Myositis

I have developed significant muscle weakness in my legs and arms accompanied by widespread pain. It's difficult for me to get out of a chair and I have started walking with a cane. However, if I take enough hydrocodone, the pain subsides to some degree and the muscle weakness improves a little bit.

If a person has myositis, does the muscle weakness improve as the pain does or would hydrocodone have no impact on the muscle weakness? I would think that it would have no impact on the muscle weakness.

This has come on fairly quickly - I'd say over the past three weeks. My rheumy prescribed the hydrocodone for significant fibromyalgia pain. I went back to see him this week and he ordered a lot of blood work. I have a lot of confidence in him and I'm sure he'll get to the bottom of this, but it's concerning.

My mother developed weakness in her legs when she was a little older than I and by the time she was 70, she was in a wheelchair and didn't have the strength to transfer. She never had a diagnosis. She had a full neurological diagnosis at Mayo, but I could never convince her to see a rheumy.

Thanks,

Pat

Patty,

An optiate is not a treatment for any myositis disease.  If you suspect you have polymyositis or dermatomyositis you should talk to your rheumy about that and get the appropriate testing.  CPK, Sed, aldolase...emg, and a muscle biopsy if there is sufficient evidence that you have it.  Treatment is usually prednisone at first with other pred sparing meds added so pred can be tapered. 

Treating the symptom (pain) will have no impact other than masking the problem.  Some myositis patients have muscle pain but some do not.  I had terrible pain for the first few months. Pain and weakness are related but you have to be sure it is muscle pain.  As the muscles weaken there is significant joint pain because they are not supported properly.  Myositis can cause permanent or temporary muscle damage so it should never be untreated.

If your mother's weakness was more in her legs and distal muscles and it progressed very slowly over the course of years it could have been inclusion body myositis which is an entirely different disease than pm or dm.  The muscle weakness in pm or dm is usually symmetrical and affects the proximal muscles more.

Bill

Pat,

My DIL was prescribed Lyrica for fibro and within a few weeks, the doctor took her back off b/c she developed muscle weakness. From what she (dil) explained, muscle weakness is a side effect of Lyrica that doctors watch out for. Just something else for you to think about! Hope you get to the bottom of it, quickly!

((((((Pat))))))

It sounds as though you're in the process of checking everything out, with your doctor and with the online experts here....please keep us posted when you can!

You're in my thoughts and prayers!
JoAnn

Aimsgirl and Nasalady I really appreciate your support. I've been a part of this forum for six years but it's at times like these that I realize how important it is to me. And like everything else that has happened, this too will pass.

And by the way, my little girl, who's no longer a little girl, became engaged on Saturday. It's a real happy time around here. I just need to be strong enough to plan her wedding.

sorry it took me so long to say anything, I really hope all this is just a fibro flare. I have weakness on my right side from the last time the lupus affected my cns and am fighting another cns flare. weakness can be a signal of a lot of things so it is important you tell ALL your doctors about it and not just the rheumy. I am glad you are enjoying your grandson.