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Has anyone else had pain return after reducing pred by only 2.5 mg?

Polymyalgia Rheumatica (PMR) | Last Active: Oct 24, 2023 | Replies (53)
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@dadcue

Trying to decrease your prednisone dose by 2.5 mg so soon after being diagnosed is worth a try but might not work for everyone. It sounds like your doctor understands this. You wrote, "the doctor did hint that the tapering might not work and that I may have to stay on 15 mg for a while longer."

Don't feel like a failure just because you can't taper your prednisone dose only 2 months after being diagnosed. It took me more than 10 years before I could taper down to 15 mg of prednisone.

If you already have osteoporosis, steroid medications should be used for the shortest amount of time possible. I think a year or less would be a short period of time. Staying on 15 mg a while longer sounds reasonable.

Just be aware that there are a few alternatives to prednisone nowadays.

https://emedicine.medscape.com/article/330815-treatment?form=fpf

I was offered an alternative when it seemed like I would have to take prednisone for the rest of my life. After an alternative was tried, I tapered off prednisone in less than a year.

It all depends on your individual circumstances. Finding a way to get off prednisone is mostly trial and error.

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Replies to "Trying to decrease your prednisone dose by 2.5 mg so soon after being diagnosed is worth..."
charlotte61 | @charlotte61 | Oct 17, 2023

Thanks dadcue. I'm sorry it took you so long to taper down to 15 mg of prednisone -- 10 years seems like such a long time! I do already have osteoporosis, so am stuck between a rock and a hard place. It's looking like it's going to take a very long time to taper off the prednisone, and in the meantime, I shudder to think what's happening to my bones. However, I have started taking a biophosphate on the recommendation of my doctor, even though it leaves me with mild abdominal cramping the day after I take it (weekly). I'm also doing everything else I can to protect my bones by taking calcium, vitamin D, vitamin K, etc., and getting daily exercise. I'll definitely look into some alternatives if it appears that I'm going to have to stay on prednisone indefinitely. In the meantime, I'm going to try tapering off by 1 mg/month even though that's going to take over a year.

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