Connect
← Return to Weaning off of prednisone & pain management
Discussion
Weaning off of prednisone & pain management
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Oct 25 10:23am | Replies (156)Comment receiving replies
I split my dose also and also take a small dose between 12 and 3 am to prevent morning pain and stiffness. I take tramadol as needed for pain. Had to add a dose in the night to control pain. 3 years of prednisone and i'm at 6 mg now. This getting off is not easy!
Replies to "I split my dose also and also take a small dose between 12 and 3 am..."
So sorry for your aggravating pain. I have been taking Tramadol for my failed back surgeries since 2014, off & on and discovered when possible to not take for a couple of days, or al least reduce it during a days time. This makes it more effective for me, otherwise, after a while I take 2 at a time to achieve pain relief results. Tramadol helps me for my reduction or Prednisone, now down to 10mg.
Keep the Faith.
Connect
"Had to add a dose in the night to control pain. 3 years of prednisone and i'm at 6 mg now. This getting off is not easy!"
It took me more than 12 years to get off prednisone. Just be mindful that at 7 mg and less is when adrenal insufficiency comes into play. It might be hard to "stimulate" the adrenals when you take a Prednisone dose at night. I understand the pain at night is a problem.
You have to maintain a low enough prednisone dose for your body to sense a low cortisol level. This will help the adrenals to know that it is time to produce cortisol again.
Adrenal insufficiency is also a painful experience to contend with. At lower doses of prednisone it might be a combination of PMR and prednisone withdrawal pain.
You are absolutely correct --- getting off prednisone isn't easy. I'm not so sure adding a dose at night will help the problem of adrenal insufficiency. Cortisol levels are supposed to drop during the night. A Prednisone dose at night might suppress adrenal function even more.