How did you cope with the side effects tapering off prednisone?

Since 10 mg, I have been suffering tapering off of the Prednisone. I am now at 7 mg. and I get headaches, body aches, nausea, diarrhea and total exhaustion. Other than that I feel great!! Lol

Annette, Curious, how much weight have you lost if you don't mind sharing? I wonder if the change in your blood sugar has helped, too. (You have to had lowered your glucose overall or you wouldn't have lost weight.) I might experiment with adding B6 to the B12 (and other things) I take. I'll get back to you on the results.

I have tapered from 5 mg prednisone to 4 3/4 the last two days and find I have no pain but thighs feel “ rubber” and I am grumpy. Is this “normal “ and is it prednisone withdrawal?
How do you tell the difference from pmr Or withdrawal?

Hang in there. I think prednisone and grumpy go together. Exercise, music, humor all help! All the best to you.

Hi @sued70, That is a good question. You are not alone. We moved your post into an existing discussion on the same topic here so that you can connect with other members who have had similar experiences:
--- How did you cope with the side effects tapering off prednisone?: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/taper-side-effects/.

I've always thought in terms of a flare up and not a withdrawal symptom but each of us are a little different. It's good to see that you have already connected with @sharonanng.

I think you are rushing your taper. Slow it down and you should, hopefully, feel better.

Definitely experiencing that! Thank you. It is good to know I am not alone. I was beginning to think I was developing dementia.

I taper 1mg every second week. I have gone from 10mg to 6mg.

I sank into two months of depression and was not motivated to do anything. All I did was eat , sleep, make dinner and wash dishes. I keep promising myself to clean but just don’t have the energy to do so.

Oh boy, this sounds just like me. AndI thought it was the effects of winter. This is the best news I have had all week. Even though I am tapering off 1/2 mg at a time, this tells me that I am sure depression will be part of my future. With that knowledge I can fight it. Thank you Kareena. Keep remembering that Spring is around the corner, even though my neighborhood is expecting a whopping great snow storm this evening.

I'm happy to report that some prednisone side effects have lessened over time, esp. the insomnia and cognitive issues. I'm sure the two are related. I haven't been able to reduce my dose over the last year, though have tried a number of times. I was using neurontin to help me sleep but am off it now. I have pushed activity more. It helped that I had my kitchen remodeled which involved dealing with the design and research plus doing a lot of the finishing work like painting.