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Tapering

Posted by christi48 @christi48, Oct 23, 2022

I'm curious how people manage to taper 1mg at a time. I only know about pills that are 2.5mg, 5mg, 10mg and so on. How do you measure 1mg?

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hfoster | @hfoster | Oct 24, 2022
In reply to @johnbishop "Hi @hfoster, You are right, it is a wonderful feeling to feel normal again when you..." + (show)
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Hi @hfoster, You are right, it is a wonderful feeling to feel normal again when you are dealing with PMR and a respiratory issue as well. I think this is a good question to ask your doctor since there might be other factors involved. I did find this information that speaks to the topic a little but doesn't mention bronchitis.

"How long does a steroid shot last for upper respiratory infection?
Steroid injections start working quickly and usually last for a long time. You only need to get another one if your symptoms return, which can happen anywhere from 3 to 12 months after the first injection. However, many people never need to get another injection."
-- Steroid Shot for Sinus Infection: Benefits, Process, and Side Effects:
https://www.healthline.com/health/steroid-shot-for-sinus-infection
I've had severe bronchitis before and it is the pits. If it were me, I wouldn't taper down until I was sure I've recovered from the bronchitis but I would still ask my doctor about it.

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Thank you!

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mary4 | @mary4 | Oct 25, 2022

The shared group experience re tapering in particular, has really given me permission to listen to my body (vs only.my data driven rheumatologist) when tapering. Many thanks. Good to trust my own experience in conjunction with doctor's advice.

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flymetothemoon | @flymetothemoon | Oct 25, 2022
In reply to @johnbishop "Actually they have prednisone 1mg tablets. My rheumy prescribed 5mg, 2.5mg and 1mg tablets when I..." + (show)
Profile picture for John, Volunteer Mentor @johnbishop

Actually they have prednisone 1mg tablets. My rheumy prescribed 5mg, 2.5mg and 1mg tablets when I was tapering. The first occurrence of PMR took me 3 and half years to taper off and the last six months was going back and forth between 1mg and 1/2mg until I could stop taking prednisone with no pain. Cutting the 1mg tablet in half with a pill cutter was a little tricky and didn't work well when I first tried but I finally figured out how to use the pill cutter 🙂

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Hi John. Feel free to move this link. I was told that Prunes can help with inflammation and osteoporosis. There is a lot of evidence of this especially in women. I started last week incorporating them in my diet. Steroids definitely do damage to the bones.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/eating-prunes-a-day-may-lower-inflammation-protect-bones

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anotherpal | @anotherpal | Oct 31, 2022

Pill cutters. I already had one from my vet. Cut in half and again if necessary.

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njtodctode | @njtodctode | Nov 1, 2022

They make 1 mg. Ask you doc for it. Good luck.

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loyal | @loyal | Nov 2, 2022

My doctor prescribed 10's, 5's, and 1's at the beginning. I also use a pill cutter for 1\2 mg. They are inexpensive and easy to cut on the line of the 1 mg.

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janiceem | @janiceem | Nov 2, 2022

I am finally off of prednisone after over 1.5 years! I was on 1 mg. for many months and each time I tried to taper off, I would get upper arm and mid back pain. Then I saw a new rheumatologist who believes that I never had PMR to begin with since I only experienced pain when laying down! She thinks it is cervical radiculopathy, which my MRI seems to confirm. When I started focusing more on my neck, I no longer had pain in my upper arms after going off prednisone! But now that I'm off the anti-inflammatory effects of prednisone, other little feelings are cropping up, especially tingling, numbness, and itchiness in my extremities and hips, which is probably related to the cervical radiculopathy. My hip pain is slightly worse, but that is because of osteoarthritis (which prednisone can exacerbate, I'm told). Needless to say, I'm a bit upset with my prior rheumatologist!

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marieameehan | @marieameehan | Dec 1, 2022

Can you please review the tapering method which involves new dose and old dose over seven days..
I believe it was the method introduced by a Swedish Dr .
Thank you.
Marie.

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tillysam | @tillysam | Dec 2, 2022
In reply to @juneh "Hi..I hit a wall when I tried my usual method of tapering from 8mg to 7mg..." + (show)
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Hi..I hit a wall when I tried my usual method of tapering from 8mg to 7mg …the pain returned. I started alternating between 8 and 7.5 and then 7.5mg and 7mg. I’m wondering how long to continue this dosage before going to 7mg??
Thank you! June

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I have mentioned this before in a reply: this is not a race. Healthunlocked.com (a wonderful and knowledgeable website) gives you different tapering schedules.
Good luck!

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