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How did you cope with the side effects tapering off prednisone?
Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Feb 19 1:42pm | Replies (179)Comment receiving replies
I started prednisone at 15mg per day, after a hiccup where my dr wanted me to go to 12.5 after 2 weeks... nope, three days later I was in pain again. I was able to get there after a couple more weeks. I had an appt on July 11 where he agreed to give me an rx for 2mg for the next taper so I could go down to 12 or maybe 11.5. I had the rx picked up yesterday and they're 5mg. *sigh. You can't get to either from 5's.
I called and the nurse tried to tell me what my schedule was and I was to be tapered to 10mg. I corrected her. Papers shuffled and "Oh". It's the weekend and nothing called in so I am staying on the 12.5 for now.
My doctor had been out for a month, his wife had a baby and another doctor covered who went through the failed taper with me.
Hopefully this wasn't too hard to follow.
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Breaking those 5mg tablets is a pain for sure. When I was told to reduce from 12.5mg to 10mg in the one go, I felt it could be too much, so cut the 5mg tablet in half, then carefully in half again. Because they don't cut evenly at that size, or part of it crumbles away, I kept the two larger quarters (which I counted as 1.5mg) and discarded the two smaller quarters (counted as 1mg).
I reduced from 12.5 to 11.5mg first (2X 5mg tabs + 1X 1.5mg piece) without a problem, then reduced to 10mg straight after that. Both reductions were done without pain in 19 days, less time than the one scary reduction was due to take.
Get the pill cutter out and do it your way, the better safer way.