Are There Guidelines for Prednisone Tapers

@eparnold0219 I found it very helpful to do say 3 one day and then 2 the next for a couple weeks and then went to 2 for a short time and then 2 and 1 etc … and actually I dropped by 1/2 for a while. It’s really no black-and-white solution. You just need to play around with your dosages. I would do whatever I chose for a few days if I didn’t feel any pain then I might drop down by another half but usually it’s two to three weeks before I would make any more drops in the milligrams

12 years, how awful! I have pain every day, some worse than others. I won't increase prednizone because I value sleep and P reduces hours slept

@boo3 I am not in ppain free stage. Kevzara helping, though.

I still have pain but I do believe it is osteoarthritis related and not PMR. Quality of life is good and when it gets to a point I feel I need some relief I take Advil or Aleve but very careful not to take on regular basis. My experience was severe pain in shoulders and hips that after starting prednisone moved somewhat into hands. But I will advise patience and definitely use this site for information and support

a reminder and comment.......
Just a friendly reminder that everyone seems to have a different relationship to PMR, prednisone, and the taper. A small story to illustrate and suggest that we keep sharing our experiences to help our fellow PMR traveller:

Even though I had a very classic case of PMR in 2025 into 2026 (ie the classic bilateral pains and stiffness in all the listed spots), I had a different reaction to prednisone than my doctor expected and what many comments on the Mayo Connect reveal. Most of us would agree that prednisone is a "god send". Meaning, it works for the vast majority of us to stop inflammation and reduce pain. That's why it is still the standard of care. But we all know from the literature and anecdotes that it is a mixed blessing. It can also cause so many minor and major illnesses the higher the dose and the longer the duration of use. Hence, tapering ASAP is the name of the game.

I just read that one of you limits prednisone so they can sleep. I am sorry you have that effect with your dose. For me, prednisone actually helped me sleep. The first month in which I was on 15 mg, I not only slept better than ever in my entire life, but I felt better. I had no pain. I have had pain most every day of my life. I have EDS (Ehlers Danlos syndrome) and the common denominator to this genetic collagen disorder is pain. Random pain, lasting pain, and transient pain. Pains here and there in the body. It is rather weird. My doctor says that I am one of two in her career (of treating PMR and other diseases that required prednisone) that had ever said to her that they loved prednisone. That first month for me was a miracle month. I realized for the first time how most people live their lives-- pain free. It was truly amazing and I would love to go back but realize that doing that thru prednisone is dangerous and not a good idea. The downsides (?) to prednisone that I recall are I had thinner skin and it felt like someone else was in charge of my body. Someone else at the wheel.

So, I currently (post PMR) am searching for that holy grail of a pain free or mostly pain free life. After my taper finished and subsequent remission of PMR, I went back to having my usual aches and pains that I have had my entire life. There was some wonder on my part after PMR was over that I might be adrenal insufficient in general (my whole life) and not producing enough cortisol to deal with the daily slights to the body (ie recovery from stresses and injuries). Unfortunately (?) that was not the answer. Three months after PMR my 24 hour cortisol numbers fit the accepted ranges. Oh well, back to chasing the pain mouse around the body!

I am at 10mg after 1 month, down from 15mg. I know I will have to slow down and when ready I might like to try tapering in .5mg steps. I have called lots of pharmacies and 1mg is all that is commercially available. Even the compounding pharmacy I called said they can’t make it. How have people reporting used .5mg?

@emct there is a line on the 1mg pills (same on all milligrams) that you can break in half… I used what little finger nail I have on thumb to break in half and when struggled with that used butter knife placing little pressure until pill broke in two. They do sell a device to cut pills but never bothered to buy one.

@emct
Prednisone is scored to split easily and because it's scored and manufactured to be splittable, the meds are evenly distributed throughout the pill as opposed to unscored pills. Unscored pills when split do not guarantee an equal split of the actual meds.

That is exactly what happened to me. Started 15 mg of Prednisone in Nov for PMR and started tapering in Feb. The pain in shoulders and hips went away but I started getting severe pain in hands and wrist. 9 months after starting the 15 mg, I'm down to 1.5. and doing well. I have to take Meloxicam to alleviate the hand pain.

Thank you to all you replied and especially to those who provided research. I was feeling over medicated. I contact my doctor, supplied the research. Thanks to all of you my taper schedule was adjusted ! I really appreciiate the candor of this group. Thanks again!