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Replies to "I started at 10mg and started feeling some discomfort at 6mg. I stuck it out for..."
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: 1 hour ago | Replies (11)
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I started at 10mg and started feeling some discomfort at 6mg. I stuck it out for a few days because the soreness wasn’t too bad when I took Tylenol. Then intense fatigue set in and I had dizziness. I increased back to 7.5 . It seems to help but it’s only been a few days. I’m not sure what to expect next. I took the grin and bear it approach but when I had other symptoms that were not previously present, I didn’t hesitate to increase.
Replies to "I started at 10mg and started feeling some discomfort at 6mg. I stuck it out for..."
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Your symptoms sound more like what I experienced when I tapered down to 7 mg. The intense fatigue, dizziness and other symptoms that were not previously present all sound very familiar to me. An endocrinologist said my symptoms were consistent with adrenal insufficiency from long term Prednisone use.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10257969/
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Unfortunately, the way to get over this hump is to resist the urge to increase your Prednisone dose. An endocrinologist was more helpful to me than my rheumatologist. However, my rheumatologist provided me with another medication that kept PMR in check while my Prednisone dose was reduced. The other medication didn't suppress my adrenal function.
It was still a long process to taper off Prednisone. After I tapered to a low dose of Prednisone, I needed to stay on 3 mg of Prednisone for more than 6 months. That amount of time was necessary for me to overcome adrenal insufficiency. The amount of time needed is dependent on many factors and varies from person to person. However, the goal for me was not to increase my Prednisone dose unless it was absolutely necessary. Easier said that done!
The newer medication didn't suppress my adrenal function while keeping PMR controlled. Staying on 3 mg of prednisone replaced the shortfall of cortisol. When my adrenals were able to produce more cortisol and my cortisol level improved, it was easy to discontinue Prednisone but not until that happened. My adrenals needed time and time was possible as long as I stayed on the other medication that controlled PMR.