Is This a Safe Taper as Prescribed by my doctor?

As I mentioned. I have been on it for 10 years and credit it for giving me a good life and not getting blind because of the GCA.
Do I wish I were off it. Of course but meanwhile I will manage it and be very grateful to have access to it.
I was allergic to ACTEMRA and not interested in trying anything else since I know enough about prednisone to understand and trust it,

Allergic reactions are possible for any medication. Nobody would want you to take a medication you are allergic to. However, allergic reactions to biologics are comparable to allergic reactions to corticosteroids.

"The cumulative incidence of hypersensitivity reactions over 6 months for all biologics was low (< 1%)."
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5420339/
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This is comparable to hypersensitivity reactions to corticosteroids. I'm more concerned about long term exposure to corticosteroids. The adverse effects of long term use of corticosteroids are well documented. My 12 years of continuous daily use of Prednisone weren't exactly uneventful.

"Hypersensitivity reactions to corticosteroids (CS) are rare in the general population, but they are not uncommon in high-risk groups such as patients who receive repeated doses of CS."
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23567983/
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I don't think there is enough data regarding long term use of Actemra but I haven't had any allergic reaction or serious adverse effect to it in over 5 years. People react differently to medications so what is good for one person might be bad for someone else. Fortunately. it is very easy for me to discontinue Actemra if something goes wrong. The same can't be said for when I was taking Prednisone.
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I'm actually more worried that my body will form antibodies against Actemra and make it less effective or it might stop working altogether.
https://www.verywellhealth.com/antibodies-to-biologics-4846279

I agree. Demonizing prednisone is not helpful. Some of us have tried every option to get off and have not been successful so far. What amazes me about prednisone is that it continues to work over time. Methotrexate and Kevzara were helpful initially, then provided very little benefit. And their side effects were much worse than prednisone at a lower dose, which for me has no discernable side effects or lab abnormalities. Trying to tough out the pain on a very slow taper has not worked for me. Pain just ramps up and eventually my ESR goes up. I am in my 4th year of PMR, at 5.5 mg prednisone. I still plan to taper off eventually when pain allows. I keep at a normal weight, eat a healthy diet and exercise as tolerated.

Hello myrlyn3b
In answer to your question, 'is this a safe taper?', the answer is no. It might be a safe taper for your' doctor but they do not have your' pain or symptoms. Like others I would suggest a new doctor or better still a rheumatologist who knows pmr.
I can only suggest what I would do after being on steroids for 3 years and researching and learning slowly, now at 1.5mg per day. If you are on 7.5mg per day I would try going to 10 or preferably 12.5 per day for two weeks. If you feel much better then, you can go back down to 8 or 9 for a couple of weeks. Then if still ok I would reduce by half an mg each time instead of 1mg. Slow tapers have less chance of flares. I would also like to recommend far infrared (fir) clothing to sleep in. I find that when I sleep in this clothing the fir action helps to keep the circulation moving and the stiffness is much reduced. You could also try splitting your' dose to two thirds or three quarters of the dose in the morning and the other third or quarter later in the day. This should extend the length of the pain relief. I used to take mine with breakfast, then the other dose 12 hours later. I used this method until I got down to 3mg per day, then went to the full dose with breakfast. Sometimes large doses at night can affect sleep but low doses seem to be okay. Wishing you well and good luck!!

I'm 71, was diagnosed by my primary physician who told me he had similar cases so he recognized my symptoms. He tried the 50-40-30-20-10-5 Prednisone dosing, which worked. . . . for a week until symptoms came roaring back. Since August 2024, under the care of a rheumatologist, I've tapered 1/2 mg every 4 weeks, now down to 2 mg. I have frequent fatigue spells, some eye issues and some periodic heart palpitations but otherwise pretty good. Taper slowly seems to be the ticket for me.

started at 20 mg

Hello myrlyn3b
In answer to your question, 'is this a safe taper?', the answer is no. It might be a safe taper for your' doctor but they do not have your' pain or symptoms. Like others I would suggest a new doctor or better still a rheumatologist who knows pmr.
I can only suggest what I would do after being on steroids for 3 years and researching and learning slowly, now at 1.5mg per day. If you are on 7.5mg per day I would try going to 10 or preferably 12.5 per day for two weeks. If you feel much better then, you can go back down to 8 or 9 for a couple of weeks. Then if still ok I would reduce by half an mg each time instead of 1mg. Slow tapers have less chance of flares. I would also like to recommend far infrared (fir) clothing to sleep in. I find that when I sleep in this clothing the fir action helps to keep the circulation moving and the stiffness is much reduced. You could also try splitting your' dose to two thirds or three quarters of the dose in the morning and the other third or quarter later in the day. This should extend the length of the pain relief. I used to take mine with breakfast, then the other dose 12 hours later. I used this method until I got down to 3mg per day, then went to the full dose with breakfast. Sometimes large doses at night can affect sleep but low doses seem to be okay. Wishing you well and good luck!!