Has anyone tried this? Excerpt from Css "to stimulate the adrenal glands, taking your cortisone dose every other day (eod) could be helpful. For example, if you were taking 4 mg. daily, you should take 8 mg. e.o.d. However, this is not well tolerated by everyone as some people definitely feel worse on the day off."
hmmm…interesting thought! no, I’ve not tried it, but I’d be curious to know how well (or not) it works!
or…what about 6mg one day, then 2mg the next? that way you’d not be totally w/o for a day.
but then, how would you do a taper??
very interesting to consider tho!
This is not recommended for people who still require it for control of their PMR symptoms, and certainly never for someone with GCA. Alternating days is, I believe, found to be ineffective for PMR. I’ve seen a reference to this; if I find it I will see if I can post it.
Once PMR is in remission and you are in the final stages of your long taper off then alternating days can help the body adapt to no dose, you can gradually increase the days without pred, a sort of final stage of dead slow taper, but by then you’d be a 1 mg or .5 mg.
Medscape article about PMR (an excellent article by the way) states: “In contrast to other rheumatic diseases, alternate-day administration of corticosteroids in PMR has largely been unsuccessful.”
Taking pred every other day is suggested for some illnesses but not for PMR/GCA. A friend has Myasthenia gravis and he takes his pred every other day.
thx Anhaga…that’s good to know! if your able to post what you were referring to, I’d be very interested in reading it!
Just look up Medscape article on treatment of polymyalgia, should be easy to google. I quoted relevant statement in second reply I made to Floramac
Alternate day dosing (ADD) is not recommended for patients with GCA - it doesn’t control the inflammation well enough.
Many people find the antiinflammatory effect of pred doesn’t last for the full 24 hours - it varies from about 12 to 36 hours in general. If you just take the pred every 48 hours you may well find that the symptoms and pain and stiffness return long before the next dose is due. I did do ADD for some time but struggled to reduce below about 9mg per day (18mg per 2 days) - that may have been the activity of the PMR. However - it is not recommended until you get below 10mg per day.
I am now on 2.5 per day, would you say it was worth a try?
You could try - you will see very quickly if the effect doesn’t last 48 hours. It is only the same as forgetting a day’s dose which I’m sure everyone has done at some point!!!
For interest, I have been trying the alternate days for 6 days. I had been tapering with 2.5 and 3 so on the days I have taken pred, I have taken 5mg and 6mg the next alternate. So far so good, on the days off I have had no pain or discomfort. I will continue and work out the best tapering way forward on this alternate routine. Fingers crossed 
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Very interesting. I know that wouldn’t work for me just now, but I can see your method being effective for someone whose PMR is in remission to avoid steroid withdrawal pain as they discontinue pred.
Yes - I agree with Anhaga and if I ever get that low again I shall try it!!!
All the best…