Tapering off of Prednisone

Thanks again to everyone for their insights. Looks like supplemental medication is on shelf due to my G6PD issue and with Dr going on sabbatical discussion has been deferred (mixed blessings). Have been "advised" to get down to 10mg by Jan, which is when I chat with the Dr again. Do have a "comment" to manage pain, so will go slow to ensure tapering is done such that infection doesn't start up again. Keeping fingers crossed.

Does anyone have a link to the Mayo study re average duration if PMR? Is that duration of condition, or duration of prednisone use? Thx.

I have not seen a specific study but there is a discussion where you can read what other members have shared.

-- How long has PMR lasted - I'm trying to find the average:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/how-long-has-pmr-lasted-im-trying-to-find-the-average/

I feel that you are tapering too fast. It is not a race. Speak to your doctor.

@mary4 Hi Mary, I thought I had found the link at one time. I did find this doing a search:
And the most recent evidence is in a study from Matteson et al at the Mayo. This group found that the average duration of PMR is 5.9 years. Some 40% of patients are on pred after 10 years - albeit at a low dose.
healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk/posts/141152895/remission-from-pmr
Remission from PMR: If it takes 5.9 years to get in... - PMRGCAuk

Hi ..I’ve been tapering since January. I’m down to 8 mg (from 20). I have very little pain or stiffness. However, yesterday I had my bloodwork done and my sed rate was almost as high as before I was on prednisone —about 15 points higher than 3 months ago. This is very worrisome. Has anyone else had a high sed rate when ramping down? Tks!!

It could be a couple things - your dose is on the edge of being too low to handle the pmr inflammation or it could be you have an infection, virus or something else that's causing some inflammation somewhere. The sed rate doesn't only relate to PMR. These were a couple examples I remember from reading on forums over the years.

Thank you for the info. I wonder if it could be related to my latest Covid booster. I got it 2 weeks ago and had a big reaction.

Thank you so much. My rheumatologist is death on going beyond 2 years. I will ask my family doctor to take over. The support and information from this group has been outstanding. I feel so fortunate to have stumbled across the site.

Is anyone taking Prolia, to prevent bone loss while on prednisone? If yes, did it aggravate your PMR. Any side effects? Thanks as always for sharing your experience.