Good morning, yesterday after 2 months on 5 mg pred, I reduced to 4.5 mg. This morning I woke up with stiffness and discomfort in my legs and arms. I am correct in assuming that this is possibly pred withdrawal symptoms and not a flare? I am planning to follow the very slow dose reduction from Eileen's post that was kindly shared with me (https://patient.info/forums/discuss/reducing-pred-dead-slow-and-nearly-stop-method-531439?page=7#3498075 ), thank you! Once I have established the 4.5 mg dose (by 21 June), when next would you advise dropping to 4 mg, after 2 months? I find this site very helpful and would like to thank all of the contributors. I naively thought that this would be an easy patient journey, but it isn't and can at time be very frustrating. Best regards Heron
If you feel as good by the end of the taper as you did at the beginning you don’t really have to wait at all. When I was tapering regularly (down to lowest does now, apparently) I used to stay on the new dose for a week or so before attempting the next taper,that was my decision. I tapered by .5 mg when I was at low dose as you are, and took the six week version to do it. But have been stuck at 2 forever it seems…
lowest DOSE of course! Not eating venison…
From what I understand withdrawal symptoms happen right away and a flare happens a couple of weeks after reduction. I couldn’t reduce by .50 mg at a time and right away. The only method that works for me is the slow reduction (11 weeks) and I can only drop .25 mg at a time and I stay on that dose for a while until the blood work shows no inflammation. If it shows inflammation, I stay on that dose longer. I also believe that a common cold or sinus infection can show inflammation so that’s something to consider when your results come back. Good luck with your reduction.
I also only reduce by .25 mg at a time. So far that has worked for me at lower levels. I haven’t had any flares from going too fast and remain pain free.
what do you mean not eating venison.?
My typo, I wrote does instead of dose…
I think you ask the question we all have a problem with, and like you I am extremely grateful for all the expertise and support that we receive from this site. I have had a couple of flares in my 4 year journey and each time it took me too long to work out if it was withdrawel or flare. Looking back I think that when I have a flare my brain stops working and it takes me a week or two to accept what is happening.
I would really welcome some medical research/guidance re withdrawal / flare recognition. None of us want to up our medication if it is just withdrawel. I am
seeing my GP in the morning so I will ask the question. Trouble is , lovely as she is I am coming to the realisation I know more than she!!!
Ours is probably a ‘background’ condition.
I think you ask the question we all have a problem with, and like you I am extremely grateful for all the expertise and support that we receive from this site. I have had a couple of flares in my 4 year journey and each time it took me too long to work out if it was withdrawel or flare. Looking back I think that when I have a flare my brain stops working and it takes me a week or two to accept what is happening.
I would really welcome some medical research/guidance re withdrawal / flare recognition. None of us want to up our medication if it is just withdrawel. I am
seeing my GP in the morning so I will ask the question. Trouble is , lovely as she is I am coming to the realisation I know more than she!!!
Ours is probably a ‘background’ condition.
I think you ask the question we all have a problem with, and like you I am extremely grateful for all the expertise and support that we receive from this site. I have had a couple of flares in my 4 year journey and each time it took me too long to work out if it was withdrawel or flare. Looking back I think that when I have a flare my brain stops working and it takes me a week or two to accept what is happening.
I would really welcome some medical research/guidance re withdrawal / flare recognition. None of us want to up our medication if it is just withdrawel. I am
seeing my GP in the morning so I will ask the question. Trouble is , lovely as she is I am coming to the realisation I know more than she!!!
Ours is probably a ‘background’ condition.
Unfortunately after having PMR for several years and being on the forum for a couple of years, I think you will better information on the forum than in the Rheumatologist office.
However slowly you reduce you won’t get past the lowest dose that manages the inflammation until it burns out. The idea of the scheme is to make them easier to distinguish - you are going so slowly it almost CAN’T be withdrawal. Which leaves not enough pred to still manage the flow of inflammation.
Thank you to all for replying. How do folks reduce by 0.25mg when the tablets only come in 5, 2.5 and 1mg? is a tablet cutter available on line? i take the gastro resistant tablets and omeprazol. Are other perscribed the same?
kind regards
Heron
Mine are not gastro resistant and I divide the 1 mg into 4 with a pill cutter. Not the best way to get the 100% true amount all the time, but it seems to work.
You can probably get a cheap pill cutter at the pharmacy. Mine actually gave me a free one; it had a promotional logo on it, long since worn off, works fine.
gatine, I have not tried the double split but have cut the 1mg pretty good. Currently on 5mg tapering to 4.5mg, figure at some point will have to reduce by .25mg. I hoping anyway. Thinking positive, staying active with a smile.
I am just starting the 2 to 1.5 today but if it doesn’t work this time I shall try 1.75 as it may be the next step for me. This will be the 3rd time I have tried to go to 1.5 but I am having no pain on wakening and have some quiet -ish weeks so thought that this would be an ideal opportunity to reduce. I have not had any coated tablets since a long time but to date have had no problems as I always ensure that I eat before taking my meds.
Hi Heron, if you take the gastro resistant tablets you must NOT cut them. Rather than dropping the whole amount in one go you can vary the amount day by day (using the deathly slow method.
Good luck Silver, if you had to live comfortably on 2 mg that wouldn’t be bad. I don’t have the link anymore, but the article stated that lower doses of Prednisone you not do hurt, except increase the risk of cataracts. Try to stay active, positive with a smile.
Very few people bother to reduce by such a small amount - using the DSNS approach you really shouldn’t need to. You must not cut gastroresistant tablets and, frankly, there is little reason to take both g/r AND omeprazole.you can easily reduce by 1/2mg at a time down to 2mg by using a mix of tablets.