Likewise. Rather than decreasing prednisone @ 0.5 mg/week I took a tip from one of our readers who established a pattern that worked for her. I think her pattern was a bit more complex but I tried this: say prednisone level is 7.5 mg., my taper was @ 3-4 days 7.5, then alternating one day 7.0, next day 7.5 for 3-4 days before stepping down to 7.0 for 3-4 days. It seems to have worked until now when I'm at 5.5. Now I wake up stiff, I'm fatigued and light-headed, brain fog requires I slow down my mental processes and double check my work to avoid grievous mistakes, fatigue lasts all day from the time I wake up. It takes all my energy to get through the day. I am sleeping better, but added rest doesn't seem to help.

I am thinking what may be needed is more exercise. It's gardening season and I thought that would do it. Not so. I am trying to work in walking or water walking or floor stretches, incrementally. It seems to me at this point the struggle is to add more activity--but not too much; decrease dosage--but not too fast. I'll keep at my current level of prednisone until I feel well enough to taper again, adding in a little more activity as I go. AND watch the sugars! Old habits sneak back in. Back to a more strict Mediterranean Diet.

Sidenote regarding pain management, there are some naturopathic pain remedies out there. I don't recommend visiting with a clerk in a health food store but rather a full consultation with a trained health practitioner. Mine did some research and took me off Turmeric-curcumin as it counteracts prednisone, she reported.