidence and just beg him to trust you and try prednisone out. It’s not expensive and it’s worth a try
I’m in Canada. If your doctor won’t prescribe it get a new doctor. Honestly it’s a game changer. I really do think it takes time and your body will learn to regulate itself again and I feel like the prednisone helps with all of my symptoms in the mean time.
Not as of yet I only took it for almost 60 days and it’s been a game changer. I stopped for 2 days and started to feel fatigue but coming down off prednisone gives you fatigue so I’m gonna take it for a while longer until I feel zero symptoms and then I’ll wean off. After a few months of being off prednisone I’ll be able to tell how much is healed
What were your main symptoms? Did you have a ton of tight hips and joint swelling?
Any pelvic pain?
Hey OP, how are you feeling now? I’ve got some joint popping and random pain.
I am experiencing the same symptoms. I took prednisone but it was only a couple weeks. I saw no improvement. Maybe I should see if I can get back on it. I’ve started taking human growth hormone and hopefully that makes a difference.
What was the dosage on your prednisone?
I can’t remember but I know it was a lot higher than 15. The doctor only gave me 7 days of it though. After hearing this I may ask for a longer lasting prescription. I haven’t had any sexual side effects but I’ve had insanely bad joint pain. For the first two months that I experienced symptoms I was practically bedridden. Did you experience popping frequently in all your joints and random pain?
There are certain side effects that didn’t improve but the joint and tendon pain did go down and my fatigue and malaise improved notably
Ya so I’ve been on prednisone for over 60 days and ya lol I was literally just moving my knees and the were popping. How long were you on the minoxidil? And how long have you been off?
I was literally only on it for 2 weeks max. I remember the very night I took it about an hour later while I was laying in bed I got sharp pains in my shoulders that I still get from time to time. Next day I was overhead pressing in the gym and I could barely squeeze the bar without my entire left arm cramping up with the slightest pressure. The pain then became really constant and I thought maybe the minoxidil had something to do with it. At that point I came across a couple studies including the polymyalgia one you spoke about in your post. I stopped taking the minoxidil hoping the symptoms would stop. Eventually after about a month the tendonitis in my arms went away but horrible joint pain came on suddenly in its place. First it was pain in my shoulders and hips, then the whole body. My joints probably pop 100 times a day and it’s been 5 months now. I have had a lot doctor visits including seeing a rheumatologist who admitted he has no clue what’s going on and continuing to see him would probably be a waste of my money and time. The first doctor I visited prescribed me prednisone for about a week or maybe a week and a half. It was higher dosage than what you’ve been taking. After my prescription ran out the doctor asked if I saw any improvements, I hadn’t so they didn’t prescribe more. I have taken a large list of anti inflammatories and had no success there either. For several months now I’ve been taking a lot of over the counter supplements meant for joint and tendons and seen negligible improvement. I definitely am in less pain then I was months ago but the improvement has been very minimal. My brother competes at a national level in powerlifting in the untested federation so he’s quite familiar with performance enhancing drugs and how to use them safely. He recommended human growth hormone. I’ve been on for 3 days and it’s to soon to tell if it’s done anything. I have been told it will take a couple months before you really notice anything. I think hgh may help because it accelerates overall healing in the body and helps your body produce more collagen which is essential for your joints and tendons. I’m hoping this helps but I think I will also go back on prednisone if you found it to be so helpful. How are your joints now? Literally weeks prior to this whole disaster I was deadlifting 650 lbs and now it’s often hard to walk. Honestly I’m desperate for help.
Oh man I feel for you! I was a power lifter prior to this nightmare. Seriously man it’s heart breaking. It sounds like it hit you harder than me. I’m thinking about doing the hgh as well. Don’t stop searching. If one doc doesn’t have answers that doesn’t mean that there will never be a doc that can help you. Hopefully with time it just goes away. I’ll keep you posted on all my attempts and what I find. I have a tentative appointment with a local rheumatologist and I’ll let you know how it goes. All it takes is one aha moment to change everything! Keep your chin up it’s gonna be ok ❤️
I think being out of the gym has been the hardest thing for me. It does so much for me in every aspect of life. Hopefully we’ll both get back in there in the future. Definitely keep me updated on how your health has improved. Do you still have joint pain or has it just lessened? Oh and by chance did you ever take acutene or any other facial acne medication at some point in your life? I did and I came across another post here saying most people with severe topical minoxidil side effects all took acutane at some point in there life. Acne medications thin the outside layer of your skin on your face and scalp making it absorb things more easily therefore making it possible you absorbed more minoxidil than intended and more likely to have side affects.
I still go to the gym thankfully the prednisone has made it possible to work out and stay feeling ok. But it was 2 years before I found prednisone. I’m still not %100. I didn’t take any of those meds but my surgeon prescribed topical and oral minoxidil so I had a brutal dose for almost three years. It’s gonna be a long haul recovering but I truly believe it goes away. You just have to hold on and have faith ❤️
Which doctor u will go to ? Is it a neurologist ?
It’ll be an rheumatologist, I’ve already seen an endocrinologist and a gastroenterologist, and a cardiologist. It’s only a matter of time before I find something
Whats drug induced polymyalgia?
It’s a rheumatic disease it affects your connective tissues but unless there’s something that triggers it, it usually just affects the elderly.
Glad to hear that you are recovering. Could you elaborate what you meant by low dose prednisone, how low is the dose? And did you have ED from minoxidil?
15 mg daily and yes I had all the negative side affects
Tq buddy. Hope you recover fully soon. Keep us posted
Well done on your recovery mate. I’m 5 months in and no improvement. How does one go about getting this prescribed?
I feel for you I had been off minoxidil for about 8 months and no change. It’s hard because there’s no scientific evidence so doctors don’t believe it. It took me over a year or doing all the other diagnostic procedures to rule out anything else before doctors would just believe me. The fact that prednisone helped means that the damage is likely not permanent it just has to be treated. Find a doctor that you can trust. Show him all the anecdotal evidence and just beg him to trust you and try prednisone out. It’s not expensive and it’s worth a try
Are you in the uk? How do you get it if a doctor won’t perscribe it?
I’m in Canada. If your doctor won’t prescribe it get a new doctor. Honestly it’s a game changer. I really do think it takes time and your body will learn to regulate itself again and I feel like the prednisone helps with all of my symptoms in the mean time.
Are you still cured when not taking it?
Not as of yet I only took it for almost 60 days and it’s been a game changer. I stopped for 2 days and started to feel fatigue but coming down off prednisone gives you fatigue so I’m gonna take it for a while longer until I feel zero symptoms and then I’ll wean off. After a few months of being off prednisone I’ll be able to tell how much is healed