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If you have tapering problems below 5 mg this might explain why.
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: 3 hours ago | Replies (62)Comment receiving replies
As someone who has been down this road successfully (tapering off pred) I thought I should share my experience. I would say that let your body tell you how fast to go. Stay as close to pain free as you can get. If you drop down and you have new pain, then it was too big a drop and/or too soon. There is no harm (unless you also have gluacoma like I do) in taking your time. The Dr may have different plans but you call the shots. You're the one going through this. One size does not fit all.
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"The Dr may have different plans but you call the shots. You're the one going through this."
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I started out feeling like this. There wasn't much anyone could tell me about tapering off prednisone. I battled other autoimmune disorders for 20 years before PMR was diagnosed. I successfully tapered off prednisone countless times for a variety of conditions until PMR was diagnosed. PMR was the first time I was referred to a rheumatologist. I decided many years earlier that there wasn't anything a rheumatologist could help me with.
My ophthalmologist prescribed massive amounts of prednisone for uveitis which can also cause vision loss. I self medicated with prednisone for a variety of other painful conditions. I never needed to take prednisone on a "long term" basis. My ophthalmologist said I was skilled with prednisone tapers to treat uveitis. He had no idea that I was taking Prednisone for other things.
My first rheumatologist and I started out in conflict. She thought I had inflammatory arthritis because I was diagnosed with it 20 years earlier. She called me "noncompliant" and that made me even more resistive to her recommendations. I had treated myself for 20 years so I didn't think there was anything I didn't already know.
Fortunately, a second rheumatologist intervened. She said we needed to work together. She listened intently to my symptoms and diagnosed me with PMR. That changed everything because I didn't know anything about PMR. Twelve years later I was still being treated with Prednisone for PMR by the same rheumatologist. I listened to her. I had to concede that she knew more than me about PMR because when I started out, I didn't know anything.
You need someone in your corner to do battle with PMR. I consider my rheumatiologist to be my coach in my battle with PMR. She wasn't my adversary.
If every year of PMR represents one round ... I did 15 rounds with PMR. I didn't win every round but I now feel like I'm winning the battle. I felt like I was taking a beating for 15 years until my rheumatiologist helped me find a way to taper off Prednisone. I give my coach and rheumatologist all the credit from getting me off Prednisone because I was ready to concede. There was much more involved than tapering slowly off Prednisone.