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← Return to Tapering prednisone
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Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: 2 hours ago | Replies (10)
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Been on prednisone for PMR for over 4 years now, tapered down to 8 mg daily. Yesterday, for the first time, I forgot to take my dose, always take early in the a.m. Well, by the afternoon, my body was aching to beat the band and I was running a 100.2 fever. I thought it was maybe the flu which always strikes this time of year but now I wonder because skipping a dose when taking long term can exacberate the symptoms of why one is taking Prednisone. Took my usual dose this a.m., feeling more back to normal.
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Prednisone has a 3-4 hour half life - which means half of it has been eliminated from your body in that time frame. It is assumed that you need around 5-6 half lives for complete elimination. That would be 24 hours max for prednisone. In comparison Synthroid (synthetic thyroid) has a half life of 6-7 days. Very different half lives. Very different actions when you miss a dose.
Additionally, when on steroids long term your body's natural ability to produce the basic amount of steroids you need have gone to sleep (adrenal glands) and not working. Thus you were most likely feeling steroid withdrawal, aka adrenal insufficiency. That can put someone in the ER and the hospital, so please read up on titrating and know what your options are in advance of need. Talk with your doctor about this.