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Chronic Fatigue while tapering Prednisone for PMR

Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Apr 21 9:44am | Replies (95)
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@njtodctode

Hi John ... I checked that site out good info there. I wanted to see if you have any suggestions on this: if I go back to 20 mgs...what should be the next dose? For the first step down? My rheum does 5 mg down after 2 weeks, then again to 10 mg 2 weeks later.
Then after 2 weeks down to 5 mg. Then much slower. BUT my symptoms have never fully cleared hence all this mishigas. The worst symptoms did clear ...my hands which were THE worst ever... but then the more typical symptoms rang thru and now are a bigger issue. So....not to state the obvious but 10 which is where I was until recently (2nd time at that dose) was worse than the 15...makes sense...but still the symptoms are pretty bad. So....do I hang at 15 go to 20. That is what I need to figure out and get with my rhrum or her PA. I think the hardest thing is how cleared up should the symptoms be before reducing. 100%? Oy. My brain cells hurt and it's not that giant cell thing...
..lol. anyway thanks for all of your help. Mickie.
Be well.

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Replies to "Hi John ... I checked that site out good info there. I wanted to see if..."
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Aug 15, 2022

Hi Mickie @njtodctode, Both times I started at 20 mg and was able to drop down to 15 mg and only had a 1 or 2 pain level which was my bottom line on the pain scale of 1 to 10 for tapering down. I don't think I was 100% pain free in the morning before taking my daily dose of prednisone to start the day. I know each of us are different and my rheumatologist asked me what lowest level of pain on my pain scale could I tolerate while trying the next taper level. If after tapering down, say by 5 mg, I still had a pain of 2 to 3 or 4 when waking up for the 2nd day, I would bump my dose up 2.5 or half of the dose that I dropped for the previous taper. It really helped me to keep a daily log of my pain when waking up and my dose for the day. The pain would always go away fairly soon after moving around some and then taking the next dose of prednisone.

My rheumy gave me scripts for 5, 2.5 and 1 mg prednisone tablets which made it easier to drop by smaller doses earlier based on how I was feeling when it was time to try and taper to a lower dose.

Hope you have a pain free day!

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