@lag
I know of no published tapering instructions that I could give you.
This was discussed months ago, at one of the ancan.org Weekly advanced prostate cancer online meetings. A number of people had problems with stopping too quickly, and as they were talking, I realized I had exactly the same problem, I was exhausted in the afternoon and had to sleep, Something I normally didn’t do.
Somebody that’s on 5 mg needs to cut down to 2 1/2 mg for two or three weeks and then alternate that every other day for a couple of weeks and maybe even cut that in half for a week or two. So many people have this really fast, fatigue problem because they drop it too quickly.
One guy I was working with (Imerman Angels) ended up getting 1 mg prednisone tablets from his doctor so he could taper even more slowly. He was just exhausted after trying to come down from 10 mg too quickly. In his case he had to move up to 10 mg because he was so tired with just five. It took him at least four or five months to taper down.
@jeffmarc Update: I contacted my husband's endocrinologist--I suddenly realized that tapering off prednisone and dealing with adrenal issues was part of her expertise. Duh. She is suggesting that he go back to 2.5 mg every morning until they "meet" again virtually in late December to discuss lab results and how he is feeling. It sounds like she anticipates the tapering to take several months. And she says there is no one set of tapering instructions for everyone to follow.
@jeffmarc Update: I contacted my husband's endocrinologist--I suddenly realized that tapering off prednisone and dealing with adrenal issues was part of her expertise. Duh. She is suggesting that he go back to 2.5 mg every morning until they "meet" again virtually in late December to discuss lab results and how he is feeling. It sounds like she anticipates the tapering to take several months. And she says there is no one set of tapering instructions for everyone to follow.
@lag
I am glad you got good feedback from the doctor. It is so right, everyone is different, and how long you have to taper just depends on how your body reacts.
Your body has to start producing cortisol at a normal rate that way you don’t need prednisone anymore. Too little cortisol and you become very tired and need Prednisone to give you more.
Hopefully, he will not have too much fatigue from 2 1/2 mg. If he does then, maybe talk to the doctor about getting 1 mg tablets. He could go to 3 1/2 mg for a while.
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@jeffmarc Update: I contacted my husband's endocrinologist--I suddenly realized that tapering off prednisone and dealing with adrenal issues was part of her expertise. Duh. She is suggesting that he go back to 2.5 mg every morning until they "meet" again virtually in late December to discuss lab results and how he is feeling. It sounds like she anticipates the tapering to take several months. And she says there is no one set of tapering instructions for everyone to follow.
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2 Reactions@lag
I am glad you got good feedback from the doctor. It is so right, everyone is different, and how long you have to taper just depends on how your body reacts.
Your body has to start producing cortisol at a normal rate that way you don’t need prednisone anymore. Too little cortisol and you become very tired and need Prednisone to give you more.
Hopefully, he will not have too much fatigue from 2 1/2 mg. If he does then, maybe talk to the doctor about getting 1 mg tablets. He could go to 3 1/2 mg for a while.
-
Like -
Helpful -
Hug
2 Reactions