Prednisone tapering

The strange thing is that when I was on the ADT my hot flashes were minimally sensed. Now I feel them more frequently and stronger. So while I understand they’re associated with the reduced testosterone perhaps they are less tolerated or the sensation is more noticeable with the reduced prednisone. I’m not stating that as scientific fact; rather it’s an explanation of my circumstances as best I can account for my condition. Thank you for the reply

The problem with tapering prednisone is pretty common. I tapered off for about six weeks, but when I stopped completely, I was exhausted in the afternoon and had to get sleep. I didn’t realize at the time that I should’ve continued a little bit of prednisone

Over at the advanced prostate cancer weekly meetings with Ancan.org This has been discussed repeatedly. Some people just need longer tapering than others. The results varied greatly.

I think you are confusing prednisone with lack of testosterone. Your hot flashes have nothing to do with prednisone, it is caused by a lack of testosterone. Some people it comes back quickly and other people it takes a long time. My brother was on Lupron for six months, His testosterone came back very slowly, so his hot flashes continued, as well as the fatigue for at least nine months after stopping.

I know you’re waiting for your testosterone results. I suspect they’re not gonna be a very high number.

When we taper off medications, there will inevitably be a day when we take our very last dose, this day / event is called the jump or leap and for some it's the roughest part of their taper.

Thanks for that information- I’ve sent my test results to the MO and I’m awaiting / hoping for feedback. The AM results are:
Cortisone 13.7
ACTH 55.5
My research shows that the elevated ACTH (in normal range) level indicates that the pituitary gland is overworking to get the adrenal glands to produce more cortisol. As a consequence the adrenals still need support.

However, the cortisol is in the normal range also, so I think it’s the symptoms that is telling chatGPT that I still need the prednisone. Any further feedback is appreciated.

Being a PMR sufferer it is common for your cortisone to be in normal range. It is very difficult to have an accurate test while taking any amount of prednisone. So Dr. wont even bother, Most of the time an endocrinologist will require that you are less than 3mg day then testing is done at least 24hrs after your last dose. But even this testing is suspect whether its accurate. My guess is you are correct though. Adrenals are still trying to restart.

I was on lupron and abiraterone with 5 mg of prednisone for 2 years. After completing the ADT, I was on a full dose of prednisone for two weeks and then one dose every other day for two weeks. Although I hadn't had hot flashes for a while, they returned when the ADT ended. My doctor said this is normal. As it did earlier, accupuncture addressed the problem for the most part. For many weeks after completing treatment, I slept A LOT (I had slept poorly for the two years on ADT)! After about 3.5 months, my sleep began to normalize (average of 7.5. hours a night). If I get too little sleep, I still get VERY tired. One thing I've learned through this entire process is that my body has suffered multiple insults, and I need to allow myself the grace to be patient and the time to recover. Sometimes that's easier said than done. I want to be back to my old self yesterday. Never gonna happen. We're on to the new normal.