1. < Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR)
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When is it time to discontinue prednisone?

Posted by rnm @rnm, Nov 18 6:48am

I was diagnosed with PMR in January 2025. I have been tapering down on the prednisone and I’m now down to .5 mg. My most recent blood work showed that my SEd rate and CRP are within normal limits. I still have some pain but have been treating it with Tylenol. Just wondering how others in the group tapered completely off of the prednisone. Thank you in advance for your help.

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superfly999 | @superfly999 | Nov 19 4:45pm
In reply to @rickman "My doc. is reducing me by .1 every seven days. I started at 15 and now..." + (show)
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My doc. is reducing me by .1 every seven days.
I started at 15 and now down to 10.
Next week will be 9
Following week will be 8 and so on until I hit zero.
No big, issues other than minor nausea now an again.

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@rickman How do you do this? Does Prednisone come in 0.1 tablets?

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tweetypie13 | @tweetypie13 | Nov 19 5:47pm
In reply to @elsbeth "I’m a reasonably healthy 82 year old, and respond forcibly to small doses, so a little..." + (show)
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I’m a reasonably healthy 82 year old, and respond forcibly to small doses, so a little over a year ago I started on 10 mg of Prednisone. That did the trick within hours. Then the doc had me slowly and steadily taper off and as of 6 weeks ago I’m Prednisone-free. So the taper took most of a year. Since then, various aches and pains have sprung up, confusing me: Relapse time? But the doc assured me the problems are from other causes. I almost think the fear of a PMR relapse is one of the causes. I hope you have a rheumatologist you can trust to guide you through this tricky period.

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@elsbeth
I know your “thoughts and feelings”.
My Rehumy suggested….
Try a Tylenol for Arthritis …..dr ok’d it. If needed go to 2.
You may have adrenal issues etc. You have not been off prednisone that long.

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rickman | @rickman | Nov 23 2:33pm
In reply to @rickman "My doc. is reducing me by .1 every seven days. I started at 15 and now..." + (show)
Profile picture for rickman @rickman

My doc. is reducing me by .1 every seven days.
I started at 15 and now down to 10.
Next week will be 9
Following week will be 8 and so on until I hit zero.
No big, issues other than minor nausea now an again.

Jump to this post

@rickman During this period my small indoor infrared sauna is really helping weather any small tweaks of pain I get in my shoulders. Especially after exercising. But really happy to report no pain (0%) in my hip/ groin area. By the way, if anyone wants to know the best deal on a small infrared unit, let me know and I will reply.

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