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How to Slowly and Safely Taper Off Prednisone but ... no set rules.
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: 2 days ago | Replies (65)Comment receiving replies
I'm following a similar taper for a .5mg reduction every 4wks. My original prednisolone taper instructions were to decrease by 1mg every 4 - 8wks, and decreasing .5mg every 4 weeks is 1mg every 8wks, at the longer end of the range. I'm taking it more carefully this time after my first and only flare at 6.5mg, and having to increase again. I've had no problem so far doing it this way and will start on the same reduction schedule to 5mg in a few days.
Dosage Reduction Schedule, 6mg down to 5.5mg:
Week 1
5.5 / 6 / 6 / 5.5 / 6 / 6 / 5.5
Week 2
6 / 5.5 / 6 / 5.5 / 6 / 5.5 / 6
Week 3
5.5 / 5.5 / 6 / 5.5 / 5.5 / 6 / 5.5
Week 4 (this week)
Stay on 5.5, take it easy for the week and monitor for any return of pain.
Replies to "I'm following a similar taper for a .5mg reduction every 4wks. My original prednisolone taper instructions..."
Hey @megz
I am currently on 8 mg/day.
Starting April 1st I am going to 7 mg/day and will use your method. At what point do you or anyone else recommend I start with .5 mg reduction per month? I have been on prednisone now for close to two years, and this is my second bout, the first one being in 2014 and lasting 2 years. This time I got down to 2 mg/day as recently as December but then had major flairs that brought me back up to 10 mg/ day. Any suggestions on when to start the .5 mg reduction? Thank you!
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I have used a somewhat similar pattern starting at about 6 mg. I am now on 1/2 mg, alternating with 1/4, then will alternate with none. It is ridiculously slow, but seems to work. When I tried to speed it up in the past, I would relapse.