I am reducing from 10mg to 9.5mgms prednisilone.have slight backache today. Could this be steroid withdrawal rather than the start of a flare?
Hi Caroline, yes it could, but it could also be simply over working of your muscles.
if you do have withdrawal, then over the following days, possibly up to 5 days, all withdrawal symptoms should reduce until they go away.
however, if it is a flare over the next week this symptom will get worse alongside other PMR symptoms appearing and in turn they will get worse. If this is this case up your preds to 10mgs and stay there for a good 4 weeks.
how are you doing your reduction?
regards, christina
Thank-you Christina . I am using the dead slow method. Feel wimpish for having posted, but was really hoping that I was getting somewhere.
regards Caroline
Caroline, you are not being a wimp, we all fear the dreaded flare. But because you are only reducing by .5 I think you should be ok. I use the dead slow method and only reduce by .5. When I reduce I feel withdrawal by the evening of my first day but that improves over the following 6 days when I'm on the old dose. Over the reduction process the withdrawal symptoms do return on the day of the new dose but by the 3rd time of the new dose the withdrawel symptoms are hardly noticeable and by the 1 day of each dose I am ok. I am at 8mgs, following a flare at this level pre Christmas when I eventually had to go back up to 10mgs because I let the flare go on too long and I wasn't using the dead slow method, I simply attempted to reduce from 9to 8mgs. You should be fine. Regards, christina
Can only hope. Anyway thank-you for your support.
This forum is such a blessing.
Kind regards Caroline 🌾💐
Caroline, yes it could be but equally it could also be due to something you have done such as carrying a heavy item, as it can be very easy to injure steroid-weakened muscles. Yu can either mark time where you are on the steroid dose or increase back up to 10mg for a few days to say if it makes a difference.
Absolutely! In my case, every time (about every month) I reduced Pred by 1 mg., I would get a few odd twinges over the next two or three days. But not at any other time.
Until you get a much stronger symptom(s), I wouldn't worry about a flare. But that's just me--and it's worked for me so far, reducing by 1 mg. a month from 15 mg. to the present 6 mg. I think calm optimism helps a lot....................
However, maybe others have different ideas--
I have reduced from 19 to 17.5 the last two days, and I feel that flare feeling, too. I'm going to stay with it, though, and see what happens. I hope you feel better soon.
Hi Debbie, I am going to stay with it too. I have no aches today, my only problem is that my balance is poor.
Take care. Caroline