Prescriptions

Not sure why your rheumatologist is refusing to help you taper at your own speed as each patient is different. My Mayo rheumatologist actually suggested that I get 5 mg, 2.5 mg and 1 mg tablets to make tapering easier when I got below 10 mg. He had me keep a daily log with my level of pain when I woke up and the dose I took for the day. He also told me if my pain level was unacceptable to delay the taper a few days to a week and try it again.

I think I would have a nice long conversation with him about your level of pain when you are tapering.

Would it be worth trying to split a 5 to make 2 2.5s, and then split one of those? That way you could take a 5, a 2.5, and a 1.25, which would make 8.75. That might work for you better vs 7.5. Otherwise you could stay at 10 if you have enough to make it through until you see your GP.

It's a shame that your rheumatologist is so inflexible.

I would insist that the rheumatologist order Prednisone dosages to allow for flexibility in tapering. There is no set 'recipe' for your taper. Everyone is different. I've had prescription dosages in 20, 10, 5, and 1 mg. of Prednisone. I've learned a lot from others in this forum on how to adjust my taper. Advocate for yourself. Good luck.

We have seen a post on this forum by a chemist who stated that splitting Prednisone pills was not advisable because the dose becomes highly inaccurate. However this was the only way I have been able to get from 10mg to 1mg. I will continue splitting and going down by 0.25mg until I reach zero. I think your Rheumatologist is being unreasonable, sounds like they dont trust you to manage your own taper. I had to stand my ground with mine on a few occasions over the last 18mths and simply refuse to be bullied or coerced into doing things I knew were not good for me.

I agree with those who have posted so far. I ran into a similar problem with a GP who refused to continue prescribing prednisone while I was waiting months for the rheumatologist consultation. Stated I did not have PMR, although my symptoms were classic and I was dramatically improved within hours of a single 20 mg dose of prednisone. I immediately changed my circle of medical professionals, called the acute triage desk and set up an urgent video visit with a nurse practitioner. Fortunately the NP was very knowledgeable and prescribed enough prednisone to cover me until my visits with the new doctors. The new docs have been happy to prescribe pills in whatever sizes are most convenient, such as 1 mg, 5 mg, 10 mg, as needed. I have been tapering for a year without problems and remain in a high quality remission.
You, and in fact we all, deserve to be treated by competent medical professionals who understand such a simple yet monumentally important issue such as prednisone dosing in autoimmune disorders.

Sounds familiar. I had diagnose my PMR with my first doctor, then had to tell her what blood test to order, and then the prednisone (10mg). I changed to my present GP. He got me the 5mg. He then sent me to the rheumatologist, that refuses to prescribe anything but some more 5mg's. My current GP won't prescribe any different levels of prednisone without seeing me. That takes 2 months or so.
What is the Acute triage desk., so that I could have a work around for these great doctors that I have been dealing with.

Thanks.

The large primary care practice that I switched to is associated with a medical school. This location has experienced rapid population growth, overwhelming the available medical resources. Long waiting times to see a new pcp, even longer for specialists. Each primary care practice has a triage nurse dedicated to helping new patients get refills for urgently needed medications, lab tests, etc. The urgent care facilities have people dedicated to facilitating this. Video visits are available; they can review your records and initiate appropriate tests and treatment while you’re waiting months to see the doctors. They can also send your records to the appropriate specialists for an “electronic consultation” to get your care started.

In reply to @mark2471. Thanks for your post. I came very close to being in gman's position before my Rhumy realized I had GCA and not RA.