Connect
Discussion
Comment receiving replies
Replies to "I started at 15mg in 2023 and got it down to 1 in 2024. Shortly thereafter..."
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: 3 days ago | Replies (54)
Comment receiving replies
I started at 15mg in 2023 and got it down to 1 in 2024. Shortly thereafter I was back at 7 and have been up and down since then. I had been at 1mg for 3 months but as of today I am back at 5.
Also about 2 months ago my rheumatologist placed me on 400mg hydroxychloroquine per day.
I have yet to see any benefit but I know it is a 3-4 month startup. I see many others have it much worse than me so I will not complain to much.
Thanks for asking.
Replies to "I started at 15mg in 2023 and got it down to 1 in 2024. Shortly thereafter..."
Connect
Being on 1 mg for three months is a good amount of time. It suggests that PMR was in remission. Perhaps your cortisol level wasn't enough to regulate inflammation. What happened when you needed to go back to 7 mg of prednisone?
My endocrinologist explained that my cortisol level needed to rebound before I would be able to taper completely off prednisone. She wouldn't predict how long it would take for that to happen. She only said that I would need to stay on a low dose of prednisone for "as long as it takes."
Hydroxychloroquine seems to control PMR for many people. You really need something to replace Prednisone while waiting for your adrenals to recover. I don't know how people manage to get off Prednisone without some type of "steroid sparing" medication.
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/any-tips-for-tapering-off-prednisone/